Oper Leipzig presents an exquisite range of performances that promise to captivate diverse audiences. From the timeless tale of 'Carmen' to the mysterious adventure in 'Gesucht: Peter und der Wolf', the lineup is a blend of drama, humor, and enchantment. These events are set in the majestic Musikalische Komödie and Oper Leipzig, featuring performances that highlight opera legends and musical enigmas. These stories are brought to life by talented performers, promising an unforgettable theatrical experience. Join us for a celebration of creativity, cultural richness, and artistic talent.

Oper Leipzig's Diverse Performances: A Journey Through Drama, Mystery, and Festivity

Oper Leipzig is set to captivate audiences with a dynamic season of performances spanning opera, musicals, and unique interactive experiences. Highlights include the fiery retelling of 'Carmen', the engaging 'Gesucht: Peter und der Wolf', and the timeless operetta 'Die Fledermaus'. Each production offers a fresh perspective, showcasing the talent and creativity of a diverse range of performers. Whether you're drawn to the dramatic narratives of mythical knights or the playful intrigue of mistaken identities, Oper Leipzig promises a rich tapestry of cultural exploration.

Oper Leipzig's Spectacular Season: A Dive into Diverse Artistic Expressions

Oper Leipzig is set to stage a captivating array of performances, ranging from a mysterious musical, 'Gesucht: Peter und der Wolf', to the ultimate operetta 'The Bat'. With each event offering a unique experience, audiences will be treated to a rich tapestry of storytelling, music, and theatrical artistry. Whether you're intrigued by a detective's pursuit in the forest or the comedic twists of mistaken identities at a lavish ball, these performances promise to engage and entertain.

A Journey Through Oper Leipzig: Diverse Performances Unveiled

Experience the vibrant cultural landscape of Leipzig with Oper Leipzig's eclectic array of events. From the intriguing 'Gesucht: Peter und der Wolf' musical mystery, to the mesmerizing opera 'Amadis, the Knight', and the lively Poetry Slam, there's something for everyone. Whether you're captivated by dramatic tales, enchanted by classical music, or looking to explore the rich history of the Musikalische Komödie, these events promise unforgettable moments. Join us as we delve into these diverse cultural offerings and uncover what makes each event a remarkable part of Leipzig's artistic tapestry.

Discover Oper Leipzig's Diverse Offerings: From Mysteries to Red Carpets

Oper Leipzig offers an exciting array of events from enchanting musicals and riveting operas to engaging poetry slams and insightful tours. Whether it's the captivating story of 'Peter and the Wolf' or the thrilling opera 'Amadis, the Knight,' each event promises to deliver unforgettable experiences. Join us as we delve into the lineup of Oper Leipzig, where stories come alive through music, drama, and culture, offering something for audiences of all ages.

Exploring Oper Leipzig's Diverse Musical and Theatrical Delights

Step into the world of Oper Leipzig, where a kaleidoscope of artistic expressions awaits. From the mythical opera of 'Amadis, the Knight' to the musical adventures in 'Fiddler on the Roof', Oper Leipzig offers a rich array of performances that cater to every taste. With events like the historical 'Führung Technisches Kabinett' and captivating guided tours, audiences are immersed in cultural narratives that span centuries. Join us as we explore the creativity and passion that define these unique events, each contributing to the vibrant tapestry of art and culture.

A Journey Through Oper Leipzig's Diverse Artistic Offerings

Dive into the vibrant world of Oper Leipzig's upcoming cultural events, from the dramatic opera 'Amadis, the Knight' to the heartwarming 'In mir singt ein Lied'. Experience the synergy of classical and modern art forms through captivating performances, thought-provoking tours, and engaging slam poetry sessions. With a diverse schedule reflecting Leipzig's artistic heritage, these events promise to transport attendees into realms of magic, history, and emotion, showcasing local and international talent.

A Cultural Odyssey with Oper Leipzig: A Journey through Time and Emotion

Venturing into new territory, shaping their own movements, developing individual styles – New Waves provides the members of the Leipzig Ballet with a platform for their first choreographic works. Under the direction of Rémy Fichet, the Leipzig Ballet stands for a spirit of experimentation, curiosity, and creative development. This format creates a platform for young choreographers who want to explore and further develop their own movement language.

New Waves

Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei

Princess Paula lived in a big castle with her father, King Konrad, and her sisters. "What does your love for me look like?" the father wants to know. »Like gold, like beautiful clothes!« Paula's sisters answer. “Like salt,” says Paula. »Like salt? Salt is nothing special!” the father retorts, and then he gets so angry that he chases Paula out of the castle.

Pit and Paula – Freshly Salted

Schaubühne Lindenfels

We are surrounded by clichés, whether we work off them, use them, laugh at them or question them. In the next issue, as part of the Jewish year “Tacheles”, we will be investigating which clichés about Jewish culture can be found in operettas and musicals.

Attention! Attention! Stereotype!

Oper Leipzig

»Either I am terribly mistaken, or ›The Queen of Spades‹ really is the crowning achievement of my life's work!«, was Peter Tchaikovsky's verdict on his penultimate opera, which premiered at the Mariinsky Theater in St Petersburg in 1890 and has captivated audiences ever since.

Queen of Spades

She has a difficult personality – but a nice nose! This opinion expressed by a short statured Gaul is just one of the many legends surrounding the captivating pharaoh. Cleopatra's ability to stun the greats of her time has always served as a blessing for those in the entertainment business who had a keen eye for good material. Even though Handel's timeless smash hit bears the title of the Roman dictator, the Egyptian usually leads by a nose in this gem of the operatic repertoire. The way she warbles, charms, suffers, sobs and triumphs is breathtakingly beautiful.

Giulio Cesare in Egitto

In a bar in the middle of the night. The party reached its peak hours ago – time to go home, right? No, the party is just getting started! Somewhere between sunset and dawn, an electrifying, surreal and nostalgic atmosphere unfolds, led by the entertainer Frank – is it Frank Sinatra himself? The party guests experience a variety of situations through the Sinatra songs performed that night, from show acts to romantic memories, from intoxication to arguments.

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Strangers in the Night

Musikalische Komödie

For several years now, the orchestra of the Musical Comedy has been performing the closing concert of the city festival on the stage at Augustusplatz. With soloists and ballet, the people of Leipzig can expect a musical fireworks display of well-known operettas and musicals.

Closing concert of the city festival

Eurydice is left behind. Often eclipsed by Orpheus's song, her tale is retold by Fran Díaz for the Leipzig Ballet. Eurydice is not a marginal figure, a muse, or a prisoner of a love for which she was destined. Instead, she is a woman in search of her way in a world that both shapes and denies her desires.

Eurydice

Is he supposed to be the new earl? The nobility is shocked because Bill Snibson does not fit into their ranks and their idea of ​​a British gentleman. The young man from London's working-class district of Lambeth is the son of an earl whose marriage was not in keeping with his rank, and whose title he is now unexpectedly to inherit - but only under the condition that he proves himself "worthy and fit". The sister of the deceased, the Duchess of Dene, takes care of him and tries to make a perfect gentleman out of him. While Bill's girlfriend Sally is shunted off to the village inn, Lady Jacqueline Carstone does everything she can to win over the heir and with him the title. On the day of the decision, Bill surprises her with an appearance as an impeccable gentleman. But when Sally suddenly appears with friends from Lambeth, Bill vacillates between his old life and his new wealth. Which will he choose?

Me and My Girl

Who doesn't know those children's songs that resonate through your entire being and invite you to sing, hum, or dance along? The intermediate group of the Leipzig Opera Children's Choir is looking forward to making music together with members of our audience, both young and old, and strolling through imaginary landscapes. Little brother, come dance with me!

I offer you both my hands.

Carmen is a freedom-loving woman who casts a spell on any man that crosses her path. Don José is a buttoned-down sergeant who falls for her charms. But when she turns her attention to another, José's love turns into obsession. With Carmen, Bizet created a true operatic classic replete with passion and sweeping melodies.

Carmen

She was Argentina's "spiritual leader", a "saint". Eva »Evita« Perón was very inf luential and, above all, she caused a stir. But now she is gone: Evita, who died of cancer at the age of 33, has become a legend. The nation is in mourning, and Che looks back on her life: how a love affair with a tango singer brought her to the big city of Buenos Aires at the age of fifteen, where she met influential figures, including Juan Perón. She helped him to the presidency and used her voice in the fight against poverty and for the Argentine people, until one day her strength waned ...

Evita

"A city of sciences, especially music"

Experience Leipzig's vibrant, lively, and charming sound – at a unique double event in the heart of the city! As part of the Lortzing Festival "Lortzing 26," the Leipzig Opera invites you to a celebration where music, culture, and Leipzig's joie de vivre come together.

OPEN STAGE and Biedermeier breakfast

Two Peters. One Peter rules a country and needs a break from it. The other Peter is also in hiding and is madly in love. The two meet in a shipyard and are mistaken for each other. Will they be recognized? And will they find what they want in the end? With »The Little Tsar«, written and narrated by Juri Tetzlaff, young audiences aged 6 and over are given access to Albert Lortzing's story and music to »Tsar and Carpenter«.

The Little Tsar

Albert Lortzing wrote many songs and choral works that are largely unknown today, and at the opening concert of the international festival for vocal music ‘a cappella’, these unknown works by Lortzing will take centre stage alongside pieces by his contemporaries - interpreted by the renowned Leipzig vocal ensemble amarcord.

To Spring - Albert Lortzing and German Romanticism

Albert Lortzing's stage works are often categorised as belonging to the comic genre and thus supposedly lighter in tone. However, his operatic oeuvre also includes several works that can be classified as belonging to more serious traditions and address central issues of his time, such as social injustices in »Regina or the debate about the existence of the human soul in »Undine. Of course, these works also contain comic moments, while conversely, Lortzing's more light-hearted pieces such as »Zar und Zimmermann« or »Der Waffenschmied« occasionally strike a serious note.

"Albert Lortzing and the relationship between comedy and seriousness in operas of the first half of the 19th century"

Leipzig University

Two things must be known about Undines, aquatic beings in feminine form; first, they can only attain an immortal soul by marrying an earthly man. Second, if Undine's love is betrayed, she must kill the unfaithful man. When the knight Hugo falls in love with Undine, it seems that happiness is perfect at last, the wedding bells ring, the village rejoices and celebrates. But then Bertalda appears and the lake's water level ominously begins to rise.

Undine

World Dance Day

"Song and Love"

Mendelssohn-Haus

Long live freedom! In 1848, when Albert Lortzing wrote his impressive last opera "Regina", was a revolution. And that is exactly what the work, which Lortzing named after his wife, is about: Two politically active factory workers love Regina, the daughter of the factory owner Simon. But they belong to different camps. One of them, Stephan, is a radical rebel who occupies the factory and holds Regina in his power. However, she is engaged to the more peace-loving Richard. In the end, all their lives and the awakening harmony lie in Regina's hands. Lortzing's revolutionary opera was kept under lock and key and censored for a long time. Perhaps its time has now come once again: Time for peace and freedom.

Regina

Lortzing's popular play opera features many of his signature themes, including craftsmanship, love and comical mix-ups, as well as a humorous yet critical view of the bourgeoisie and the nobility.

The Armourer

With stirring music and arguably the greatest love story in the literary canon, “Romeo and Juliet” is one of the most popular ballets of all time. The tale of young, impetuous love and deep-seated, age-old hatred has been adapted countless times for stage, film and television.

Romeo and Juliet

On four Wednesday evenings, art and music come together in the distinctive atmosphere of the Museum of Fine Arts Leipzig. Musicians from the Orchestra and Chorus of the Musical Comedy present varied programs, in different musical constellations, resulting in a unique sound experience. The audience is invited to experience this interplay of space, sound, and image with all their senses.

Echoes in the Museum

Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts

With Tristan und Isolde, Richard Wagner created his most radical and most sensual opera. Two lovers are drawn into a whirlwind of desire and passion. Their only possible salvation is death. Wagner wrote a timeless, eternal “infinite melody,” or “infinite melody,” that would forever irrevocably change the course of music history.

Tristan and Isolde

A Russian tsar, a small-town mayor, a shipyard worker, and three foreign diplomats meet in the time of Peter I. In the middle of it all, Marie fights with heart and mind for her groom. Like many of Lortzing's other operas, Zar und Zimmermann premiered in Leipzig. One of the Musical Comedy's artistic goals is to cultivate Lortzing's works, in order to keep the composer alive and well in the musical city of Leipzig.

Tsar and Carpenter

This opera, which Puccini himself considered his favorite and best work, moves everyone who hears it. In the summer of 1900, Puccini saw David Belasco’s theater piece »Madame Butterfly« in a London Theater, and was indelibly touched. It was a tragic story of very human proportions, coupled with an old-fashioned dose of Far East exoticism. As Belasco did, Puccini set his opera in the present, in the year 1904, the year of its world premiere. The strict rules and customs of Japanese society are confronted by the western world, in the form of the American marine lieutenant Pinkerton. For him, his fictitious marriage with the young geisha Cio-Cio San, also called »Butterfly«, is nothing more than an exotic romantic adventure. For her, though, it is the chance of a lifetime: Fascinated by the notion of the different, freer world that her lover could give her, she’s ready to break with everything she’s ever known. She believes steadfastly that Pinkerton will return to her, even long after he has left Japan. And when he finally does return, after three years, it spells disaster.

Madama Butterfly

Three worlds, three waters, three lives merge into one breath: Anouk, a young writer, endures a relentless struggle to draw breath, as she suffers from cystic fibrosis. This struggle leads her on a journey into the past, to another country, to another woman. She is spellbound as she reconstructs the mysterious story of the »Inconnue de la Seine«, the unknown body found in the Seine shrouded in secrecy. As Anouk immerses herself in this French tragedy, she recognises the connections between her own life, that of the unknown woman, and that of a Norwegian dollmaker. The man, scarred by the loss of his drowned son, designs a doll that can be used to learn mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He selects the death mask of the »Inconnue de la Seine« for the doll's visage, and its smile will now save lives. This opera links three lives across the flow of time. The Leipzig-based composer Bernd Franke, who explores musical, social and topographical boundaries, has created a life-affirming, hope-filled opera that crosses times and countries. In the end, everything is one and we are a part of it.

Coming up for air

Audience favorite Olena Tokar invites you to the concert foyer with her enchanting soprano voice and will perform arias and songs by well-known and (still) unknown female composers.

»Charms«

»This is how my story begins. As the daughter of a white woman and a black man. Between Sange, southern Tanzania, and Gera, Thuringia. Between colonial past and GDR dictatorship.« Leipzig-born Tupoka Ogette, consultant and trainer in the field of anti-racism, writes in her new book »Nevertheless at Home« about the search for belonging, about living in contradiction, in between. She recounts growing up as a black child in the GDR, of flight, loss, sexism and violence – but also of love, motherhood, resilience and self-empowerment. Of friendships she makes and those she loses. Of a new beginning in the FRG. And of finding calm in the storm. In March, Tupoka Ogette will present her book at the Musical Comedy theater in conversation with journalist Daniel Schulz.

Tupoka Ogette: "Still at home"

With »Mozart / Rachmaninoff«, the Leipzig Ballet pays tribute to Uwe Scholz, whose choreographic work characterizes the city like a silent echo. His art is shaped music, a language of light, space and movement that captures the ephemeral while also exploring the eternal.

Mozart / Rachmaninoff

Whether Undine, Rusalka, or Ariel, mermaids have historically been all the rage in children's literature – and the present is no exception. These creatures – half-human, half-animal – that move between worlds provide endless fascination. After Peter and the Wolf and Carnival of the Animals, The Little Mermaid is one of the most performed orchestral works for children in the German-speaking world.

The Little Mermaid

Our exhibition presents Albert Lortzing and the history of Leipzig and its opera against the backdrop of the 1848 revolution.

Opening of the exhibition »Between Stage and Barricade«

La Traviata is the final work in the Trilogia Popolare, Verdi's trio of masterpieces written between 1850-52. Once again, he was inspired by an outsider: after the jester in Rigoletto and the gypsy Azucena in Il Trovatore, the courtesan Violetta Valéry -- a woman whose charm surpasses her predecessors -- takes center stage here. The Parisian demimonde is the setting for the story of the unconditional and hopeless love between Alfredo Germont and the terminally ill Violetta. From the very beginning, their love is threatened not only by death, but also by the norms of society and the honor of a family.

La Traviata

Frau Holle, the weather woman, has had enough. People are always complaining! Sometimes it rains too much, sometimes too little. Some want sun, others want snow – it's impossible to please everyone. So the weather woman decides to go on holiday. But her stand-ins, Bad Luck Andy and Good Luck Andy, stumble headlong into chaos. A wild ride through all kinds of weather begins, messing up not only the seasons but also the audience's heads!

Holle!

Holidays at last: check into a beautiful hotel and unwind – ideally with a view of the water. But no: at the hotel “Weißes Rössl” (“The White Horse Inn”) on the shores of the lake “Wolfgangsee”, things are going haywire. Farewell relaxation! The inn is completely packed, work and personal life become indistinguishable, and both staff and guests are wildly in love, which, due to mix-ups and secrets, keeps ending in chaos. After layoffs, dismissals and tears, however, a few things can be clarified – both professionally and privately. The next holiday is bound to follow!

The White Horse Inn

The Carnival of the Animals was French composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ most popular work, even during his lifetime. It is at once stunning and possessed of a special charm. It is scored for chamber orchestra and two pianos, and was not originally intended explicitly for children. Camille Saint-Saëns loved musical fun. These 14 pieces are not so much a representation of animals as they are an examination of the music of his time. In this way, The Carnival of the Animals can be described as a masked procession or parade, in which Saint-Saëns humorously quoted himself and his contemporaries. In addition to various mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish, Saint-Saëns ironically included both fossils and pianists among these animal portraits. He gave permission for only three performances of the entire work in his lifetime. He gave Anna Pavlova, the famous prima ballerina, permission to use the “Swan” movement, which became famous the world over under the name “The Dying Swan.” After the composer’s death, The Carnival of the Animals took concert halls by storm, winning over the hearts of both old and young.

Carnival of the Animals

Gentle rhythms, soft tones, and harmonious melodies fill the room. Familiar lullabies and the room's design, which allows babies to be very close to the musicians, create a moment of closeness, wonder, and shared experience.

Do you know how many stars there are?

»Die Fledermaus« is considered the ultimate operetta, full of waltzes, polkas, who-with-whom, champagne, mistaken identity, masquerading and fraternization. How refreshing it is that Gabriel von Eisenstein, eager to have some quick fun with young ladies before he goes to prison, is repaid tit-for-tat by his wife Rosalinde: with her old vocal coach Alfred. Only a tenor could be so audacious! Adele, the maid, has high aspirations, but first she attends the ball as Miss Olga in the dress of her gracious lady. And this is how all the lovable characters, who are not too concerned with the truth, converge at the ball of Prince Orlofsky. He is young, rich, bored – such a retaliatory action by Dr. Falke is just what he needs. The latter has a score to settle with Eisenstein: "This is the way the bat takes revenge!" Orlofsky's ball becomes a stage. And in the end they all meet again in prison. Here Herr von Eisenstein learns who his close pal, the Chevalier Chagrin, really is and what the doppelganger in his dressing gown is all about. Eisenstein's acquittal is celebrated with champagne, because after all, he alone was to blame, was he not?

The bat

The Flying Dutchman navigates the earth, accursed, tirelessly searching for salvation. But he can only find deliverance if he finds a woman who will promise to be faithful to him, even in death. Wagner’s atmospheric thriller encompasses the search for home and the desire for another.

The Flying Dutchman

Fire, water, storm - every child here knows this game. But how do children play in Japan or Taiwan? The children's choir goes on a musical search for games in all corners of the world. The program tells of children's games, of experiencing time, of dreaming. Children have their say, ask questions, romp around and take the audience with them into the world of wondrous things. The children's choir sings, plays and dances songs for young and old. Children's songs to hum along, join in and with movement. The children's choir is supported and accompanied by Maria Hinze (piano) and Peter A. Bauer (percussion). Who will come along? And who will play and sing along?

A participatory concert by the children's choir

“They are rushing toward their own ruin, they who are so confident of their own existence,” prophesies Loge at the end of Rheingold. And then, in Walküre, Wotan becomes painfully aware that he’s borrowed more than he can afford in order to build Valhalla, and confides in his daughter Brünnhilde that his plans have foundered – and that he wishes only for the end. Time and again, Alberich’s curse strikes, always demanding a new sacrifice: Love or power — but never both. Siegmund and Sieglinde, the twin lovers, tasted the power of the Ring, and fell victim to its curse. But one final hope remains, one final chance to win the Ring of the Nibelungs back from Fafner. Siegfried, a new hero, who never learned to be afraid. But this naive child of nature is bound to fall victim to the ice-cold machinations of an ever-coarsening society, in which love, friendship, truth, and loyalty are increasingly disregarded. In the end, a complete collapse of the existing world is the only way to guarantee a new beginning. Wagner’s The Twilight of the Gods describes the transition from nature to civilization, from the world of gods to the world of men, from legend to reality – until the apocalyptic moment when nature returns, with all of her force. The myriad musical motives coalesce in this, the final part of Wagner’s tetralogy. They culminate in Brünnhilde’s immolation scene, when once again the entire world of the Ring passes before our eyes. The Twilight of the Gods is perhaps the most exciting story that Wagner ever wrote: A thrilling psychological tale of love, power, and betrayal, and performing the opera is a tour de force for soloists, choir and orchestra. Ulf Schirmer, former managing director and general music director of the Oper Leipzig, leads the Gewandhausorchester.

The Twilight of the Gods

The young conductors from »Forum Dirigieren« of »Deutscher Musikrat« can once again discover the world of operetta with our ensemble and orchestra, present themselves on the conductor's podium at the New Year's Concert, where they may be rewarded with the audience prize. In 2026, the inventor of operetta will take center stage: we will travel to Jacques Offenbach in Paris and also make a few detours to the opera.

New Year's Concert

Embark with us on a musical journey around the world and welcome the New Year with splendour, passion, and joie de vivre. The ensemble of Oper Leipzig will take you from Spain to Russia, from the USA to South America – and of course, to the glittering home of Viennese operetta.

New Year's Eve Gala

The Friends and Patrons of the Leipzig Musical Comedy Association was founded in 1999. Through events and concerts, the association maintains close contact with the audience and strives to further increase the theater's popularity by publishing materials. It also provides financial support for important projects. Members of the ensemble include the Leipzig  Musical Comedy's Salon Orchestra and Brass Quintet, as well as the Plagwitz Ballet School.

Advent concert of the Association of Friends of the Musical Comedy e. V.

The soloists and orchestra of the Musical Comedy as well as the children's and youth choir of the Leipzig Opera bring a festive Advent atmosphere to the Old Town Hall.

Advent in the Old Town Hall

Old Town Hall Leipzig

The Cheshire Cat. The Mad Hatter. Lewis Carroll's tale of adventure is full of whimsical, fantastical creatures. And it all begins with the White Rabbit: Alice follows him down a rabbit hole, and arrives in a curious land teeming with peculiar beings and the most absurd places. In no time at all, she joins a bizarre tea party and plays croquet with the Queen of Hearts. But the most puzzling of all is Alice herself. As she bravely takes on Wonderland's challenges, she is forced to answer the question: "Who in the world am I?"

Alice in Wonderland

Together with Livelyrix e. V., the successful poetry slam series will be continued at the Musical Comedy: The best poets in the country, accompanied by a band made up of members of the Musical Comedy, will once again perform some specialties this season.

Poetry Slam

On December 10, 1895, the “Club La Bohème” met for the first time. The club – an irreverent artist's guild of literary types and painters – reminded Giacomo Puccini of his years both as a student and as a bohémien. While his friends drank wine and played cards, Puccini composed. One day, he suddenly cried out from his spot at the piano "Quiet, boys! I've finished!" Shortly thereafter, the full score of this legendary opera was finished, and the show, with its wonderful love story between Mimi and Rodolfo, was on stage. Without ever visiting Paris, Puccini captured the city's atmosphere, from the flair of its cafes to the bleak frost of a winter's day. His clear characterization of the opera's protagonists and their sense of emptiness sets the characterizations of desperation and loss, not to mention the opera's central theme of love. In the end the characters are even more lost, in doubt and alone.

La Bohème

On the first Advent, children big and small are cordially invited to help the Christmas tree in the Musical Comedy shine brightly. While listening to Christmas music and enjoying sweet treats, children can decorate and craft.

Musical Christmas tree decorating

Every woman has a secret. But woe betide her if it suddenly turns up on her doorstep. Hanna and Rolf have been married for 40 years, have a daughter together and are celebrating their K-Day today. In other words, the day on which they first got to know each other. Because that is more unique. And it is on this day that someone is singing from afar for all to hear: “Ti amo”? It's Matteo. And after all these years, he just can''t get Hanna out of his mind. Recently divorced, he knocks on the door and says: "Hello again?" Will Hanna now leave Rolf, go to Venice with Matteo and celebrate the life she has always dreamed of ? Could this be the beginning of the rest of her life?

Hello again?

A mysterious Christmas Eve, a sparkling Christmas tree, and a very special present: Clara is about to experience a night that could only happen in a fairy tale. The nutcracker she receives as a Christmas present becomes the gateway to a magical world where toys come to life, mice fight, snowflakes dance, and dreams come true

The Nutcracker

For over a century, Engelbert Humperdinck's fairy-tale opera “Hänsel and Gretel” has been enchanting generations of young opera-goers. Not insignificantly, the premiere of this work took place on the night before Christmas Eve. To this day, this beloved opera is performed near Christmastime in many opera houses. After all, Christmas is a time for family, and »Hänsel and Gretel« is a family opera par excellence: While their children's eyes widen in wonder at their first opera experience, parents can reminisce and delight in nostalgia. In this new production, director Birgit Eckenweber, together with her set and costume designer Alexander Mudlagk, sends Hansel and Gretel into a fantastical fairy-tale world that's guaranteed to fascinate. Ah, to be young again!

Hansel and Gretel

On Sunday, November 23, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., the Leipzig Opera will present a new publication in the concert foyer of the opera house. For the first time, this publication compiles biographical information and facts about the creative minds and voices of its artists who were silenced with the Nazi seizure of power in 1933. Musicologist Dr. Allmuth Behrendt has undertaken a unique research project, tracing the often-forgotten biographies of artists from Leipzig's musical theater and compiling her findings into a book. The matinee will be accompanied by songs by Gustav Brecher and Wilhelm Rettich, sung by Gabrielė Kupšytė and Matthias Stier, with Samuel Emanuel at the piano.

Celebrated and forgotten?

Mathias Hausmann, soloist at the Leipzig Opera and internationally acclaimed lieder singer, presents a recital together with Ugo D'Orazio on the piano that examines life in all its facets. In a deeply felt alternation between horror and reconciliation, wit and suffering, they first devote themselves to a selection from Mahler's song cycle ‘Des Knaben Wunderhorn’. This is followed by Schubert's ‘Three Songs for Bass Voice’, Op. 83, D. 902. Instead of the sombre texts by Johann Mayrhofer, we hear the lively words of the legendary opera librettist Metastasio. The programme concludes with Brahms' ‘Four Serious Songs’, Op. 121. You can look forward to an evening rich in contrasts – thoughtful, haunting and full of human depth.

"Thoughts are free"

Love takes many forms ... Wednesday Addams, a young adult, and Lucas Beineke are in love. The only problem is that the Addams family is, let's say, a little different from the average family. But the Beineke family is invited to the gloomy Addams home, where the Addams' penchant for the eccentric and macabre collides with the bourgeois milieu of the Beineke family. And there's something else: Wednesday's father, Gomez, promises Wednesday that he won't tell her mother about Lucas and her marriage plans. But Gomez cannot lie to his beloved Morticia, and so not only this one secret is revealed. A perfectly normal evening ...

The Addams Family

On selected dates we will visit a rehearsal of the Leipzig Ballet together, take a first look at the new production and experience how balance, gestures, facial expressions and techniques are being worked on and tinkered with as the premiere draws ever closer. Before and after the rehearsal, you will have the opportunity to talk to those involved in the production and learn exciting new things.

A taste of Leipzig Ballet

A concert experience for people who move to their own rhythm – everyone is welcome here. Whether things are too loud for you or silence feels too boring, here you'll find a space where you can enjoy music your way. Our listening concerts are dedicated to the seasons of the year and their unique moods. In November, we celebrate the colors of autumn and the approaching festive season; in February, we welcome spring with a touch of carnival cheer; and in June, we invite you to feel the warmth and vitality of summer.

Listening concert

On selected dates, we will sneak into a stage orchestra rehearsal of the Musical Comedy Orchestra together, take a first look at the new production and experience how balance, gestures, facial expressions and techniques are being screwed and tinkered with, because the premiere is drawing ever closer! Before and after the rehearsal, you will have the opportunity to talk to those involved in the production and learn exciting new things.

Sample of a musical comedy

Premiere Matinee Musical Comedy

Hello, my name is Hillary and I won two free tickets to the opera! So I thought I'd go with my pet mouse Wülly. It turned out that we didn't really know what opera was all about. So I – poof! – summoned Maria Bellacanta to help me: she is an opera singer!

Hillary the witch goes to the opera

Welcome to the mysterious fairy-tale world of the »Magic Flute«! Even the names of the characters sound magical and remind us of our first visits to the opera: Tamino, Pamina, Papageno, Sarastro … Hardly any other work of opera literature includes so many contradictory elements, so harmoniously combined into a coherent entity by Mozart's music. Is his arguably most popular opera an adventure story about growing up? A parable of wisdom, philosophy and friendship? Is it simply about staying true to oneself, like the bird catcher Papageno? He accompanies Prince Tamino, who has fallen in love with a picture of the kidnapped Pamina and plans to free her. We are reminded that the world cannot always be divided into good and evil: the Queen of the Night and Sarastro illustrate this to us through their quarrel over Pamina. On our journey we are also accompanied by three ladies, three boys, a glockenspiel, and a flute that tames even the wildest animals.

The Magic Flute

With the premiere of "The Csárdás Princess," Emmerich Kálmán established himself as one of the operetta world's greats. With hits like "You Can't Do Without Women," "That's Love," "The Girls, the Girls," and "Let's Do It Like the Swallows," he won over the hearts of audiences, transporting them into the glamorous world of the theater with the story of the dazzling chansonnière Sylva Varescu.

The Csárdás Princess

This season, we are once again immersing ourselves in the world of ballet in Leipzig. How do bodies tell stories, how political is dance and how does one actually become a professional ballet dancer?

Top! Backstage whispers with the Leipzig Ballet

Rigoletto has nothing left to laugh about: As court jester to the notorious womaniser Duke of Mantua, he regularly mocks his master's numerous victims for the amusement of the court - until one day it is his own daughter Gilda who falls into the Duke's clutches. Inspired by Victor Hugo's drama "Le roi s'amuse", Verdi put a timeless opera classic on paper with "Rigoletto".

Rigoletto

Sir John Falstaff is a man who wants it all: money, power, women, pleasure – and control. But in Giuseppe Verdi's opera, it is the women who call the shots. Alice Ford, Meg Page and Mrs Quickly confront Falstaff's audacity with wit and ingenuity, challenging an order that tries to force them into rigid roles and monotonous dreariness.

Falstaff

Helena can't sleep, tomorrow is finally the day: the long-awaited operation is due and will finally make Helena feel complete. On this night, she relives her journey: how she secretly slipped into her mother's clothes as a teenager with a little color in her face, how she kept her true identity hidden for a long time and started a family with two sons; how she eventually made the courageous decision to reveal herself and how those around her and her family reacted to it.

A Little Color

The forest. In it a beautiful little house with a pond. Idyllic. But isn't it too quiet? Detective Ulyana Craine is investigating a mysterious case: Daria the duck is missing! Where are the main suspects, Peter and Viktor the wolf? There is also no trace of grandfather Hans, Anastasia the cat and Sofia the bird. What could have happened? Join us on a search for clues and solve this exciting case with the help of Sergei Prokofiev's music!

Wanted: Peter and the Wolf

Beyond the main stage, "Out of the Box" offers interested ensemble members the opportunity to experiment choreographically. In an intimate setting, the ballet studio becomes a laboratory for exploring one's own artistic language – whether in fragments, improvisations, or first completed choreographies.

Out of the Box

During a concert, Dutch singer Maartje de Lint had a sudden realization about the topic of dementia. Since then, she has actively worked for individuals with dementia, and, with the support of scientists, has developed special sing-along concerts for individuals and families affected by illness. Since the 2017/18 season, the Oper Leipzig has offered these concerts in cooperation with the Selbst-Determined Leben eV association.

A song sings within me

They're crazy, the men! While the violinist Orpheus is absorbed in his profession and escapes into an affair to distract himself from his unfulfilled marriage to his wife Eurydice, the underworld god Pluto takes a liking to her and steals her into his realm under the guise of her lover Aristeus. He's rid of her, Orpheus rejoices! Later, the underworld servant Styx and the chief god of Olympus, Jupiter, scent their chances with Eurydice. And the women? Well, Jupiter's wife Juno immediately blames her husband for everything, and Eurydice has fun elsewhere until she becomes the plaything of the suitors. At least the personified public opinion is stepping up to the plate and putting them in their place. But Eurydice is fed up anyway and would rather have a drink with the Bacchantes. Cheers!

Orpheus in the Underworld

To get children excited about classical music, to discover »ancient« compositions for the concert hall, theater or church with them, to give them an opportunity to get to know and appreciate simple listening as an experience, to let them try out the role of an audience, to enable them to meet professional musicians and to make them curious about the great treasure of Western musical culture, which a whole lifetime would not be enough to explore, that is the idea of ​​this music festival. In addition, young talents who already compose themselves can find a podium here to perform their works.

Classical Music for Children

Philippus Church

Max Bialystock, formerly a successful Broadway producer who only turns out flops nowadays, comes up with a plan together with his dull accountant Leo Bloom: their next production is to be the worst one ever! They raise far more money than is actually necessary and hope that the production will be shut down as soon as possible. After all, the plan is to leave for Rio with the rest of the money. Their choice falls on the musical “Springtime for Hitler” by the mad old Nazi Franz Liebkind: a homage to Adolf Hitler! They hire the flop director Roger De Bris and the worst actors around. Will your plan work?

The Producers

"The Story of the Bamboo Cutter, or of Princess Kaguya" is Japan's oldest romantic fairytale-like narrative, dating back to 900. While at work, a childless bamboo cutter discovers a stray child, which he and his wife raise as their own. The radiantly beautiful child has been sent to Earth as a gift from the moon, and though her beauty attracts powerful men as suitors, Kaguya is the princess of the moon and must return there.

The Moon Princess

Overwhelming audience demand has helped certify the success enjoyed by the Musical Comedy's series of baby concerts. Once again, children are allowed to bring up to two adults, and little ones can crawl, squeal, and delight to their heart's content to the sounds of classical music.

Baby Concert Musical Comedy

Fairies, pirates, crocodiles – for many, the title “Peter Pan” evokes magical childhood memories and the dream of flying. The character Peter Pan originally gained recognition through various stories by the Scottish author JM Barrie. The children of an acquaintance, taken care of by Barrie after the death of their mother, served as inspiration for him. In 1997, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe created a captivating musical based on the timeless story of the boy who never wants to grow up, mesmerizing people of all ages. With their catchy music and imaginative images, the creators of the musical “Mary Poppins” know how to wow audiences. Together with the orchestra of the Musical Comedy, the children's and youth choir is bringing the play for the whole family to the stage in Leipzig.

Peter Pan

“Casta Diva” – “Chaste Goddess”. With this famous cavatina, the priestess Norma commands the population to remain peaceful in the fight against the Roman occupiers. However, Norma herself is conflicted, having broken her vows and secretly being a lover and mother. She leads a double life, as do her lover, the Roman general Pollione, and the novice Adalgisa. All these dangerous secrets escalate into a drama of life, death, and the sacrifice of love in the face of conflicts over occupation and Roman supremacy. It is said that all weapons are fair game in war – even those that strike at the heart and destroy all that we love?

Norma

To mark the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss (son), the Musikalische Komödie presents an extraordinary gala.

Johann Strauss Gala

Get closer, be informed earlier. At the "Onboarding" event, you'll experience first impressions of upcoming premieres and get a behind-the-scenes look at the Leipzig Ballet's rehearsal process. In a relaxed atmosphere, the Uwe Scholz Ballet Hall becomes a meeting place for conversation and, of course, dance.

Onboarding

Orpheus in the Underworld - in concert

On May 10th, there will be an opportunity to get to know the Musical Comedy beyond a performance. Anyone who is interested can finally take a look behind the scenes, get a taste of the stage atmosphere, chat with a member of the ensemble or just be curious about what a theater actually has to offer. Because there is a lot! The doors are open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and during this time a varied program with various attractions will be offered. There will be a children's play as part of the "Freischütz for Children". You can also attend a stage rehearsal with an orchestra of a current production, watch dancers training, have your makeup done or take part in a tour of the building. Of course, the entire ensemble of the Musical Comedy will also be there and warmly welcome visitors!

Muko Open Day

In theatre, a Black Box typically describes a simple performance space, usually square, with black walls. It is the simplicity of the space that opens up a multitude of possibilities for stage configuration and, sometimes, audience interaction.

Black Box

»Der Rosenkavalier« is a “literature opera”, a disguise comedy, a trial about the transience of time, about holding on and letting go. A work of modern times, which looks back to a completely different time, a homage to an invented past: at times melancholic-lyrical, at times in a waltz beat, at times in a comic parlando

Der Rosenkavalier

For several years now, the orchestra of the Musikalische Komödie has been performing the closing concert of the city festival on the stage at Augustusplatz. With soloists and ballet, the people of Leipzig can expect a musical fireworks display of well-known operettas and musicals.

closing concert of the city festival

Not only for babies, but also for many others, this concert is the ideal opportunity to enjoy classical music - without feeling that you might disturb someone else. So a warm invitation to people who don't want to or can't sit still in the dark. Catering, ample space for strollers and baby changing facilities will also be provided.

listening concert

To what lengths may a person to go to free themselves from terrible circumstances? The young Katerina, married into wealth yet lonely nonetheless, imprisoned in a mercilessly cold world dominated by men and controlled by its police force, is longing for something more. She is forced to hide her joie de vivre on account of her tyrannical father-in-law, and suppress her desires for love because her husband is impotent and distant. When he is away and the bravado Sergei starts working on the farm, she seems to have found a way out of this dull situation devoid of action. But in the end, four people are dead, including a murderess. Premiered in Leningrad in 1934, the acclaimed opera was intended to further fuel the promising career of the then 24-year-old Dmitri Shostakovich. But one visit to a performance by Stalin was enough for him to suspect the celebrated star of being a potential enemy of the regime. From then on, Shostakovich was forced to live and compose in oppressive fear. Yet where words are forbidden, his musical world simmers, sizzles and lies in wait to explode at the next touch.

Lady Macbeth von Mzensk

Men are crazy! While the violinist Orpheus immerses himself in his work and escapes into an affair to distract himself from his unfulfilled marriage to his wife Eurydice, the underworld god Pluto takes a liking to her and steals her into his realm – Orpheus is happy to be rid of her! Later, the guardian Styx and the chief god of Olympus, Jupiter, see their chance with Eurydice. And the women? Well, Jupiter’s wife Juno immediately blames her husband for everything, and Eurydice has fun elsewhere until she becomes the plaything of the suitors. At least public opinion is stepping up to the plate and putting the gentlemen in their place. But Eurydice is fed up anyway and would rather have a drink with the Bacchantes. Cheers!

Orpheus in der Unterwelt

Stand in the ballet hall for once and experience the daily training on your own body. Ballet director Rémy Fichet offers classical training for interested dancers aged 14 and over. Afterwards, we will attend the company's training together.

Training Plus

We are surrounded by clichés, whether we work on them, use them, laugh at them or question them. In this year's issue, we take a trip to the ballet theatre and dig deep into the cliché box: pointe shoes filled with raw meat, catfights, everything is pink and men only wear tights.

Attention! Attention! Cliche

»Either I am terribly mistaken, or ›The Queen of Spades‹ really is the crowning achievement of my life’s work!«, was Peter Tchaikovsky’s verdict on his penultimate opera, which premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg in 1890 and has captivated audiences ever since.

Pique Dame

»Dearest papa! I cannot write poetically: I am not a poet. I cannot artificially classify the idioms so that they give shadow and light: I am not a painter. I cannot even express my attitudes and thoughts through interpretation and pantomime: I am not a dancer. But I can do it through sounds: I am a musician! «This is how the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart described himself in a letter. And he was a musician through and through from an early age. At the same time, however, he was, besides the much-vaunted child prodigy, simply the "Wolferl", highly gifted, but also with a lot of fun with musical and linguistic jokes. His sister, known as »Nannerl«, observed that this trait persisted into adulthood: »(...) apart from the music he was and almost always remained a child." And now comes "Trazom Suedama Gnagflow", as he called himself in a letter to his mother, to the concert foyer to tell his youngest audience what his many names are all about, to show how he used to do magic with sounds as a child or smear a sandwich on the piano keyboard. But his favorite characters from his operas can also be heard next to curious instruments, like a magical carillon that sounds so wonderful!

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