Theater Lübeck

In a village near Utrecht, Judge Adam's word is law. Until Mrs. Marthe Rull appears before his judge's bench. She accuses her daughter Eve's fiancé: Ruprecht secretly sneaked into Eve's room at night—or perhaps even forced his way in—and broke a jug in the commotion. Ruprecht vehemently denies this. He says he found another man in Eve's room, and the man knocked the jug off the ledge as he fled out the window. Because he believes Eve has cheated on him, Ruprecht wants to break off the engagement. And Eve? She remains silent. Instead, Judge Adam talks all the more—and soon gets himself into trouble. Because with every flattery, every evasive maneuver, with every increasingly obvious lie, it becomes clearer who really gained access to Eve's room.

The Broken Jug

Lately, we've heard a lot about concerns about our democracy. But who shapes our democracy—not in faraway Berlin and at the federal level, but in our immediate surroundings? What about our local politics? Who are these people who put themselves at the service of the community and help shape our cities and our community life democratically? Who do we elect as our representatives?

The exemplary life of Samuel W.

Who do I still talk to, and who do I no longer talk to? Who is so politically distant from me, who strikes me as so contemptuous of humanity, that they've disqualified themselves as a conversation partner? And what do these personal perspectives mean for the greater whole of our democratic coexistence? It seems as if political discourse is becoming ever more heated and irreconcilable, the choice of words increasingly drastic, the views ever more radical. But this observation is by no means limited to politics; social media is being insidiously undermined by hateful, denigrating, and violence-glorifying comments about everything and everyone. Are we becoming a society full of bullies? Why have the fronts become so entrenched, what has changed in recent years? And above all: How do we get out of this whole mess?

WTF?!

A suddenly awakened desire throws Sergeant Don José off his usual path. A woman who unexpectedly throws a flower at his feet gives him access to a world he had previously closed off to. The woman's name is Carmen, and she is a social outsider. What she wants, she takes; when she loves, she does so with every fiber of her being. A coincidence brings Carmen and José together, or perhaps a misunderstanding. For José, erotically inexperienced, believes that the flower thrown at him has attracted Carmen's attention. To be with her, he accepts military demotion and imprisonment; in fact, he ultimately risks his entire civil existence for a relationship with Carmen. But after a short time, she has had enough of him and wants to break up with him. Carmen uncompromisingly asserts her right to freedom and self-determination.

Carmen

Old love never rusts. Unfortunately, old enmity doesn't either. For 40 years, comedians Willie Clark and Al Lewis performed together on stage. But since they split up after a falling out, the fame of the "Sonny Boys" has faded, and Willie is no longer even in demand as a commercial actor. So, the offer of a one-off appearance (for a hefty fee, of course) tempted him. But Willie hasn't forgiven Al for retiring from show business and thus ending Willie's career—hardly a good starting point for a successful "comeback."

Sonny Boys

"One must be light, with a light heart and light hands, holding and taking, holding and letting go..." With these words, Field Marshal Princess Werdenberg reflects on her life. She has a youthful and passionate lover, Count Octavian, but suspects that sooner or later he will leave her for a younger woman. Her morning tête-à-tête with her lover is interrupted by her cousin, the uncouth Baron Ochs von Lerchenau. To improve his disastrous financial situation, he wants to marry the young Sophie von Faninal, daughter of a wealthy newly ennobled man. The Marshal suggests Octavian as the "Rosenkavalier," who will present the silver rose as his courtship. During the exchange of roses, however, Octavian and Sophie fall in love. Despite her pain, the Field Marshal knows how to let go of her lover "with ease," because she has vowed to "love him in the right way, so that I myself still love his love for another..."

The Rosenkavalier

"What kind of people were they? What were they talking about? Who dared to attack him in his apartment?" Before breakfast on his 30th birthday, two men appeared in Joseph K.'s room and declared him under arrest. They explained nothing more. The authority they were from and what he was accused of remained a mystery. The men didn't take him away, allowing Joseph K. to continue his work. Convinced of his innocence, his attempts to appear in court led him to the city's twisted attics. Joseph K. hired a lawyer, but he searched in vain for a solution to his case or a sensible course of action. Although Joseph K. was gradually absorbed in his trial, it made little progress—until one day he learned of his conviction...

The process

We live in the best of all possible worlds! At least, that's what Candide learned from his teacher Dr. Pangloss. When the Westphalian castle where he spent his youth is destroyed in war, he embarks on an adventurous journey into the unknown – via Paris and Lisbon to El Dorado. But with the right amount of optimism in his luggage, neither earthquakes nor shipwrecks, the Inquisition, nor other catastrophes can deter him from his path.

Candide

A little man in a forest? Quite the opposite: A tree stands on A.'s balcony. It seems to have grown overnight from a crack, a crevice in the concrete. The city's gardening department doesn't feel responsible, and the forestry department soon proves overwhelmed, as forests suddenly sprout up in every European city. Volunteers are sought to clear vegetation from the Eiffel Tower, and Bambi grazes in the canyons of high-rise buildings.

Forest

For generations of children, Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel" was and remains the first, unforgettable operatic experience. The story of the two broom-making children, chased from their home by their mother, wander fearfully through the forest until they reach a tempting witch's house, only to find themselves in even greater danger there, was loosely adapted into verse by the composer's sister, Adelheid Wette, based on the Grimms' fairy tales. Humperdinck, a composer stylistically close to Wagner, created enchanting music for the fairy-tale images, from the "Evening Blessing" to the Sandman's and Dewman's songs to the terrifying witch who has captivated children and adults alike since its creation.

Hansel and Gretel

Scotland in the 17th century: Lucia Ashton loves Edgardo, a member of the rival Ravenswood family. After a change of power, her brother Enrico finds himself on the wrong side: only Lucia's marriage to the nobleman Arturo can save him from losing his power and his life. The wedding is performed under duress. But the guests are treated to a scene of horror when Lucia emerges from the bridal chamber covered in blood: she has stabbed her husband.

Lucia di Lammermoor

The Philharmonic Orchestra of the Hanseatic City of Lübeck and Stefan Vladar welcome the New Year with a bouquet of Viennese waltzes and other musical surprises. The only certainty in the program is probably Johann Strauss's indestructible Danube Waltz ("On the Beautiful Blue Danube"), this "wordless Marseillaise of Peace," as the critic Eduard Hanslick once called the evergreen of all New Year's concerts.

Die Gespenstersonate