Name: Der Rosenkavalier
Start: 2026-12-20T18:00:00
Location: Cologne Opera

Armando Elizondo

Andrés Orozco-Estrada

Jing Yang

Wesley Harrison

Young Woo Kim

Elsa Benoit

Bianca Andrew

Magdalena Hinterdobler

Giulia Montanari

Alina König Rannenberg

KS Miljenko Turk

Claudia Rohrbach

Dmitry Ivanchey

Lucas Singer

Martin Koch

Patrick Zielke

Martin Summer

Christian Miedl

Artjom Korotkov

Dalia Schaechter

Kristi Anna Isene

Paweł Brożek

Ann-Beth Solvang

Michael Smallwood

Martina Sigl

Josua Guss

Sinhu Kim

Won Min Lee

Nicolas Boulanger

Yashi 

Rustam Samedov

Marie-Ève ​​Signeyrole

Sascha Zauner

Oper Köln

The opera DER ROSENKAVALIER leads into the bedroom of a princess and straight into the intimate conversation with her youthful lover. Inspired by the ancient tragedy ELEKTRA, Richard Strauss and the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal envisioned something entirely new: a comedy for music. Cheerful, light, and elegant, conciliatory yet profound in its emotions and thoughts – and, of course, Austrian in its burlesque wit while at the same time touched by melancholy reflection. Thus the authors created the famous figure of the Field Marshal's wife, Princess Werdenberg who bears the first name Marie-Thérèse for good reason and entrusted her with the leading role in the opera DER ROSENKAVALIER, premiered in 1911.

Der Rosenkavalier

Cologne Opera

As the court jester to the Duke of Mantua, Rigoletto is no less scrupulous than his absolutist master, who seduces women at will and has men killed on a whim. Rigoletto seeks to protect his daughter Gilda from this world, but the Duke has already set his sights on the innocent young woman. When Gilda gives herself to the seducer driven by love and idealism, Rigoletto's carefully constructed wall of protection collapses, and he himself is made a fool: his belief that he could strictly separate the corruption of court society from his private happiness proves to be a fatal illusion.

Rigoletto

Once upon a time... there was a king who had three children. In the kingdom, the crown had always been passed on to the son or daughter deemed most suitable to rule. A ring served as the symbol of power, which the king must hand over before his death.

The king gives something away

It is the first murder in human history, yet, as we know, not the last. For according to biblical tradition, we are all descended from a murderer: Cain, the first human to be born on earth. Together with his younger brother Abel, he is raised by his parents Adam and Eve in reverence for God. But when Abel’s ritual offerings are favored one day, dark impulses break through: Cain kills Abel, thereby incurring the wrath of God.

Cain and Abel

Contemporary avant-garde and Caribbean sensuality – a ballet company full of surprises – this is the label under which Cuba’s largest dance company performs. Danza Contemporánea de Cuba looks back on a history spanning more than 50 years. It was founded in the very year of Fidel Castro’s revolution. All of its dancers are trained in Cuba’s great ballet tradition, which they continually expand by incorporating modern European and Latin American styles. Their repertoire is not limited to Cuban traditions; it ranges from choreographer George Céspedes from within the company to Spain’s Rafael Bonachela and Sweden’s Mats Ek. In Cologne, they present themselves for the first time with three very different works.

Reversible / Things 3XXI

Marla the mayfly has only one day to live. And she wants to discover and learn as much about the world as possible! She sets off on a journey and meets a variety of insects along the way: a beautiful dragonfly, a poetry-writing rhinoceros beetle, a tiny tardigrade with superpowers, and finally a species that does not yet have a name. Marla learns something from every insect. When she returns to the other mayflies, she can look back on a rich and fulfilling life.

Marla, The May Fly

What do we long for when we love? And can another person ever truly recognize our deepest desires – let alone fulfill them?

Hoffmann's Tales

“Such a little fat dachshund has never been seen here before,” Goethe’s mother wrote to her son in 1793 about a performance of DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE (The Magic Flute) – a remark that reflects how Mozart’s Singspiel quickly captivated a wide audience. At once entertaining and sophisticated, the story follows Prince Tamino and Papageno who face a series of trials to rescue the princess Pamina from the clutches of Sarastro. It journey full of dangers, at the end of which lies the hope for a self-determined future together.

The Magic Flute

Every year, Cäcilia Wolkenburg presents the world premiere of a truly Cologne-style musical. More than one hundred singers and dancers – all volunteers who perform not for a living but purely out of a love for singing on stage – bring to life rousing music, large-scale choral arrangements, and ballet choreography, woven into a story that touches the “Kölsche Hätz” (the Cologne heart).

Wat e Thiater

The composer Hans Werner Henze traveled to Cuba ten years after the end of the revolution. He met composers, writers, and artists, performed one of his own works with the Havana Symphony Orchestra, and was full of curiosity about what music and art might mean to people in this new world. For Henze, his artistic work was always concerned with nothing other than human beings and their pursuit of happiness.

The Little Cuban

From crackling and popping to tapping and ringing – a world of rhythms, sounds, and tones opens up for the very youngest opera audience. In this 30-minute mini opera, babies and toddlers can immerse themselves in a space filled with music together with their caregivers.

Everything that sounds

Glockengasse

The stage is dark. A tremor can be felt. Then music begins – more a collage of different sounds. A harmonica. The brief moment of a whistled melody. It is unmistakably the music of Ennio Morricone. The composer, who passed away in Rome in 2020, became famous above all for his film scores for classics such as ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST and THE MISSION. His distinctive and memorable compositions have long since transcended their films, turning Ennio Morricone into a global icon.