Innocence Tickets

Semperoper Dresden, Dresden, Germany

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Available Dates: 15 Mar - 11 Apr, 2025 (7 events)

Important Info

Type: Opera

City: Dresden, Germany

Acts: 5

Sung in: Multilingual

Titles in: German,English

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

Can I choose my seats?

You can only select the category, and not the exact seats.
If you order 2 or 3 tickets: your seats will be next to each other.
If you order 4 or more tickets: your seats will be next to each other, or, if this is not possible, we will provide a combination of groups of seats (at least in pairs, for example 2+2 or 2+3).

Cast

Performers

Choose the date to see the peformers

Creators

Composer: Kaija Saariaho

Director: Lorenzo Fioroni

Librettist: Sofi Oksanen

Overview

Together with librettist Sofi Oksanen and dramaturge Aleksi Barrière, Kaija Saariaho created a gripping yet poignant psychological thriller that relentlessly unpicks the characters’ entangled culpability, layer by layer, while leaving unanswered the question of each person’s guilt or innocence.

Can the past be denied and memories erased? After a mass shooting at an international school, pupils, parents and teachers are left horrified and traumatised. The teenage perpetrator is committed to a psychiatric ward. Ten years later, Stela is celebrating her wedding to Tuomas, who she met in her home country of Romania, together with his parents and a priest. She is so happy that she doesn’t ask why there are so few guests. But the waitress hints that there is something Stela doesn’t know – that her groom has another brother.

„Innocence“ is the fifth and final opera by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (1952 –2023). Following its acclaimed premiere at the d’Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2021, it went on to enjoy great success in London, Helsinki and Amsterdam. This work deals with acutely relevant questions: What happens to a society after such a gruesome and disturbing act of violence? How can trauma be overcome?

History

Premiere of this production: 04 July 2020, Festival d'Aix-en-Provence

Innocence, composed by Kaia Saariaho and written by Sophie Oksanen, is a delightful opera set in two parallel time periods. It deals with the wounds of the past, the passage of time and the act of letting go. There's a wedding party going on in Helsinki, but the groom's family has a dark secret. When events from a decade ago begin to unfold, there is a moment of truth for guests.

Venue Info

Semperoper Dresden - Dresden
Theaterplatz 2

Not only one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world, the Semperoper is renowned both in Germany and abroad for the brilliant star-studded performances by Saxon State Opera as well as numerous international guest artists.

This is the home of the Staatskapelle Dresden, an orchestra which looks back on 460 years of uninterrupted music-making. The State Opera Chorus was founded by Carl Maria von Weber in 1817. Operatic history has been written here, with the Semperoper playing host to numerous important premieres, such as Richard Wagner’s "Rienzi", "Der fliegende Holländer" and "Tannhäuser". There is also an indissoluble link to Richard Strauss, nine of whose 15 operas were premiered in Dresden, including "Salome", "Der Rosenkavalier" and "Elektra". The small venue Semper Zwei provides space for diverse forms of music theatre as well as theatrical experiments, and is also the venue for performances of Semperoper Junge Szene.

The magnificent Semperoper dominates the Theaterplatz be-side the river Elbe, forming the centrepiece of the historic old city. The original building opened its doors in 1841, constructed to a design by Gottfried Semper which combined a late Classical style with Renaissance elements. Following a devastating fire in 1869, the citizens of Dresden immediately set about rebuilding their beloved opera house. This was completed in 1878, also to a design by Semper. In 1945, during the final months of World War II, the Semperoper was once again razed to the ground.

After a second reconstruction was successfully completed in 1985, the reopening of one of Europe’s most beautiful opera houses was celebrated with a performance of Carl Maria von Weber’s "Freischütz".
The dazzling interiors were painstakingly reconstructed by local craftsmen and artists according to original plans, with state-of-the art stage machinery and technical fittings in the auditorium. A modern annex was added to house the administrative offices and rehearsal rooms. Internationally renowned for its brilliant acoustics and incomparable performances, audiences from around the world continue to flock here to enjoy unforgettable experiences at the Semperoper Dresden.