Name: Rigoletto
Start: 2026-03-21T19:30:00
Location: Oper Graz

Graz Opera opens its doors to an exhilarating season brimming with diverse musical offerings. From the intimate charm of the Espresso Concert to the adventurous spirit of 'On the Town', audiences are invited on a journey through opera, musicals, and ballet. Art enthusiasts and families alike will find something to enjoy in performances such as 'Rigoletto', 'Snow White and The 77 Dwarfs', and 'La Divina Comedia'. Join us as we delve into the details of this vibrant season and the remarkable talent behind each production.

A Kaleidoscope of Melodies: Discover Graz Opera's Vibrant Season

Oper Graz invites you to a vibrant cultural journey through a series of captivating performances. From the intimate Espresso concert to ballet's reinterpretation of 'The Divine Comedy', the program is designed to enchant and inspire audiences of all ages. Featured performances include Bernstein’s 'On the Town', Verdi's evocative 'Rigoletto', and the whimsical 'Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs'. Each event showcases a unique artistic narrative, blending traditional opera with contemporary elements that promise a memorable experience. With free admission for certain events, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

A Cultural Odyssey at Oper Graz: From Sailor's Tales to Ballet's Bliss

Oper Graz is set to captivate audiences with a diverse array of performances ranging from intimate concerts to grand operas. This season includes the Espresso concert series featuring talented ensemble members, the emotionally charged Rigoletto, and a modern twist on Snow White. Not to mention, operatic masterpieces like Wozzeck and the unique musical journey of My Favorite Animal is Called Winter. Join us as we delve into the creative works and talents that make this season a must-see for music and art enthusiasts.

Exploring the Eclectic Artistry at Oper Graz: A Season of Musical Marvels

Vassilis Christopoulos

Pavel Petrov

Nikoloz Lagvilava

Wilfried Zelinka

Ekaterina Solunya

Jianwei Liu

Daeho Kim

Ulises Maino

Lovro Korošec

Agustina Calderón

Nikita Ivasechko

Neira Muhic

Leah Bedenko

Christin Hagemann

Katharina Tasch

Stephanie Rauch

Stefan Schlagbauer

Johannes Köhler

Oper Graz

Whether singing, dancing, or instrumental music – you can expect a diverse program in an intimate setting, performed by ensemble members, dancers from the Graz Ballet, members of the Graz Philharmonic, and guests. Admission is free!

Espresso concert

Giuseppe Verdi sends his protagonist Rigoletto on an emotional rollercoaster ride between feigned hilarity, honest paternal love and human abysses. Director Ute M. Engelhardt takes a look behind the facade of the joker and into the maw of the brutalised society in which the title hero finds himself. On the podium: chief conductor Vassilis Christopoulos, who once again devotes himself to a Verdi opera after his gripping interpretation of Macbeth.

Rigoletto

Alban Berg revolutionised the opera tradition in 1925 with a gripping story that combines drama, murder and social study. The folk opera stars Daniel Schmutzhard (Wozzeck) and Annette Dasch (Marie), together with chief conductor Vassilis Christopoulos on the podium of the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra, explore the expressive sound world of Berg’s masterpiece. After his successful Austrian debut in Graz with Richard Wagner’s Tannhäuser and stints in Vienna and Salzburg, director Evgeny Titov returns to Graz Opera with one of the most important operas of the 20th century.

Wozzeck

Cowboys, horse racing and the really big emotions! Emmerich Kálmán’s last operetta, premiered posthumously, brings all this and more to the stage of Graz Opera. Kálmán’s western operetta can be experienced for the first time in Austria in an exciting and emotional production.

Sunshine Ranch, Wild West: For Lona Farrell, ranch owner and horse breeder with Hungarian roots, work comes first. She takes a rather critical view of potential love adventures, although the world of men would love to fall at her feet. When the mysterious cowboy Roy Dexter takes over the vacant position of the overbearing foreman Jim Slaughter and the racehorse Arizona Lady seems to break new records under his care, Lona and Roy find it difficult to hide their romantic feelings for each other. A happy ending is already within reach, if it weren’t for Jim Slaughter and his new dubious boss McDumb ...

Arizona Lady

The debut novel by Styrian Ingeborg Bachmann Prize winner Ferdinand Schmalz, set to music by Carinthian musician and composer Lukas Kranzelbinder, directed by Viennese Alexander Charim, and brought to life by singers from the Graz Opera and figureheads of the "New Viennese Song" such as Klemens Lendl ( Die Strottern ) and Wolfgang Vincenz Wizlsperger ( Kollegium Kalksburg ). An operetta series in five parts, each episode of which "eats" its way into the opera through different performance venues: Voilà, the operetta of the 21st century!

My favorite animal is called Winter/Episode 4

My favorite animal is called Winter/Episode 5

The exceptionally large brass ensemble (25 players!) in Leoš Janáček's Sinfonietta is just one of the special features of this concert. Perhaps this is why the five movements sound like film music and have been "sampled" in several television series and films—although not intended as such by the composer. The four-movement Les Eaux célestes (2023) by the French composer Camille Pépin also leaves a special aural impression with its open, enchanting form and colorful instrumentation. Under the direction of Ben Glassberg, the Graz Philharmonic will accompany pianist Ilya Shmukler, who was awarded first prize at the 2024 Concours Géza Anda, in Frédéric Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1.

3rd Music Association Concert

Stefaniensaal

Four people going through the hell of their own emotions are at the centre of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s masterpiece Castor et Pollux. Choreographer and director Nanine Linning, already known to audiences in Graz as the director of the Giulietta act of The Tales of Hoffmann in the 2023/24 season, once again merges the intrinsic elements of dance and music theatre in the French baroque opera. Her artistic partner on this journey into the human abyss is Bernhard Forck, a specialist in early music.

Castor and Pollux

Chamber Concert 7 »Of Bohemia and Bohème«

A mixed ensemble of actors from the LebensGroß Theatre Academy and singers from Graz Opera embark on a fight for freedom and justice for all. The specially created adaptation of Ralph Benatzky’s revue operetta offers snappy sounds for gruelling battles and exciting emotions.

The Three Musketeers

This concert program features three masterpieces that impressively reflect the diversity of the Romantic era. The program opens with Carl Maria von Weber's Symphony No. 1, which combines both vitality and melodic beauty. Richard Strauss's symphonic poem "Don Juan" transports the audience into a passionate world of heroic myth. The concert concludes with Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 7, an emotionally intense work that impressively reflects the expressive power of the Romantic era. Sebastian Weigle, General Music Director of the Frankfurt Opera from 2008 to 2023, leads the Graz Philharmonic through this fascinating program.

Rigoletto

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