The Opernhaus Zürich has announced that it will be changing times for its “Opernhaus für alle” programing due to high temperatures. The company said, “Due to the forecast summer heat this coming weekend, the Zurich Opera House is postponing the starting times of several ‘Opernhaus für alle’ events on Sechseläutenplatz.” The Friday June 26 performance of “Romeo and Juliet” will {…}
(Photo: Herwig Prammer) Richard Wagner wrote the libretto of “Tannhäuser” drawing on medieval German mythology, although its protagonist was probably inspired by a real person who lived in the thirteenth century. Mythology functions as a mechanism of psychological externalization: it takes the abstract, often chaotic dynamics of the human subconscious—our conflicting impulses, fears, and cultural values—and projects them into tangible {…}
First performed in 1846, “La Damnation de Faust” remains one of Hector Berlioz’s most audacious and elusive works: neither fully opera nor oratorio, but a hybrid “dramatic legend” that defies conventional staging and genre. Drawing on Goehte’s “Faust” while filtering the story through Berlioz’s intensely Romantic imagination, the piece moves with feverish speed from pastoral lyricism to infernal spectacle, {…}
(Photo: Toni Suter) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote “La clemenza di Tito” in 1791, the year of his death, to celebrate the coronation of Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor, as King of Bohemia. The libretto, adapted from Metastasio, celebrates the Roman Emperor Tito as a magnanimous and forgiving ruler; this was particularly apt for the enlightened monarch Leopold, who governed through {…}
The Opernhaus Zürich has announced its 2026-27 season. Premiere The season opens with Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte” conducted by Tamo Peltokoski and Erina Yashima. The new production will be directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca and will star Magnus Dietrich, Tobias Kehrer, Regula Mühlemann, Jasmin Delfs, Johan Krogius, Brent Michael Smith, Kathrin Zukowski, Alina Wunderlin, Yannick Debus, Andrew Moore, and Evan Gray. {…}
(Photo: Toni Suter) Ovid’s “Metamorphoses,” written in the first century A.D., profoundly influenced Baroque art in all its forms: literature, the visual arts, and music. It is an epic-style compilation of over 250 Greek and Roman myths centered on transformation, spanning from the creation of the world to the deification of Julius Caesar, all linked by the overarching theme of {…}
Opernhaus Zürich announces its new festival, “Zürich Baroque.” The first edition of “Zürich Baroque” aims to bring together opera productions, concerts, chamber music, family formats and performative projects in a concentrated panorama of historically informed performance practice. Over 10 days, the festival will give the premiere of Jean-Marie Leclair’s “Scylla et Glaucus,” present Handel’s “Giulio Cesare in Egitto” and “Aci, {…}
(Photo: Monika Rittershaus) Paul Hindemith’s “Cardillac” remains one of the most insightful operatic examinations of artistic obsession ever written. Premiered in 1926 amidst the cultural turbulence of the Weimar Republic, this psychological thriller follows a Parisian goldsmith so consumed by his creations that he murders to reclaim them, unable to tolerate his masterpieces in anyone else’s possession. Beyond its surface {…}
(Credit: Gaetan Bally) The Opernhaus Zürich has appointed Lorenzo Viotti as its new General Music Director for the 2028-29 and 2029-30 seasons. The initial contract term is set for two years and is aligned with the current tenure of Artistic Director Matthias Schulz. Viotti will succeed Gianandrea Noseda, who has shaped the orchestra with artistic clarity, passion, and the highest {…}
The New Year is upon us, which means it’s time to look back and reflect at what was and what will remain in our memories. As per usual, OperaWire has compiled the favorite performances of the year from many of our contributors. We won’t keep you waiting, here’s a look at the Staff Picks for the best performances of 2025. {…}
(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 {…}