Staatstheater Hannover presents an exciting lineup for 2025, poised to captivate audiences with a diverse range of performances. From the gripping tale of ambition and intrigue in 'Chicago' to the cultural richness of the 'New Year's Concert' and the poignant 'Echo 72', the program promises to be both engaging and thought-provoking. Join us as we delve into the details of each production, exploring the unique contributions of the artists and the creative works that define them.

A Theatrical Odyssey: Exploring Staatstheater Hannover's 2025 Lineup

Staatstheater Hannover is set to dazzle audiences with a riveting lineup of performances ranging from the high-energy musical 'Chicago' to a poignant portrayal of the 1972 Munich Olympics in 'Echo 72'. This season promises a medley of musical, theatrical, and dance experiences that speak to a wide array of artistic tastes. Join us as we delve into the thrilling offerings that blend classic tales, modern interpretations, and captivating performances in a cultural extravaganza.

Staatstheater Hannover's Whirlwind Season: From Chicago’s Jazz Era to Mythical Ballets

Dive into the vibrant world of Hannover's art scene as it hosts an array of compelling events, from the electrifying musical 'Chicago' to enchanting chamber concerts and innovative performances like 'The Child of the Seal Woman'. Explore the contributions of talented artists and performers in a series of unforgettable shows, each telling unique stories that captivate and inspire audiences of all ages.

Discover the Artistic Pulse of Hannover: From Chicago to Chamber Concerts

Join us as we explore the captivating performances hosted by Staatstheater Hannover. From the electrifying allure of the musical 'Chicago' to the cultural richness of the 'Chamber Concerts', each event offers a unique journey into the world of theatre and music. Discover the passionate stories, exquisite performances, and the vibrant atmosphere that makes these events truly unforgettable.

Staatstheater Hannover: A Melodic Journey Through Theatre and Music

In the heart of Hannover, Staatstheater Hannover beckons art enthusiasts to an immersive year of diverse performances. From jazz-infused musicals to culturally rich operas, the 2025 season offers a rich tapestry of storytelling through music, dance, and drama. With a roster of acclaimed artists and an array of thought-provoking themes, this season promises to captivate audiences while challenging societal norms and exploring human emotions. Join us as we explore the remarkable events lined up for this artistic journey.

Unveiling Artistic Narratives: A Journey Through Staatstheater Hannover's 2025 Season

Embark on a cultural adventure with Staatstheater Hannover as it presents a series of captivating performances. From the dramatic allure of 'Chicago' to the mystical tale of 'The Child of the Seal Woman', audiences are set to experience a diverse range of artistic expressions. These events, featuring remarkable talent and creative storytelling, promise to captivate and inspire. Join us as we delve into the themes, artistry, and passion brought to life on stage, offering a glimpse into the vibrant cultural tapestry of Hannover.

From Jazz to Ballet: A Cultural Journey Through Hannover's Eclectic Performances

The Staatstheater Hannover is set to present an eclectic mix of performances for its 2025 season. From the gripping tales of 'Chicago' and 'Der Rosenkavalier' to the imaginative '3rd Children's Concert: Inventive!', each event promises a unique blend of storytelling and artistic expression. This season also includes a powerful dance performance by Shechter, Goecke, and Ekman, a charitable Gala Dinner, and the soul-stirring '8th Symphony Concert: Connectedness'. Join us as we dive into the highlights and explore the diverse cultural offerings that await audiences this year.

Exploring the Cultural Tapestry: Staatstheater Hannover's 2025 Season Highlights

“Crunchy, crunchy crunch, who’s going to crunch my house?”
Hanover's cult production of Hansel and Gretel is back—and here it is! Steffen Tiggeler's work has been on the State Opera's program since 1964, making it the longest-running production of this fairytale play, lovingly composed in Wagnerian style by Engelbert Humperdinck and with a nostalgic libretto by his sister Adelheid Wette.
Hansel and Gretel, the children of a broom-making couple, live in dire poverty. There's hardly any food on the table at home. So, while their father senses trouble, their mother sends them into the forest to gather berries. Hansel and Gretel get lost and fall into the clutches of the evil gingerbread witch, who wants to turn them into gingerbread and consume them herself. Gretel manages to outwit the gingerbread witch, who throws them both into the oven. In the happy ending, all the gingerbread children who had previously fallen into the clutches of the witch are freed. Father and mother also find Hansel and Gretel safe and sound.

Hansel and Gretel

Staatstheater Hannover

For anyone who wants to delve deeper into Lohengrin : In lectures with images and sound examples, Sven Friedrich (Director of the Richard Wagner Museum Bayreuth) and Ulrike Kienzle (musicologist, Frankfurt am Main) will explore the musical and philosophical background of the opera. In a subsequent panel discussion, Lohengrin singer Maximilian Schmitt and voice experts Francesco Greco (Hanover State Opera) and Paul Weigold (HMTMH Hanover / Bayreuth) moderated by Ann-Christine Mecke will discuss the vocal challenges of Lohengrin .

Symposium: Lohengrin in Focus

A white man in a tailcoat stands at the front of the stage—in the hollow of a large, black Steinway grand piano. The man in the tailcoat supports himself with his right hand. The older people in the audience clear their throats a little. It's cold outside. The piano plays. Repeated chords in D minor, a descending motif, full of worry. "I came as a stranger, I depart as a stranger."

Song Concert: Camilla Nylund

"Jump in at the deep end. You'll see how it goes."
Far in the far north, a lone fisherman is kayaking when he suddenly discovers something that takes his breath away: a group of seals have shed their fur and transformed into human women. He falls in love with one of the seal women and quickly takes her fur. She is actually willing to leave her native element, the water, and marry the fisherman — on one condition: after seven years, he must return the fur to her. Their child grows up happily, but the seven years are soon over. Will the fisherman keep his promise?
Whether it's the tense cracking of the ice or the lightheartedness of deeply felt love: this Inuit fairy tale takes us into musically touching soundscapes that go straight to the heart. With The Seal Woman's Child, Valérie Junker has staged a story of love, loss, and acceptance.

The Seal Woman's Child

Ballhof Two

The Rosenkavalier

"Spring will come on its own. You don't have to do anything."
Somewhere in a land in the far, cold north live two children who are together every day. They are inseparable. Gerda and Kay ice skate together, throw snowballs, and romp among the rose bushes. Their village is paradise on earth. Until one day the Snow Queen appears and kidnaps Kay to her ice palace. Soon no one believes Kay can be rescued anymore, but little Gerda doesn't give up. She puts on her red boots and sets out to find her best friend. Her journey takes her to an enchanted flower garden, a glittering golden palace, and the dark robber forest. But Kay is nowhere to be found. With the help of blue birds, reindeer, and wise women, Gerda finally reaches the ice palace and looks into the eyes of the Snow Queen!
"The Snow Queen" is a story about growing up, which is a difficult and sometimes lonely adventure. It requires perseverance, courage, and a loving heart.

The Snow Queen

“Crash, boom, rumble, bang!”
Mr. Wum is often angry, even if he doesn't know why. "With a bang, with a thud, with anger in his stomach, with anger everywhere," he says, moving through his apartment. That alone would be special enough, but the other people in his house are also, well, very special people. Mr. Bum next door likes loud marching music and the household noise that goes with it, Mrs. Dong likes to hum to herself, and Mrs. Ding loves beautiful things so much that her apartment is completely crammed full—and so are the garbage cans in the yard. So the four of them really get on each other's nerves. The only solution: Everyone moves into their own house. But nobody wants that. Luckily, there's also the very best second solution!

First children's concert

Gîn Bali is a Kurdish-German guitarist, music educator, DJ, community organizer, and producer. She will be a guest at the multilingual House of Many with her guitar, voice, and digital beats. No previous experience is necessary for the workshop.

House of Many: Groove Station

Schauspielfreunde Hannover

"The poodle didn't notice anything when he jumped in, but things are different now; the devil can't leave the house."
"Here you come and ask what idea I was trying to embody in my Faust. As if I knew it myself and could articulate it!" — What Goethe himself couldn't or wouldn't explain, Barbara Bürk and Clemens Sienknecht will now attempt. With the subtitle "albeit with a different text and also a different melody," the two have already transformed several great classics of world literature into their very own format: condensed in content, humorously deconstructed, and lovingly set to music. In Hanover, after "Madame Bovary" (2016), the duo will now tackle Goethe's heavyweight Faust: a fateful pact with the devil, the Gretchen question, and the search for the moment of absolute happiness.

Goethe’s Faust — but with different text and also different melody

“In the beginning there was shame.”
There are many reasons to be ashamed: underarm sweat, being different, being touched or being touched, unemployment and poverty, depression and loneliness, defamation, exhaustion, family, loss of face, skin rashes, Heidi Klum, the so-called subtle differences and the climate catastrophe, the intimate area, dirty fantasies, illness, K-pop, stereotyping, shitstorms, bowel movements, insecurity, Twenty4Tim...
Shame is a feeling that almost everyone knows. It has many faces and is present everywhere and at all times. But why is it so difficult for us to talk about it? It's like the elephant in the room. And that elephant is also on the stage at Ballhof Zwei, which the four performers share with the audience. Making elephants speak requires courage and sensitivity, but it is nowhere near as exhausting as constantly repressing elephants and not talking about the sore spot - shame.

The sore point

Second Symphony Concert

In this concert, the boundaries between orchestra and chamber music blur. Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 3 will be performed this evening in a transcription for piano quartet. The powerful chords of the piano and the intimate sounds of the string instruments create a pulsating energy, transforming this arrangement into a particularly intense concert experience. The audience is immersed in the richness of color of this impressive symphony.

Staircase Orchestra: Roots

Cumberland Gallery

“When I think of you, I think of all the things we never could and never can say to each other.”
Until now, grandmother always told the family stories. But did they really happen that way? Or did the often grumpy old lady color the past the way she wanted? Now, as her memories gradually fade, it's time for the main character in "Blood Book" to delve into the events herself. A turbulent odyssey through her own biography begins. She encounters upsetting events she doesn't want to be reminded of. But every time a warm summer breeze blows through the copper beech in the garden, she regains her strength and rewrites the family history. Her version of history. Her own body used to feel alien, disconnected from her self. Today, she identifies as non-binary. Her newfound awareness offers her body a home for the first time.

Blood Book

During a week of fall break, we'll explore the creation of the ballet production "Goldberg" at the Opera House, with all its artistic expressions. Through playful exercises, we'll discover what it feels like to be creative with body, voice, and musical instruments, and which departments contribute to the success of a performance. Of course, we'll also go behind the scenes...

Autumn holiday workshop

At the Music Café, local bands can showcase their hits and create their own unique musical evening. From pop covers to indie rock to death metal, choirs, singer-songwriters, and orchestras: everyone can apply and use the stage. Get to know local bands and artists at the Music Café, dance, sing along, or just listen.

Musical Café

Ballhof Café

The new life

“We don’t hate you for wanting us gone.”
What does it actually feel like to grow up in one of the largest contiguous concrete foundations in Europe – the Ihme-Zentrum in Hanover? "Concrete Block 2000" tells the stories of young people for whom this building, once conceived as a utopian urban concept, represents social inequality and reality. Between poverty and gentrification, the search for opportunities and the flight forward (wherever that may be), the young people look at the block and see: parents who are trying. Friendships. A crumbling foundation. But above all: a home.

Concrete Block 2000

At the Impro Café, you can be on stage. Or just watch, as you wish. The fast-paced improv format plays with transitions and the possibility of staging small scenes spontaneously and without props. If you enjoy improvising or want to accompany people on their first or hundredth steps on stage, this is the place for you.

Improv Café

Talk with artists from the State Ballet and exclusive rehearsal visit: The popular collaboration between the Ada and Theodor Lessing Adult Education Center and the Hanover State Ballet continues under the direction of Goyo Montero!

Ballet moves: Goldberg (Part 2)

„Nichts ist verführerischer für den Menschen als die Freiheit seines Gewissens, aber nichts ist für ihn auch qualvoller.“
Wie viel Freiheit will der Mensch. Also wirklich. Hält er sie überhaupt aus? Vor fast 150 Jahren hat Fjodor Dostojewskij diese brisante Frage in seiner Erzählung vom „Großinquisitor“ gestellt. Spontan würden wir sagen: Freiheit ist das höchste Gut, nach dem alle streben. Für ihre Memoiren wählte Angela Merkel als Titel ausgerechnet: „Freiheit“. „Freedom“ war der Wahlkampfsong von Kamala Harris bei der US-Wahl 2024 gegen Donald Trump; doch offenbar wog der Wunsch nach Freiheit weniger schwer als der Wunsch nach Führung und Autorität, nach dem vermeintlich starken Mann, der Orientierung und Sicherheit verspricht, auch um den Preis vieler Freiheiten. Und wenn wir tief in uns hineinhorchen: Überfordert uns die Freiheit nicht auch oft? Wäre es nicht angenehmer, jemand würde uns all das abnehmen?
Dostojewskij berichtet von Jesus, der zur Zeit der spanischen Inquisition auf die Erde zurückkehrt, vom katholischen Großinquisitor, der ihn einsperrt und verhört, und von einem brennenden Kuss. Ensemblemitglied Michael Lippold holt die Geschichte als teuflischen Monolog in den Ballhof.

The Grand Inquisitor

“In its beginnings, all music was pure ‘chamber music,’ meaning it was intended for a small space and a small audience.”
Gustav Mahler
The members of our orchestra present chamber music! Hear passionate and finely curated programs in which we combine well-known repertoire with works by female composers that are absolutely worth discovering. Towards a new sense of normality, towards a new, genuine diversity!

Second Chamber Concert

New Town Hall

"She is a glorious woman, she is a divine woman. I'm at a loss for words if I describe her any further."
At the outbreak of World War II, the young Jewish actress and singer Lola Blau emigrated from Vienna via Linz and Basel to the USA—and after an alcohol-fueled career as a show star, she returned to Vienna in dismay. Antisemitism is surprisingly unextinct here—despite everything...
What Georg Kreisler explores in his one-woman cult musical " Today Evening: Lola Blau" is reminiscent of his own career, the life he had lived up to that point. Kreisler thus transfers his own biography onto that of a fictional woman! In 1971, Kreisler's then-wife, Topsy Küppers, approached the darkly humorous, grumpy singer and asked for a solo performance.

Tonight: Lola Blau

Ballhof, Hanover

“A house is the third skin, after the skin of flesh and clothing”
German history rages in a house in Brandenburg: Jenny Erpenbeck conjures up 15 people and fates that populate this house over a period of 100 years, accumulating, intersecting, reflecting, intersecting, and refracting within it. From the German Empire through the Weimar Republic, National Socialism, the GDR, and the post-reunification period, a panorama of German realities and the violence inherent in every system and every era unfolds. The house's residents are both perpetrators and victims of this violence, thrown into the shadow of time, and their very existence testifies to the fact that political and social change is based on repression and occupation.

Visitation

Don't feel like going to the gym after a long day or after work? Lacking the motivation to leave the house in the evenings during the darker months? No problem: Simply move at home in interactive workshops with dance teacher Bettina Stieler. Anyone can join – whether you're from Hanover or the Black Forest. In addition to movement, the focus is on getting to know each other. Depending on the topic of the session, we'll look for commonalities, work with nature photographs from the participants' past vacations, explore the play of light and shadow, and fill foreign worlds with our own movement language.

EPSG:4326

Go on moving

“As soon as I turn 18, I’m going to get tattoos.”
What happens when the pressure becomes too great? Stagnation or explosion? What would you do if you could escape all expectations for a moment? Do you drive to the nearest beach, scream loudly into the woods, or just lie on your bed and play a game?

Pressure (p) equals force (F) per area (A). Pressure somehow holds everything together. Pressure is always there, surrounding us like an invisible shell. It constantly spurs us on to bring out the best in ourselves. But just as invisibly, this pressure can also crush us. Whether at school, in a sports club, among friends, or in the family. Being a good friend, not letting the team down, getting good grades, not talking back, feeling okay about yourself. What else?
"DRuCK" shifts the stage to the school. The play was developed together with young people and is set in the place where everything comes together for young people: the classroom.

Pressure

Ballet moves: Goldberg (Part 1)

Ada and Theodor Lessing Adult Education Center Hanover

"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Everything is ready for a magnificent play with two clowns and a musician: the stage is set, the costumes are finished, the make-up is perfect! A technician quickly checks that everything is set up. But where is the audience? It should be sold out. But today everything is a little different. Who's playing the piano? Who owns the coffee cup floating through the air? And which ghost is sneaking off with the extension cord? Are the actors here now, or are we just supposed to believe them? Are we really here? "The Invisible Man" is all about what you can't see. And secretly, it's also about how wonderful it can be not to be seen. This production is fun for four-year-olds as well as for adult audiences. All you need is the desire to be seduced by the magic tricks of the Jetse Batelaan. After all, if the actors claim the audience isn't there, there's nothing they can do about it, right? A little Las Vegas in Hanover never hurt anyone.

The Invisible Man

Ballhof

Singing together is empowering—and fun! This is not only true for the children of the children's choir, who will show off their talents at this family concert, but also for everyone in the audience, who can join in again and again. Choir director Tatiana Bergh invites you to discover different music and your own voice. The program includes hits from the film The Children of Monsieur Mathieu , autumn songs, and excerpts from operas featuring children's parts. Even Papageno has announced his visit!

Together we are strong!

Once a month, the Ballhof Café becomes an Open Stage. There's nothing the stage hasn't seen before. Talents are showcased here: from magic shows to guitar solos, stand-up to tap dancing. Everything is possible at the open stage. From beginners to full-time professionals.
Simply register at ballhof.cafe@staatstheater-hannover.de and become part of the open stage.

Open stage

“Ha, do you call your cowardice God?”
Political instability reigns in the Duchy of Brabant: Since the disappearance of the heir to the throne, Gottfried, the succession has been unclear. Elsa, the eldest daughter of the deceased duke, is accused of murdering her brother in order to rule in his place. However, the accuser is himself driven by power interests, and the influence of King Henry, who is supposed to administer justice, is questionable. A trial by ordeal is intended to restore order, with the accuser and a representative of Elsa fighting each other. In this seemingly hopeless situation, a mysterious stranger—Lohengrin—takes Elsa's side. He wins the fight, but the mysterious circumstances cast doubt on the trial by ordeal. Even Lohengrin's success with the Brabant masses cannot establish lasting order. Only the clarification of the crime and an admission of guilt bring new stability—but also bring about the departure of the fairytale savior and the end of the seemingly unconditional love affair. Almost 40 years after Hans-Peter Lehmann's legendary production, the Hanover State Opera is staging a new production of Lohengrin . Just as Richard Wagner's opera connects the historical figure of Henry I with the legend of the Holy Grail, and martial choirs with ethereal sounds, Richard Brunel's production combines the question of the connection between power and justice with imagery inspired by depth psychology.

Lohengrin

"Am I still Don Juan? No, I don't know anything about him anymore. The role is over. Something has ended, and something else is beginning."
Don Giovanni—the epitome of the ruthless, charismatic seducer. His life is marked by interpersonal encounters, affairs, and relationships. He savors life to the fullest, finding himself in the midst of a frenzied feast. But now Don Giovanni crosses the line: in a duel, he kills the Commendatore, which suddenly leaves a pool of blood in his life book, which was previously meticulously filled with women's names.
The production by Bastian Kraft and his team questions Don Giovanni about the life images of this radically ruthless man, who already sees his own death approaching and yet clings to life once more. More and more memories of his life so far intrude on him. But the voices of the dark figures he encounters—opponents, rivals, lovers—also grow louder and louder. Don Giovanni's actions do not remain without consequences. The images of a single night are overwritten and blurred beyond recognition.

Don Giovanni

“It was the first time since Expo 2000 that things happening in Hanover interested the rest of the country.”
Crime scene: Hanover. A young man is found dead on the banks of the Ihme River, his inline skates still on. A murder case with all the trappings: an investigative team groping in the dark, autopsy reports, interrogations, suspense—and an attentive journalist who seems to know more about the case than Inspector Rita Aitzinger herself. Together with her colleague Ilia Schuster, she faces many mysteries: Why did the young man have to die so young? What is behind this murder? And what role does the pop song he'd been listening to on repeat play? The investigation navigates the team through Hanover—from Ihmepark to the burger bars of Linden to the State Opera—and into the depths of dating apps.
What begins as a classic crime story increasingly unfolds as an exploration of human emotions and the depths of the abyss. With a keen sense of sensitivity, Jakob Nolte tells the story of lonely boys, of longing, and the search for happiness.

The woman with four arms

"Everyone sings — all night long" is the program: From the first moment to the last note, hundreds of people in the audience sing current pop songs together — from ABBA to Avicii, from Peter Gabriel to Peter Fox, from "7 Seconds" to "7 Years," from 1999 to 2025. The lyrics are lovingly presented via video projection. Two, sometimes three sought-after pop music professionals accompany the whole thing, and within a few minutes, singing together makes everyone immensely happy. More personal and collective than it could ever be in a choir, at a football stadium, or in the shower. Because here, everyone always sings the lead vocals.

Sing of the Sing

An offer for children and young people from grades 5 to 8 — but also for other curious people who have time in the morning: The approximately one-hour program features selected works from a symphony concert, explained and performed by General Music Director Stephan Zilias and the Lower Saxony State Orchestra Hannover.

First youth concert

"We will remember how unhappy we are now, and we will smile, and we will laugh. I truly believe that."
Ivan could have been an artist. But he's been managing a country estate for years. One day, his brother-in-law, Alexander, a formerly successful film director whom he supports financially, moves in. Meanwhile, Ivan's niece, Sonia, is deeply in love with the country doctor, who, however, only has eyes for Helena—Alexander's second wife. In their self-pity, they all believe themselves alone. Yet they are more alike than they think. Then a shot rings out.
Unfulfilled hopes and dreams, unrequited love—"Vanya" shows how unhappy life can be... and how heartbreakingly funny. The play lovingly reveals how ridiculous we sometimes are, yet makes you feel sorry for us, share in our hopes and tears.

Vanya

“It was actually an opera that I tried to compose, but ultimately couldn’t compose.”
Pascal Dusapin on Waves
At first, Pascal Dusapin considered writing a musical theater work based on Virginia Woolf's novel The Waves . It ultimately evolved into a kind of organ concerto, a "duo for organ and orchestra." Dusapin explains: "Very abstract questions occupied me while working on Waves , questions of tectonics—how different surfaces shift against and into each other." The forces of these tectonic plates, turned into music, initially unfold through the interaction and interaction of "normal" trumpets and signal trumpets. The signal trumpets are positioned to the left and right of the organ. They sound "as if from the organ," in the same boat. The organ itself also begins with these notes, with a characteristic rhythm; everything blends together, magnificently orchestrated. 

First Symphony Concert

The Keys of Toledo

“I wish we could just be there touching kissing listening to some soft music with only the sky and stars above us, forgetting about our history, our wars and everything that might tear us apart.”
Welcome! Come in! Celebrate with us, listen to music with us, reflect with us on love, on despair, on the fear of loneliness—and on courage. Because sometimes it takes great courage to show your true self. Together with the new ensemble members of the Schauspiel Hannover and an international dance ensemble, writer and director Falk Richter explores stories of pride and shame, of life as a queer* person, and of the fears and hopes that come with coming out. The media crossover production "PRIDE" invites the Hanover audience on a striking journey through the resistant, invisible history and present of the Federal Republic of Germany (and Lower Saxony). The achievements and the current threats to the struggle for equality and freedom for all people are narrated by a diverse ensemble from different generations and with different perspectives—creating a multi-layered, intimate portrait of Germany in the fall of 2025.

PRIDE

Every Saturday morning, we open our foyer to the curious: Come in, take a look around! Enjoy our catering, Wi-Fi, and children's corner, or simply relax. Watch the ongoing rehearsal and meet the State Opera and its staff!
We enrich Saturday mornings with small concerts, discussions, presentations, and invitations to sing along—but the open foyer will also be what you make of it!

The Open Foyer

"There's no secret knowledge that makes us mothers. But everyone expects us to never make a mistake in handling our child from the moment of birth because we supposedly have an instinct for it."
Helene does the unthinkable: Without a word, she gets up from dinner and throws herself from the balcony. Her family is shocked. Sarah, Helene's best friend, wants to help and becomes a support for her completely overwhelmed father, Johannes—just until everyone has solid ground under their feet again. Or so she thinks. But the months pass. Sarah's own life naturally fades into the background, and the simmering feeling of rage forces its way to the surface. Lola, Helene's daughter, feels this rage even more intensely; her accusation is directed against the patriarchy itself. She blames the system for her mother's death and decides to declare war on the overwhelming enemy.

The anger that remains

"The war has arrived here, on the world, and will not end until we are gone. Under the ground."
An engineer reflects on the challenges of modern existence—on waking up every day in a society where even the sky belongs to Google and armed conflicts are part of everyday life. However, as long as they don't affect one's own neighborhood, one's own city, or possibly even one's own country, they disappear from the flickering attention after two days. And let's be honest: If you don't even know the flags of the affected countries to post them in solidarity, it can't be that bad, can it?! Between horror and humor, Sibylle Berg, one of the most well-known authors and playwrights in the German-speaking world, explores the seemingly dystopian depths of our present. This engineer is played by actress Katja Riemann, a long-time artistic collaborator of author Sibylle Berg, who previously appeared in her successful play "Und sicher ist mit mir die Welt verschwunden" (And Surely the World Has Disappeared with Me) at the Gorki Theater in Berlin.

A little light. And this peace.

Goldberg is a highly virtuosic and deeply poetic dance piece—inspired by a musical masterpiece: Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg Variations . To open his first season as director of the Hannover State Ballet, Goyo Montero's Goldberg, which premiered in Nuremberg in 2022 , not only brings an entire compendium of his dance art to the stage, but also a portrait of the fascinating personalities of his newly formed company, which, with this premiere, is presenting itself as an ensemble for the first time. We owe
the composition of the Goldberg Variations to the ailing Count Keyserlingk, who commissioned a cycle of variations from Bach as a remedy for his insomnia. What Bach then delivered, however, is anything but sleep music. Rather, the work, first published in 1741 simply as "Clavier-Übung," unfolds as an instrumental world theater. It is music that reflects the entirety of human life and, in Goldberg, becomes the starting point for dance variations on the theme of "dreams." Cheerful and profound, playful and powerful, formally rigorous and sensual, Goyo Montero uses the language of movement to penetrate the beauties and depths of the night. Carried by a composition by Canadian Owen Belton, who counterpoints and re-illuminates Bach's variations with his own soundscapes—live and electronic—Goyo Montero stages a play and counterplay of dreams and nightmares.

Goldberg

This workshop series allows people of all ages to discover the diversity of musical theater and dance in a playful way. The monthly published dates can be attended individually out of pure curiosity or as a series. In addition to ideas on topics such as voice, improvisation or dance, our Impulse: Baby for toddlers aged 1 - 3 and their adults is particularly popular.

Impulses

“Hello darkness, my old friend”
We live in a society of the sighted. From "goodbye" to "false alarm" to "love at first sight," our language is full of metaphors of sight. Knowledge and reason are associated with light and sight, while immaturity and unreason are associated with images of blindness and darkness. The world of blindness is unknown to most of us; our lives are built on sight. But what happens when this prerequisite is not met: In what space do blind or visually impaired people exist? What does time mean to them? What do sounds and noises tell us? Can we see with our ears?

With different eyes

“Having escaped the storm of the elements, Otello will succumb to the storms of his own self.”
source
What an opening to an opera! Amid an apocalyptic storm, a naval battle rages off the coast of Venice. Without warning, Giuseppe Verdi transports us into the action with thunder, lightning, and cannon shots; we can almost feel the storm and spray on our skin. The situation seems hopeless for the Venetian fleet—then their general, Otello, appears unscathed and victorious at the harbor. He has defeated not only his enemies, but also the forces of nature. But how will this war hero cope in civilian life? Traumatic memories haunt him; an all-encompassing mistrust has taken hold of him; he feels isolated from society; no one can get through to him. In this atmosphere, his relationship with his wife crumbles before our eyes and ears. Desdemona was once the only person with whom Otello could be completely himself; now he eyes her suspiciously and threatens her. Verdi's music depicts Othello's journey from celebrated soldier to murderer of his wife, whose love he simultaneously longs for.

Otello

Opening ceremony

Opernplatz

Robert Schumann's Violin Concerto is characterized by turbulent emotions. This gives the music an incredible appeal. The composer himself was never able to experience the impressive impact of his work, as the concerto was not premiered until many decades after his early death. This meant that he was fatefully linked to his role model Franz Schubert: Schumann himself initiated the premiere of his so-called "Great" Symphony in C major - unfortunately long after the composer's death. With its depth and heartfelt and radiant sounds, Schubert's symphony became an innovative inspiration for romantic composers such as Robert Schumann.

8th Symphony Concert: Connectedness

Are you missing the traditional gala concert in aid of the Hanover State Opera Foundation? The foundation has come up with something new for this season together with us and is inviting you to a charity gala dinner on stage in June. Please note this date in your calendar, invitation will follow!

Gala Dinner of the State Opera Foundation

A group of young men who are friends can be compared to a pack of puppies: playful, powerful and exuberant, they compete, argue and form alliances. In Hofesh Shechter's dance piece Uprising, boundaries are repeatedly tested and yet a clear sense of togetherness is the basis of the playful test of strength. The drive that develops in Uprising allows the group to climb many peaks and the power of friendship and community gives wings. The pulsating percussion music was composed by the choreographer himself.

Shechter – Goecke – Ekman

Have you ever made up a story? Maybe even a story with music? Would you like to do just that? This concert is your turn! The Lower Saxony State Orchestra has once again invited the illustrator Ernesto Lucas and prepared a great piece of music by Zoltán Kodály. But while we usually provide you with information about the music, this time we're doing it the other way round! You tell us what fantasies and scenes you imagine to go with the music being played. Ernesto Lucas then turns these scenes into drawings and pictures - and together we'll invent your very own colorful and exciting music story in this concert.

3rd Children's Concert: Inventive!

From the memory of the horrors of two world wars, Benjamin Britten created a musical memorial for peace with his War Requiem . This particularly touches us now, in our present, shaken by war reports. The work begins somberly and quickly builds up to enormous drama, so that one cannot believe the choir's words "Requiem aeternam" - eternal rest. It is much more than an ordinary requiem mass, because Britten supplemented the Latin liturgy with emotional texts by the English poet Wilfred Owen, who died in the First World War. The gigantic cast, which combines several choirs, a large orchestra and vocal solos, is able to produce both powerful and fragile sounds. The sometimes loud, sometimes whispering, but always urgent protest for peace that arose from Benjamin Britten's innermost being can also release reserves of energy in us to resist hatred and violence.

7th Symphony Concert: War Requiem

Funny, elegant, erotic, melancholic: women in society are viewed in the panorama of a fake world. A society lady in a midlife crisis leaves her marriage with a young lover, but soon wisely leaves him with a younger woman. A bon vivant who thinks he can exchange his noble name for fresh meat and money is thrown out. A boy of rank and name changes from one great love to another and a young daughter from a nouveau riche family still believes in the one and only. All beautiful appearances, full of waltz music, kitsch and sugar coating - with a dash of biting irony and yet full of truth.

Der Rosenkavalier

With intoxicating and life-hungry sounds, the works in this concert program tell of the creative urge and breakthrough of their composers. For Richard Strauss, his symphonic poem Don Juan was a great success with the public. The young composer was able to win over audiences immediately with its heroic tone. His virtuoso Burlesque for piano and orchestra, on the other hand, was only gradually appreciated. No wonder, because its technical refinements are breakneck and its tone cynical, so that one hardly knows whether to take the work seriously or see it as a joke - a masterpiece of tongue-in-cheek musical satire. Antonín Dvořák wrote his 8th Symphony during a period of international triumph and was literally overwhelmed in his euphoria by the countless musical ideas that found their way into the work.

6th Symphony Concerto: Breakthrough

When social roles and values ​​are renegotiated, existential questions arise: Who am I? Who can I be? And what can I do to be a good person? In The Greek Passion , the residents of a Greek village are painfully confronted with this after they have assigned the roles for the upcoming passion play. When a group of refugees appears and asks for help, the overwhelming feeling grows. The Greek Passion deals with the most important themes of our coexistence: humanity and charity. With Greek folklore, Orthodox liturgy and large choral tableaux, it tells the story in a musically folk-like way, making it one of the most magnificent and haunting operas of the 20th century.

The Greek Passion

Julietta is a mysterious woman. In the opera of the same name by Bohuslav Martinů, she is the main character, but does not actually appear in the plot. Because she apparently only exists in Michel's memory and imagination. He sets out to find this enigmatic Julietta and gradually has to ask himself: Does Julietta really exist or is she only in his imagination? Is he in a dream or in reality? Is he even slowly going crazy?

2nd Youth Concert

The musical works in this concert are united by an honest expression of the deep, inner life of man. They promise a journey into the souls of 20th century composers, which they reveal and allow us to empathise with through their expressive sounds. Dmitri Shostakovich's First Cello Concerto is like a great emotional sigh of relief after decades of strict art censorship by Joseph Stalin's regime. Sergei Rachmaninoff's luxuriant Third Symphony was written in American exile and reveals much of the Russian composer's homesickness. Bohuslav Martinů's opera Julietta is about the lost connection to reality ; the accompanying orchestral suite describes wandering in endless dream worlds. Martinů's musical language here is even more personal and intimate than, for example, in his opera The Greek Passion , which will premiere at the State Opera in April.

5th Symphony Concerto: Inner Life

She loves with a burning passion and rejects love violently. She lives from the power of tango and perishes alone. She dances for her life and is robbed of her happiness. She plays with death and rises again - María from Buenos Aires. In his celebrated tango operetta, the Argentinian composer and father of tango nuevo, Astor Piazzolla, tells of the dark secrets of the tragic female figure who is both figure and spirit, flesh and appearance. With her infinitely sensual mixture of tango and chanson, Latin and classical, poetry and dance, joie de vivre and melancholy, she awakens our deepest feelings.

María de Buenos Aires

How does everyone involved in a performance or concert in the opera house always know exactly when it's their turn and what they have to do? We'll let you in on the secret: thanks to the stage manager! This person, who sits next to the stage and who you never see from the audience, has everything under control: time, order, performance times, lighting moods - there's basically nothing that the stage manager doesn't announce to the staff during the course of a performance. We take a look behind the scenes, let our stage manager have her say and consider what could go wrong at our concert with music by Joseph Haydn, Gioachino Rossini and Anna Clyne if she wasn't reliably there for everyone!

2nd Children's Concert: Announced!

A new creation for Hanover! In 2019, the Cretan choreographer Andonis Foniadakis thrilled the Hanover audience with his athletic dance language in the ballet Kosmos : he explores the spectrum of dance movements with virtuosity and creates such a fascinating, electrifying atmosphere that the room crackles with concentrated dance energy. The choice of the theme is by no means accidental. Icarus, a figure from Greek mythology, embodies man's bold desire to rise beyond his own limits. His story, in which he is equipped with wings and flies too close to the sun against the warnings of his father Daedalus, only to fall and fail, has always inspired the human imagination.

Icarus

For a decade, Gregor Zöllig has shaped the dance landscape of Braunschweig and beyond with his visionary choreographies. His choreographic and staging style, which combines narrative depth with physical intensity, as well as the interaction of interdisciplinary teams and international guests, form the basis of his varied repertoires.

dance frenzy

Staatstheater Braunschweig

Far in the far north, a lonely fisherman is out kayaking when he suddenly discovers something that takes his breath away: a group of seals has shed their fur and turned into human women. He falls in love with one of the seal women and quickly takes her fur. She is actually prepared to leave her native element, the water, and marry the fisherman - on one condition: after seven years, he must give her the fur back. Their child grows up happily, but the seven years are soon over. Will the fisherman keep his promise?

The Child of the Seal Woman

The Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart sounds wonderfully light and lively. The pure melodic joy of playing is what makes this double concerto so special. In contrast, an unbroken will to live and a wide range between turmoil and enthusiasm can be heard in Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony, nicknamed the "Symphony of Fate" - famous especially for its legendary beginning, which is also known as the "Fate motif". The multifaceted music of the French composer Louise Farrenc builds a bridge between the lightness of Mozart and the weightiness of Beethoven. She was well known and successful in her hometown of Paris in the 19th century. Her varied musical works full of catchy melodies and lively arcs of tension are worth discovering.

4th Symphony Concert: Lust for Life

A premiere as a stark warning against hatred and repression: The 1972 Olympic Games in Munich were supposed to be a sporting festival in the name of peace. Instead, the catastrophe occurred, eleven Israeli athletes were killed by terrorists. The failure of the security forces and the way the Germans dealt with guilt still have an impact today. In the new opera, the lightness of the play is mixed with anxiety and chaos. The production removes the event from its distance and shows us the ghosts of history in powerful images. The sporting disciplines portrayed in the music and the wild jazz of the Steamboat Switzerland trio, which works together with the orchestra, loosen up the virtuoso time and rhythm structure. Corinna Harfouch is one of the most sought-after German actresses.

Echo 72

The chamber concerts of the Lower Saxony State Orchestra Hannover were founded over 150 years ago as quartet evenings by concertmaster Joseph Joachim and continue to exist as a popular concert series to this day. In 2024/25, various ensembles will also play concerts with programs they have put together themselves. These traditional Sunday concerts in the State Museum will take place twice each from autumn due to high demand. The concert ticket entitles you to entry to the exhibitions on the day of the concert.

Chamber concert

Sprengel Museum

Landesmuseum Hannover

Great Italian drama! A stage full of "real life", with artificially created, convincing reality: sobbing, wheezing, crying, transformation, exhaustion, garnished with a sugary-sweet "bell choir" and a real fight for the best view of the village theater, which becomes the scene of a bloody tragedy. Pagliacci is a big, glittering, shimmering, escalating show that piles up all the advantages of Italian opera - until at the end everything collapses and only one thing remains: the unvarnished finale. And you never know how close it comes to real life.

The Bajazzo

Sous le ciel de Paris – under the sky of Paris we dream, sing and stroll into the new year. The music that has always been created between the Seine and Montmartre is as beautiful, dazzling and diverse as this much-sung city. Experience moving moments with arias from the works of the French opera masters Ambroise Thomas, Jules Massenet and Jacques Offenbach. Let yourself fall into the picturesque orchestral sounds of Camille Saint-Saëns, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. And indulge in holiday memories and longings while listening to the most beautiful Parisian chansons. As you rave about and enjoy the sounds that Stephan Zilias, members of the opera ensemble and the Lower Saxony State Orchestra Hannover conjure up on stage, presenter Matthias Brodowy will keep you in the best company as a city guide with new perspectives on the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame as well as charming anecdotes from the city of love.

New Year's Concert

Chicago: deep street canyons between the skyscrapers, gangsters with machine guns in their violin cases, electrifying jazz rhythms wafting out of smoky bars... In this city that is as dangerous as it is seductive, Roxie Hart dreams of becoming famous. And don't we all know the dream of a great career? After she shoots her unfaithful lover, her path leads not to the limelight, but to prison. But Roxie senses her chance... The new production of Chicago offers everything that a great American musical promises: a spectacular stage show, rousing dance numbers and a gripping and socially critical story with lots of passion, sex, intrigue, murder and "all that jazz"!

Chicago

This year's Christmas concert of the Lower Saxony State Orchestra in the magnificent hall of the Herrenhausen Gallery Building is characterized by pleasantly deep sounds. These can not only be a strong foundation for the music, but can also conjure up beautiful melodies. Solo bass voices will therefore lead the concert. Daniel Eggert from the State Opera Ensemble and Bors Balogh, solo double bassist of the State Orchestra, demonstrate the multifaceted nature of the depth with its changeable timbres - whether in a powerful aria, a dreamy double bass solo or a playful bass duet. The program is framed by the wonderful Haydn symphonies Le soir ( The Evening ) and Le matin ( The Morning ). Stephan Zilias will be conducting the State Orchestra this year.

Christmas concert in Herrenhausen

What do music and sport have in common? A lot! Both are great experiences and hobbies to do yourself or to watch and listen to. You can relax, train, take part in competitions and share great experiences with many other people as a team. And: music and sport together is the best anyway, because a great anthem or a club song is what really sets the mood at sporting events! We'll find out how sporty the mood on the concert stage can be in this concert with music by Georg Friedrich Händel, Ludwig van Beethoven and Steve Reich, among others. So on your marks, get set, go!

1st Children's Concert: Sporty!

One of the most famous pieces of music by composer Peter Tchaikovsky is his ballet The Nutcracker . We ask ourselves: What makes this music so special, what about it seems familiar to us and what surprises does it have in store? What sound worlds, timbres and science fiction elements can we discover in it? And does the fantastic atmosphere work even without ballet dancers on stage?

1st Youth Concert: Crisp

The 3rd Symphony Concert: Automatic was originally planned as a concert in our more than music series , which expands the boundaries of the traditional concert experience through performance. The program included a joint world premiere by composers Marko Nikodijević and Robert Henke - a concert for automatic percussion and orchestra. The two popular and experimental composers like to explore the dream of an automated life in their music. In real life, however, not everything always runs automatically, let alone according to plan - for organizational reasons, this world premiere in our concert unfortunately has to be canceled. Instead, we will hear another work by Marko Nikodijević that premiered just over a year ago: Gospodi vozvah for solo viola and orchestra. We are delighted that we were able to persuade Canadian violist Sarah McElravy to rehearse the work at short notice and thus welcome her to our concert stage for the first time. The viola concerto is accompanied by Sergei Rachmaninoff's symphonic poem The Isle of the Dead and excerpts from Peter Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker . As if in a dream, The Isle of the Dead

3rd Symphony Concerto: Automatic

Music can be like water for us: sometimes it ripples along quietly, but often a tiny impulse is enough to set it in motion. Then high waves appear as if by themselves and suddenly break over us. Or a raging storm develops. Selected musical works that describe such timeless natural phenomena are poetically combined in this concert program. We recognize the fascination with nature in the classical sounds of Joseph Haydn, as well as in the powerful words of a slam poetry text or the noisy, dynamic music of a contemporary composer such as Brett Dean. The concert thus becomes a homage to the existential and changeable element of life that connects us all, in all its beautiful, terrible, inspiring and worthy of preservation manifestations.

2nd Symphony Concerto: Wavelength

Who am I? The young man Peer Gynt takes refuge in his fantasies to escape reality. He dreams of a better world, a fairytale reality. He longs for love, recognition and success, but is not taken seriously in them. Inside him there is a battle between his desire for security and his desire for freedom.

Peer Gynt

The works in this concert programme are characterised by dense, rich sounds that remain both limitless and expansive. They open up all of our senses so that we can think further about the infinite possibilities of music. A seemingly never-ending, masterfully developing idea can be found in Franz Liszt's 2nd Piano Concerto. This musical principle connected him directly with Hector Berlioz, who admired Liszt. Anton Bruckner also sought this kind of spiritual connection to previous idols, which we all long for from time to time, in his large-scale 7th Symphony.

1st Symphony Concerto: Width

How can we confront injustice in society? Mahatma Gandhi, the famous Indian freedom fighter, developed a spiritual response to this as a young lawyer in South Africa: "Satyagraha", holding on to the truth. The truth is propagated here as the most effective means in the fight against injustice, the opposing side is to be convinced by peaceful means, through non-violent resistance. Philip Glass has dedicated an emphatic work of art to this idea with his great choral opera Satyagraha : His catchy minimal music transports us to other spheres of consciousness, the timeless verses from the Bhagavad Gita invite us to inner contemplation - an inspiring experience.

Satyagraha

Grand Italian opera, jazzy rhythms, minimal music, sumptuous waltz icing, romantic feelings, lightness, drama, entertainment, thoughtfulness - and all in one evening! We pack what we love about opera into our traditional opening concert of the State Opera and welcome you to the new 2024/25 season. Artistic director Laura Berman and her team present the highlights of the season. Accompanied by the State Orchestra under the musical direction of General Music Director Stephan Zilias, the new 1st Kapellmeister Mario Hartmuth, the 2nd Kapellmeister Masaru Kumakura and the young newcomer to the musical department Piotr Jaworski, premieres and revivals of new and familiar faces from the ensemble will be presented. Also taking part this year is the State Opera Choir, which, under the direction of its choir director Lorenzo Da Rio, will present excerpts from the opening premiere Satyagraha, among other things. There will also be excerpts from Der Bajazzo , Chicago , The Greek Passion , Der Rosenkavalier , Rusalka and Rigoletto . The concert will be hosted by our colleagues from the dramaturgy: Regine Palmai, Sophia Gustorff and Daniel Menne. Here's to a successful new opera season!

Opening concert

“Have you tortured me enough?”
Floria Tosca lives entirely for music and her love for the artist Mario Cavaradossi. When Cavaradossi is sentenced to death for his political activism against an inhumane regime, the singer too is on the brink. The jealous Baron Scarpia tries to blackmail Tosca: If she wants to save her lover from execution, she must give herself to Scarpia. Tosca pretends to accept the deal – and stabs Scarpia. But the path to freedom is deceptive. Scarpia's power extends beyond death.
In hardly any other opera are personal passion and political arbitrariness so closely intertwined and yet so cruelly exposed as in Giacomo Puccini's Tosca from 1900. The relentless reckoning with abuse of power and machinations, coupled with a deeply moving love story, continues to electrify audiences today, with a score that combines gripping drama and nerve-wracking tension with moments of enchanting beauty. Arias like Tosca's "Vissi d'arte" and Cavaradossi's "É lucevan le stelle" are not without reason considered icons of Italian vocal art.

Tosca

"And now, everyone!" — Under the direction of the State Opera Chorus Director Lorenzo da Rio, the (hopefully) fully-seated opera house, accompanied by piano, will sing Advent, winter, and Christmas carols of various origins. Can you share your favorites with us in advance? We're sure one or two ensemble members will drop by with a favorite song.

Advent singing for everyone

A white man in a tailcoat stands at the front of the stage—in the hollow of a large, black Steinway grand piano. The man in the tailcoat supports himself with his right hand. The older people in the audience clear their throats a little. It's cold outside. The piano plays. Repeated chords in D minor, a descending motif, full of worry. "I came as a stranger, I depart as a stranger."
All of this is wonderful and should always remain so! For we all love Franz Schubert's Winterreise —as well as Robert Schumann's Dichterliebe and Hugo Wolf's Italienisches Liederbuch. And it is precisely these cycles that we want to hear in our new series. But also other things. Not "just" necessarily classical-romantic art songs of the 19th century, but what the members of our vocal ensemble bring with them from home, what has shaped them, what they love. From Bulgarian shepherd's songs to Finnish tangos… then back to the starting point, Winterreise. To enhance the diversity of the whole, we meet for each event, each song concert , at a different location in Hanover. You are warmly welcome throughout our city, whose venues we will fill with sound through songs and other vocal compositions.

 Song Concert: Shavleg Armasi

Faust Cultural Center

Beijing, in a fairytale setting: At the imperial court, Princess Turandot has made her own marriage a law: Anyone wishing to marry her must answer three riddles correctly; anyone who fails is executed. When a stranger appears, he decides to take on the challenge. He is the only one who succeeds in solving the riddles and, in turn, gives the princess a task: If Turandot can reveal his name by dawn, he is prepared to renounce her hand and die.
Behind the murderous brutality of Turandot's law and her cold-blooded rejection of all suitors lies a deep transgenerational trauma. These unsolvable tasks serve only as self-protection: An ancestor was brutally abused and murdered by her husband. Jakob Peters-Messer's production examines Puccini's fairytale opera for this deep psychological cause and simultaneously reveals the inherent ambivalence of tragedy and grotesque comedy.

Turandot

"Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Schwartenmagen. Mr. Schwartenmagen. From the Presswurst family. And who are you?"
Lisa and Hagen are baking a birthday cake for their father. Because the refrigerator no longer has everything the recipe calls for, they improvise a bit: orange juice, leeks, and carrots are added to the butter and flour in the mixing bowl. Will the "all-in-all universe cake" taste good? Lisa and Hagen's father will never get to try it, because suddenly the children are confronted with a greedy sausage that lives in their refrigerator, has already stolen eggs and milk, and is becoming increasingly brazen. But the siblings stick together and defend themselves and the family kitchen with ingenuity and a hearty pinch of chili.

Sausage

 Song Concert: Maximilan Schmitt

Northern Germany's most glamorous party will once again take place at the Hanover State Opera in February 2026: The Opera Ball is a grand show, a festive dance event, lavish decorations, fantastic music, and a lively party—a feast for all the senses! We'll reveal more details in October.

The Opera Ball of the Hanover State Opera

“This is a delicate matter, how will it end?”
Countess, Susanna and Figaro
On the occasion of Figaro and Susanna's wedding, Count Almaviva wants to once again indulge in the long-abolished "right of the first night," setting in motion a machine of confusion, intrigue, and doubt that ultimately leads to the exposure of the Count's abuse of power, but also to the possibility of forgiveness.
Only a composer like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart could have come up with the downright ludicrous idea of ​​setting Beaumarchais's La folle journée ou Le mariage de Figaro to music in 1786 , the most politically explosive comedy of those years—a portrait of a society in upheaval and a nobility once again exercising their privileges and blindly running towards their own ruin. The very first bars of the overture make it irresistibly clear: in this play, every bar, every syllable, every whisper carries the undertone of nervous excitement. There is a standstill only at the turning points, those precious moments in which Mozart reveals the inner lives of his heroes. But the adventure continues, and only the onset of night can bring this "mad day" to an end.

The Marriage of Figaro

"Not a pretty sight. Modernity begins."
Christa Wolf on Kleist's Penthesilea
A woman and a man, united by a politically senseless war, obsessed with defeating the other: the Amazon Penthesilea and the Greek Achilles. When Heinrich von Kleist transformed this ancient myth into a play in 1808, he reversed the story's gruesome ending: It wasn't Achilles who slays Penthesilea and then falls in love with the dead woman's body, but Penthesilea who falls in love with Achilles, kills him, and mauls his corpse.
Kleist's tragedy irritated his contemporaries: eroticism and aggression appear interchangeable, women fight like men, hunters become prey, and Penthesilea becomes an animal. This was not how Kleist's contemporaries imagined either antiquity or the theater. It didn't help that the most gruesome scenes weren't shown on stage, but merely reported: Penthesilea was never performed during the author's lifetime. It wasn't until the second half of the 20th century that this idiosyncratic work garnered interest and understanding.

Penthesilea

Song Concert: Beatriz Miranda

"If it had been 'Lehman Sisters' and not 'Lehman Brothers,' the world might look very different today."
Christine Lagarde
When Adam Smith, the founder of political economy, was working on his major work, The Wealth of Nations , he lived with his mother, Margareth Douglas. According to Adam Smith, the principle that everyone should pursue their own advantage was the foundation for the well-being of society as a whole. As he developed this fundamental idea, his mother looked after his everyday well-being. And she probably cooked him dinner the day he wrote: "It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, and the baker that we look for our food, but from their looking after their own interest."
250 years after the first publication of The Wealth of Nations, composer Andrea Tarrodi and her librettist Helena Röhr ask themselves: Did Adam Smith perhaps overlook something? Are our current ideas about economics still only based on half the truth?
The internationally sought-after Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodi is famous for her colorful, impressionistic orchestral works. She also performs as a singer-songwriter.

Homo Economicus

"How far should our grief go, how far may it go, without uprooting us?"
Paul
After the death of his wife Marie, Paul lives a withdrawn and isolated life in his apartment. He only remains in contact with his friend Frank and Brigitta, who runs his household. But when Paul meets the dancer Marietta on the street, who bears a striking resemblance to Marie, his life, marked by grief, takes a turn: While Paul tries to make Marietta more and more like his deceased wife, the inner conflict between reality and ideal becomes increasingly overwhelming. Marietta initially plays along, but refuses to allow her independence and freedom to be restricted.

The dead city

“By the very nature of things, there is a very close relationship between celebration and play.”
Johan Huizinga
The Hanover State Opera's Children's Festival is a festival and so much more: It's both a large-scale musical theater performance for children and a look behind the scenes of the operatic world. It's a musical theater performance with professionals in the orchestra, on stage, and in the workshops, but also with children and young people on stage who have rehearsed extensively and implemented their own creative ideas with the directing team. Furthermore, the children in the audience support and shape the performance at many interactive stations in the foyer. And at the end, it all comes together again on the State Opera's grand stage! Marveling and participating, trying things out, and discovering go hand in hand in this two-hour festival for the whole family.

The Children's Festival at the State Opera

“You’re so lucky: the cheese fell right on the macaroni!”
Figaro
Figaro is not only the barber, but also the life coach, matchmaker, and information center of Seville. At least, that's how he introduces himself, but what we experience in Rossini's opera casts doubt on this self-characterization: His strategies for the enamored Count Almaviva to establish contact with Rosina, jealously guarded by her guardian, fail from the outset—and when Figaro intervenes, things only get worse. A good premise for a turbulent comedy, which director Nicola Hümpel magnifies with two live cameras: The production presents us with a group of egotists trying to manipulate one another. Eager to always present themselves in the best possible light, they compete for the best positions in front of the cameras, which mercilessly magnify every errant facial expression and every hidden tension.

Staatstheater Hannover

Sep 27, 2025 - Jun 20, 2026

The Open Foyer

3 - 23 Dec, 2025

Hansel and Gretel

Dec 13, 2025 - Jan 9, 2026

Tosca

Dec 14, 2025

Advent singing for everyone

Nov 9 - Dec 17, 2025

The Rosenkavalier

3 - 23 Dec, 2025

Hansel and Gretel

Nov 30, 2025

Symposium: Lohengrin in Focus

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