Name: Festival song recital Christian Gerhaher 1
Start: 2026-07-26T20:00:00
Location: Munich Residence

Christian Gerhaher

Gerold Huber

Bayerische Staatsoper

Dressed as a man and calling herself “Fidelio”, Leonore surreptitiously gains the confidence of the jailer Rocco and his daughter Marzelline, thus gaining access to the high security tract where her husband Florestan has been despotically incarcerated by Don Pizarro. Florestan is in mortal danger, but this does not intimidate his wife, who is determined to liberate him. Finally, however, the two of them can only be rescued by an emissary from the monarch. At the end, a Utopia in the form of a final chorus sets the stage aglow, not only as a plea for freedom and justice, but also concurrently as a condemnation of the anxieties and restrictions of human existence.

Fidelio

Max-Joseph-Platz

Understanding common requirements is part of the nature of artistic work. From there on progress can be made and new work created. The three choreographers whose works form the Common Ground performance share a connection with the Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) in The Hague. Along with a shared artistic conviction, in which humour also has its place, their choreographies are interwoven with connections filled with subtle content – and all of them have had world premieres at the NDT. The first two are inspired by music for string quartet. And the first and third pieces are each based in their own way on the concept of seduction.

Common Ground

In honeyed tones, Lord and Lady Macbeth reveal their passionate and bizarre emotions to us. But behind this beauty there lurks an abyss, which Verdi unveils with one of the cruelest dramas in the history of world literature. In their struggle to seize power and retain it once it has been usurped, Macbeth and his lady commit one murder after another. The unwavering nature of their desire imbues their love with a radicality that would have been unthinkable on the operatic stage before this work. “The subject matter of this opera is neither political nor religious: it is fantastic,” wrote Verdi and brought Shakespeare’s play closer to a more “romantic” reading. In actual fact, the witches, ghosts and apparitions, the eerie elements, which dominate the musical and dramatic flow, in short the whole world of this opera can be regarded as an outward image of its protagonists’ inner state.

Macbeth

The two closely related powerful women, whose graves now lie right beside each other in London’s Westminster Abbey, were “Of One Blood”, so of the same blood. Both were of course as conceivably far apart as possible during their lives. Elizabeth I ruled for almost half a century as Queen of England and Ireland, while Mary Stuart reigned over Scotland for a quarter of a century. A bitter power struggle between the Protestant hegemony and the Catholic opposition and ultimately the pressure of parliament forced the English Queen to have Mary Stuart executed.

Of One Blood

The people are thirsty for blood. Another suitor for the hand of the sovereign is about to be publicly beheaded, because Princess Turandot is determined never to belong to any man. That’s why anyone who wants to marry her must first solve three riddles. Anyone who fails has to pay with his life. An unknown prince, revolted by Turandot’s cruelty, yet attracted by her beauty, takes on this potentially lethal risk – and solves the riddles. But has he awakened the ice-cold, man-murdering sovereign to love and put an end to her barbarity?

Turandot

A square in Sevilla. Soldiers are whiling away the time in front of their guardhouse. Micaela enters and asks after Don Jose, who, however, is not expected until the changing of the guard. She says she will return again and runs off as the men laugh at her.

Carmen

In astronomy, the term “constellation” describes the position of the heavenly bodies in relation to one another, and that indeed seen from the earth. This concept can be transposed to works of art very much in general or very specifically with relation to ballets, and so a kind of expedition is undertaken in the Constellations ballet performance. How five or six shorter ballets or ballet excerpts behave with one another, when they are intentionally juxtaposed with each other, is examined here. Laurent Hilaire will select pieces for Constellations, whose choreographers have a special connection with the Staatsballett’s repertoire or whose works have already been shown in Munich. Munich audiences can therefore look forward to seeing both old and fleeting friends once again. The goal here is to spread a new network of relationships across the selected works and work excerpts, both visual and audible.

Constellations

Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding

Richard Wagner wrote Die Walküre as the second of four parts of the powerful musical theatre epic, Der Ring des Nibelungen, which is based on the Medieval Nibelungenlied and old Norse god sagas. Wotan, the highest god, has fathered twins with a mortal woman – Siegmund and Sieglinde. These two in turn have a child, in which Wotan sees his dominion consolidated. His wife Fricka defies his plans and, as protector of the traditional marriage rites, demands Siegmund’s death. Wotan reluctantly agrees, although it will cause a split with his favourite daughter.

Die Walküre

The story of Cinderella, her evil stepsisters, her malign stepfather and her eternal quest for happiness. It all begins with hassles and endless coloratura. But then: Prince Charming arrives! The legendary, effervescent production by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle is today a chapter of operatic history: a priceless legacy.

La Cenerentola

Festspiel-Liederabend Jonas Kaufmann

A secretive empire, ruled by a legendary queen – Alcina is all things at once: strong, powerful, clever and beguilingly beautiful. Again and again, she seduces strange men, who follow her call, onto her island, and again and again Alcina hopes without end to find true love. But her dream always ends in disappointment. The traces of past loves are strewn across the land – former suitors are now magically transformed and held captive in the island’s flora and fauna. But when Ruggiero lands on the island, Alcina is convinced – this is the right one! Meanwhile another “man” appears. Ruggiero’s fiancé Bradamante, disguised as her brother, Ricciardo, and searching for Ruggiero. When Alcina’s magic then also begins to gradually disappear, everything goes topsy-turvy.