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Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opernhaus Zürich 2025-26 Review: La Forza Del Destino

https://operawire.com/opernhaus-zurich-2025-26-review-la-forza-del-destino/

(Credit: Monika Rittershaus) “La Forza del Destino” has always been considered a transitional work in Giuseppe Verdi’s output, bridging the purely romantic operas of his early period and the mature works where his musical language became more dramatic, direct, and personal. It was composed on a commission from the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, where it premiered in 1862. The {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opernhaus Zürich 2025-26 Review: Manon

https://operawire.com/opernhaus-zurich-2025-26-review-manon/

(Photo: Antoine François Prévost’s novel, “The Story of the Chevalier des Grieux and Manon Lescaut,” was published in France in 1731 to great success. Its scandalous subject matter—featuring protagonists who live together out of wedlock, a Manon obsessed with greed to the point of prostitution, and a des Grieux who cheats at cards for money, with both ultimately landing in {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opernhaus Zürich 2025-26 Review: La Scala di Seta

https://operawire.com/opernhaus-zurich-2025-26-review-la-scala-di-seta/

At the beginning of the 19th century, a small Venetian theatre called San Moisè was dedicated to the genre of the “farsa”—short, semi-serious one-act operas performed by a small company of six or seven singers, without a chorus, and accompanied by a modest orchestra. The barely twenty-year-old Gioachino Rossini found this environment ideal for honing his compositional skills and establishing {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opernhaus Zürich 2025-26 Review: Der Rosenkavalier

https://operawire.com/opernhaus-zurich-2025-26-review-der-rosenkavalier/

On Sept. 21, 2025, the Opernhaus Zürich opened the 2025-26 season with a new production of “Der Rosenkavalier.” The season opening was the start of General Director Mattias Schulz’s tenure, and based on this premiere, it is a great start. Fantasy World  The production by Lydia Steier is a confection of colorful sets that mix time periods and wild fantastical {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opernhaus Zürich 2024-25 Review: Elias

https://operawire.com/opernhaus-zurich-2024-25-review-elias/

(Photo: Monika Rittershaus) After thirteen years as artistic director at the Zurich Opera House, Andreas Homoki leaves his post to Matthias Schulz and presents his last production in Zurich: a staged performance of Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elias.” Mendelssohn wrote the oratorio in 1846, in a style reminiscent of Baroque oratorios, with Bach and Handel as its clear inspirations. The music blends Baroque and classical polyphony {…}

News

Young Talent Takes on ‘La Bohème’ at Shangyin Opera House

https://operawire.com/young-talent-takes-on-la-boheme-at-shangyin-opera-house/

Puccini’s “La Bohème” captures the joys and sorrows of young artists, following the love stories of two bohemian couples. In an inspired move, the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Shangyin Opera House will present a production featuring performers close in age to the characters they portray. On April 17–18, 2025, the Shangyin Opera House—an experimental theatre affiliated with the Conservatory—will {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opernhaus Zürich 2024-25 Review: Agrippina

https://operawire.com/opernhaus-zurich-2024-25-review-agrippina/

(Foto: Monika Rittershaus / Courtesy of Opernhaus Zürich) George Frideric Händel composed “Agrippina” during his Italian tour, a work that marked a pivotal moment in his career. It solidified his grasp of Italian opera, represented his first genuine operatic triumph, and remains the earliest of his operas for which the complete score has survived intact. The libretto, written by Cardinal {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Opernhaus Zürich 2024-25 Review: Manon Lescaut

https://operawire.com/opernhaus-zurich-2024-25-review-manon-lescaut/

“Manon Lescaut,” the third opera composed by Giacomo Puccini, marked his first true success, particularly with audiences, though critics raised some mild objections. It is widely regarded as the Maestro’s first mature work, showcasing a distinctive personal style that would continue to evolve in his later compositions. A Troublesome Libretto Based on the 1731 French novel by Abbé Prévost, the {…}