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Opera
Royal Opera House (Covent Garden), Main Stage
1 Oct 2022, Sat
•
12:30 PM
East meets West with devastating consequences in Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier’s production of Puccini’s deeply poignant opera.
Composer:
Giacomo Puccini
Cast:
Carlos Álvarez,
Christine Rice,
.... + 5
Madama Butterfly
Premiere of this production:
17 February 1904,
La Scala, Milan
Act 1
1. A short orchestral prelude with a busy, fugal opening theme, followed by a second theme of more overtly Japanese character, leads straight into the opening scene.
2. E soffitto e pareti ("And ceiling and walls"). Pinkerton and Goro are inspecting a small house which sits on a hill and overlooks the bay. Goro has found the house for Pinkerton and his bride, and is showing him t ... Read More
Opera
Semperoper Dresden, Semperoper Dresden
1 Oct 2022, Sat
•
7 PM
Together with star designer Kenzo Takada, Japanese director Amon Miyamoto offers a unique oriental perspective on this Japanese-American liaison.
Composer:
Giacomo Puccini
Cast:
Boris Pinkhasovich,
Christa Mayer,
.... + 5
Madama Butterfly
Premiere of this production:
17 February 1904,
La Scala, Milan
Act one
Nagasaki in the 1890s. A wedding is to be celebrated in the garden of a hill-side residence with view of the port: the wedding of the American marine officer B. F. Pinkerton and the 15-year-old geisha Cio-Cio-San, daughter of a samurai who has fallen out of favour. The matchmaker, Goro, explains the building design of the new residence to Pinkerton who is not familiar with this. They are j ... Read More
Opera
Vienna State Opera, Main Stage
1 Oct 2022, Sat
•
7 PM
»There is no right life in the wrong one,« is one of Adorno's most famous quotes. It applies all too well to Verdi's »Rigoletto«: As a lackey of the careless Duke,...
Composer:
Giuseppe Verdi
Cast:
Benjamin Bernheim,
Erin Morley,
.... + 3
Opera
Oper Frankfurt, Opera House
1 Oct 2022, Sat
•
7:30 PM
Andreas Kriegenburg staged the historically accurate, in the space of 24 hours, action as an exciting thriller, dealing with the heart-rending tragedy in a realistic way.
Composer:
Giacomo Puccini
Cast:
Alfred Kim,
Ambur Braid,
.... + 5
Tosca
Premiere of this production:
14 January 1900,
Teatro Costanzi, Rome
Act 1
Inside the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle
Scene depicting a church interior with high stained-glass windows and heavy ornamental columns. The central figure is a high dignatory around whom several figures are kneeling, while in the background can be seen the tall pikes of the Swiss Guard.
Cesare Angelotti, former consul of the Roman Republic and now an escaped political prisoner, ru ... Read More
Opera
2 Oct 2022, Sun
•
2 PM
First Day of the Scenic Festival «Der Ring des Nibelungen», Libretto by Richard Wagner.
Composer:
Richard Wagner
Cast:
Camilla Nylund,
Christof Fischesser,
.... + 6
Die Walküre
Premiere of this production:
26 June 1870,
Königliches Hof- und National-Theater in Munich
Prior history
During the lengthy time that has passed since the gods entered Valhalla at the end of Das Rheingold, Fafner has used the Tarnhelm to assume the form of a dragon, and guards the gold and the ring in the depths of the forest. Wotan has visited Erda seeking wisdom, and by her has fathered a daughter, Brünnhilde; he has fathered eight other daughters, possibly also by Erda. These, ... Read More
Opera
Volksoper Vienna, Volksoper
2 Oct 2022, Sun
•
4:30 PM
"The Magic Flute" is a piece of collective cultural heritage and the most frequently performed opera in existence. Mozart’s universal opus is a fixture in the Vienna Volksoper’s ...
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Die Zauberflöte
Premiere of this production:
30 September 1791,
Theater auf der Wieden, Vienna
The opera begins with the overture, which Mozart composed last.
Act 1
Scene 1: A rough, rocky landscape
Tamino, a handsome prince lost in a distant land, is pursued by a serpent and asks the gods to save him (aria: "Zu Hilfe! Zu Hilfe!" segued into trio: "Stirb, Ungeheuer, durch uns're Macht!"). He faints, and three ladies, attendants of the Queen of the Night, appear an ... Read More
Opera
Bavarian State Opera, National Theatre
2 Oct 2022, Sun
•
5 PM
Spain in 1560: life on the brink of the abyss. A land ruled by church and state! Will the mighty – the grand inquisitor and the king – succeed in killing love? Will they manage to extingui...
Composer:
Giuseppe Verdi
Cast:
Andrea Battistoni,
Igor Golovatenko,
.... + 3
Don Carlo
Premiere of this production:
11 March 1867,
Opéra National de Paris
Act 1
This act was omitted in the 1883 revision
The Forest of Fontainebleau, France in winter
A prelude and chorus of woodcutters and their wives is heard. They complain of their hard life, made worse by war with Spain. Elisabeth, daughter of the King of France, arrives with her attendants. She reassures the people that her impending marriage to Don Carlos, Infante and son of Philip II, King of ... Read More
Opera
Semperoper Dresden, Semperoper Dresden
2 Oct 2022, Sun
•
6 PM
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La Dame aux camélias (1852), a play adapted from the novel by Al...
Composer:
Giuseppe Verdi
Cast:
Adela Zaharia,
Liparit Avetisyan,
.... + 4
La traviata Premiere
Premiere of this production:
06 March 1853,
Teatro La Fenice, Venice
Act 1
Violetta Valéry is one of the most beautiful and most adored ladies in the Parisian demi-monde, who gives lavish parties in her salon and celebrates life itself. The young Alfredo Germont is also present at one of these celebrations and is asked by the hostess to offer a toast. He sings the praises of love, but is unable to impress Violetta much at first. She finds her greatest happin ... Read More
Opera
Oslo Opera House, Main Stage
2 Oct 2022, Sun
•
6 PM
The ultimate feel-good opera on the Main Stage! When Rossini’s masterpiece premiered during the pandemic year, the audience was made up solely of critics – and they loved it.
Composer:
Gioachino Rossini
Cast:
Angela Brower,
Daniel Cohen,
.... + 5
The Barber of Seville
Premiere of this production:
20 February 1816,
Teatro Argentina, Rome
Place: Seville, Spain
Time: 18th century
Act 1
The square in front of Bartolo's house
In a public square outside Bartolo's house a band of musicians and a poor student named Lindoro are serenading, to no avail, the window of Rosina ("Ecco, ridente in cielo"; "There, laughing in the sky"). Lindoro, who is really the young Count Almaviva in disguise, hopes to make the b ... Read More
Opera
Oper Frankfurt, Opera House
2 Oct 2022, Sun
•
6 PM
The first new Die Zauberflöte for 24 years is directed by Ted Huffman. Scorned as a »piece of invention« and hailed as a »masterpiece«, the work, performed for t...
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Cast:
Julia Jones,
Oper Frankfurt and Museum Orchestra,
.... + 1
Die Zauberflöte
Premiere of this production:
30 September 1791,
Theater auf der Wieden, Vienna
The opera begins with the overture, which Mozart composed last.
Act 1
Scene 1: A rough, rocky landscape
Tamino, a handsome prince lost in a distant land, is pursued by a serpent and asks the gods to save him (aria: "Zu Hilfe! Zu Hilfe!" segued into trio: "Stirb, Ungeheuer, durch uns're Macht!"). He faints, and three ladies, attendants of the Queen of the Night, appear an ... Read More
Opera
2 Oct 2022, Sun
•
7 PM
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La Dame aux camélias (1852), a play adapted from the novel by Al...
Composer:
Giuseppe Verdi
La Traviata
Premiere of this production:
06 March 1853,
Teatro La Fenice, Venice
Set in and around Paris in about 1850.
Act I
Violetta Valéry, a Parisian courtesan, greets the guests at her salon. Among them are Flora Bervoix, the Marchese D’Obigny, Baron Douphol and Gastone, who introduces Violetta to a new admirer of hers, Alfredo Germont. The young Germont, who has been admiring her from afar, joins her in a drinking song. An orchestra strikes up in an adjace ... Read More
Opera
Staatsoper Hamburg, Main Stage
2 Oct 2022, Sun
•
7 PM
Carmen is an opera in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on a novella of the same title by Prosper Mérim...
Composer:
Georges Bizet
Cast:
Choir of the Hamburg State Opera,
Elbenita Kajtazi,
.... + 5
Carmen
Premiere of this production:
03 March 1875,
Opéra-Comique, Paris
Place: Seville, Spain, and surrounding hills
Time: Around 1820
Act 1
A square, in Seville. On the right, a door to the tobacco factory. At the back, a bridge. On the left, a guardhouse.
A group of soldiers relaxes in the square, waiting for the changing of the guard and commenting on the passers-by ("Sur la place, chacun passe"). Micaëla appears, seeking José. Moralè ... Read More
Opera
Hungarian State Opera House, Opera House
2 Oct 2022, Sun
•
7 PM
What makes a work so special that it can hold the insatiable and continuous interest of both the audience and a long line of successive opera directors? Tosca is made irresistible by the musical nuanc...
Composer:
Giacomo Puccini
Cast:
Adorján Pataki,
Peter Kálmán,
.... + 1
Tosca
Premiere of this production:
14 January 1900,
Teatro Costanzi, Rome
Act 1
Inside the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle
Scene depicting a church interior with high stained-glass windows and heavy ornamental columns. The central figure is a high dignatory around whom several figures are kneeling, while in the background can be seen the tall pikes of the Swiss Guard.
Cesare Angelotti, former consul of the Roman Republic and now an escaped political prisoner, ru ... Read More
Opera
Semperoper Dresden, Semperoper Dresden
3 Oct 2022, Mon
•
7 PM
Together with star designer Kenzo Takada, Japanese director Amon Miyamoto offers a unique oriental perspective on this Japanese-American liaison.
Composer:
Giacomo Puccini
Cast:
Boris Pinkhasovich,
Christa Mayer,
.... + 5
Madama Butterfly
Premiere of this production:
17 February 1904,
La Scala, Milan
Act one
Nagasaki in the 1890s. A wedding is to be celebrated in the garden of a hill-side residence with view of the port: the wedding of the American marine officer B. F. Pinkerton and the 15-year-old geisha Cio-Cio-San, daughter of a samurai who has fallen out of favour. The matchmaker, Goro, explains the building design of the new residence to Pinkerton who is not familiar with this. They are j ... Read More
Opera
Royal Opera House (Covent Garden), Main Stage
3 Oct 2022, Mon
•
7 PM
In this new production, director Robert Carsen situates Verdi’s large-scale political drama within a contemporary world, framing its power struggles and toxic jealousies in the apparatus of a mo...
Composer:
Giuseppe Verdi
Cast:
Agnieszka Rehlis,
Antonio Pappano,
.... + 6
Aida
Premiere of this production:
24 December 1871,
Khedivial Opera House in Cairo
Backstory: The Egyptians have captured and enslaved Aida, an Ethiopian princess. An Egyptian military commander, Radamès, struggles to choose between his love for her and his loyalty to the King of Egypt. To complicate the story further, the King's daughter Amneris is in love with Radamès, although he does not return her feelings.
Act 1
Scene 1: A hall in the King's palace; ... Read More
Opera
3 Oct 2022, Mon
•
7:30 PM
The greatest threat to power is love. With a dramatic story line and Puccini’s richly romantic score, book your opera tickets now for Tosca: one of the world’s most famous operas.
Composer:
Giacomo Puccini
Cast:
Adam Smith,
Leo Hussain,
.... + 2
Tosca
Premiere of this production:
14 January 1900,
Teatro Costanzi, Rome
Act 1
Inside the church of Sant'Andrea della Valle
Scene depicting a church interior with high stained-glass windows and heavy ornamental columns. The central figure is a high dignatory around whom several figures are kneeling, while in the background can be seen the tall pikes of the Swiss Guard.
Cesare Angelotti, former consul of the Roman Republic and now an escaped political prisoner, ru ... Read More
Opera
Vienna State Opera, Main Stage
4 Oct 2022, Tue
•
7 PM
»There is no right life in the wrong one,« is one of Adorno's most famous quotes. It applies all too well to Verdi's »Rigoletto«: As a lackey of the careless Duke,...
Composer:
Giuseppe Verdi
Cast:
Benjamin Bernheim,
Erin Morley,
.... + 3
Opera
Prague National Theatre, The State Opera
4 Oct 2022, Tue
•
7 PM
Falling in love with a courtesan is doomed from the very start!
Composer:
Giuseppe Verdi
Cast:
The State Opera Chorus,
The State Opera Orchestra
La traviata
Premiere of this production:
06 March 1853,
Teatro La Fenice, Venice
Set in and around Paris in about 1850.
Act I
Violetta Valéry, a Parisian courtesan, greets the guests at her salon. Among them are Flora Bervoix, the Marchese D’Obigny, Baron Douphol and Gastone, who introduces Violetta to a new admirer of hers, Alfredo Germont. The young Germont, who has been admiring her from afar, joins her in a drinking song. An orchestra strikes up in an adjace ... Read More
Opera
4 Oct 2022, Tue
•
7:30 PM
No opera is more tied to its setting than Tosca, which takes place in Rome on the morning of June 17, 1800, through dawn the following day. The specified settings for each of the three acts&mdash...
Composer:
Giacomo Puccini
Cast:
Aleksandra Kurzak,
Carlo Rizzi,
.... + 3
Tosca
Premiere of this production:
14 January 1900,
Teatro Costanzi, Rome
ACT I
Rome, June 1800. Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner, rushes into the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle. After finding the key his sister has hidden for him, he hides in his family’s private chapel. Soon, the painter Mario Cavaradossi arrives to work on his portrait of Mary Magdalene. The painting has been inspired by Angelotti’s sister, the Marchesa Attav ... Read More
Opera
Opera National de Paris, Opéra Bastille
4 Oct 2022, Tue
•
7:30 PM
The Magic Flute (German: Die Zauberflöte) is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form th...
Composer:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Cast:
Antonello Manacorda,
Caroline Wettergreen,
.... + 7
The Magic Flute
Premiere of this production:
30 September 1791,
Theater auf der Wieden, Vienna
ACT I
Tamino is threatened by an enormous snake and falls unconscious. Three ladies appear and kill the snake. They discover the handsome young man and leave to inform the Queen of the Night. Tamino wakes up and meets Papageno, the Queen of the Night’s bird-catcher. When Papageno accepts credit for having killed the snake, the three ladies reappear and lock his mouth to punish him for lying ... Read More
First time at Opera?
Discover the world of opera for the first time?
How to choose an opera? Mozart or Verdi? Love tragedy or comedy?
Marriage of Figaro or Aida?
First of all, choose a storyline that you like. It is better to choose a light theatrical plot and a modern production, so as not to burden yourself with love intrigues lasting 3 hours.
Be open-minded and don't chase big names. Today, contemporary directors create exciting contemporary productions.
The Gocomgo team has collected for you the best, in our opinion, works for your acquaintance with the delightful world of opera.
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