Zurich Opera House tickets 25 May 2025 - An evening of modern ballets "Countertime": Concerto. Mrs. Robinson. Symphonic Dances | GoComGo.com

An evening of modern ballets "Countertime": Concerto. Mrs. Robinson. Symphonic Dances

Zurich Opera House, Zurich, Switzerland
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2 PM 8 PM
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US$ 211

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.

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).

Important Info
Type: Modern Ballet
City: Zurich, Switzerland
Starts at: 14:00

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.

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
Ballet company: Ballett Zürich
Ballet company: Junior Ballett Zurich
Orchestra: Philharmonia Zürich
Conductor: Robert Houssart
Creators
Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich
Composer: Leonard Bernstein
Composer: Terry Davies
Choreographer: Bryan Arias
Choreographer: Cathy Marston
Choreographer: Kenneth MacMillan
Overview

Choreographies by Kenneth MacMillan, Cathy Marston und Bryan Arias

This three-part ballet evening delves into the world of the ‘50s and ‘60s with a wealth of interwoven references. Particularly in the USA, it was an era in which many of the social structures that had become entrenched in convention were broken down.

In Charles Webb’s 1963 novel The Graduate, a recent college graduate from a middle-class family gets involved with the attractive Mrs. Robinson, a married woman who belongs to his parents' circle of friends. But then he falls in love with her daughter, which leads to a scandal. The film adaptation of the book, starring Dustin Hoffman, has long held cult status. In her ballet version of Mrs. Robinson, which premiered in San Francisco in 2022, Cathy Marston tells the story from the perspective of the title character and makes an attempt at rehabilitation. Does Mrs. Robinson’s search for a change from her unfulfilling existence as a housewife end in alcohol, or is there a chance for a new life after all?

For the first time, the Ballett Zürich will dance a piece choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan. Born in Scotland, he was one of the leading choreographers of the 20th century. He directed the Royal Ballet London and the ballet of the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In his 1966 Concerto, set to music from Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 2, he infuses movements of concentrated simplicity with emotion. The pas de deux of the second movement in particular was celebrated as "a piece of pure choreographic poetry".

Leonard Bernstein made musical history with West Side Story, which premiered in 1957. Setting Shakespeare’ Romeo and Juliet in 1950s New York was a stroke of genius. Instead of an old family quarrel, the explosive plot line now revolved around the rivalry between two youth gangs: the American-born Jets against the Sharks, who are immigrants from Puerto Rico. Bernstein later compiled highlights from the musical in the orchestral Symphonic Dances. Bryan Arias grew up in Puerto Rico and New York. His introduction to Bernstein’s music was via the Puerto Rican carnival, and together with the Ballett Zürich he creates a grand "fiesta de la vida y del amor".

Venue Info

Zurich Opera House - Zurich
Location   Sechseläutenplatz 1

Zürich Opera House is a main opera house in Zürich and Switzerland. Located at the Sechseläutenplatz, it has been the home of the Zürich Opera since 1891, and also houses the Bernhard-Theater Zürich. It is also home to the Zürich Ballet. The Opera House also holds concerts by its Philharmonia orchestra, matinees, Lieder evenings and events for children. The Zürich Opera Ball is organised every year in March, and is usually attended by prominent names.

The first permanent theatre, the Aktientheater, was built in 1834 and it became the focus of Richard Wagner’s activities during his period of exile from Germany.

The Aktientheater burnt down in 1890. The new Stadttheater Zürich (municipal theatre) was built by the Viennese architects Fellner & Helmer, who changed their previous design for the theatre in Wiesbaden only slightly. It was opened in 1891. It was the city's main performance space for drama, opera, and musical events until 1925, when it was renamed Opernhaus Zürich and a separate theatre for plays was built: The Bernhard Theater opened in 1941, in May 1981 the Esplanada building was demolished, and the present adjoint building opened on 27/28 December 1984 after three years of transition in the Kaufhaus building nearby Schanzengraben.

By the 1970s, the opera house was badly in need of major renovations; when some considered it not worth restoring, a new theatre was proposed for the site. However, between 1982 and 1984, rebuilding took place but not without huge local opposition which was expressed in street riots. The rebuilt theatre was inaugurated with Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and the world première of Rudolf Kelterborn’s Chekhov opera Der Kirschgarten.

As restored, the theatre is an ornate building with a neo-classical façade of white and grey stone adorned with busts of Weber, Wagner, and Mozart. Additionally, busts of Schiller, Shakespeare, and Goethe are to be found. The auditorium is built in the neo-rococo style and seats approximately 1200 people. During the refurbishment, the issue of sightlines was not adequately addressed. As a result, the theatre has a high number of seats with a limited view, or no view, of the stage. This is unusual in international comparison, where sightlines in historic opera houses have been typically enhanced over time.

Corporate archives and historical library collections are held at the music department of the Predigerkirche Zürich.

The Zürich Opera House is also home of the International Opera Studio (in German: Internationales Opernstudio IOS) which is a educational program for young singers and pianists. The studio was created in 1961 and has renowned artists currently teaching such as Brigitte Fassbaender, Hedwig Fassbender, Andreas Homocki, Rosemary Joshua, Adrian Kelly, Fabio Luisi, Jetske Mijnssen, Ann Murray, Eytan Pessen or Edith Wiens.

Important Info
Type: Modern Ballet
City: Zurich, Switzerland
Starts at: 14:00
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