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 {…}
(Foto: T+T Fotografie / Toni Suter + Tanja Dorendorf) Opernhaus Zürich is set to present oper für alle on July 12 at the Sechseläutenplatz. The company will present “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” live at the open-air stage starting at 17.00 with the opera performance at 19.00. Admission will be free. Additionally, the company will broadcast on the OperaVision platform. “Les Contes {…}
(Photos: Paul Leclaire) Opernhaus Zürich revives its 2021 production of Richard Strauss’s “Salome,” directed by Andreas Homoki. The striking set design by Hartmut Meyer features two massive, crescent-shaped rotating structures—an evident nod to the libretto’s many references to the moon. One of these structures serves as a raked stage representing the terrace of Herod’s palace, while the other hovers above {…}
The Opernhaus Zürich has announced its 2025-26 season. Here is a look at the productions and concerts. Premieres Simon Steen-Andersen and Liliana Nikiteanu lead “Wie du warst! Wie du bist!” Performance Dates: Sept. 20, 2025-July 11, 2026 Diana Damrau, Günther Groissböck, Angela Brower, Bo Skovhus, and Emily Pogorelc star in a new production Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier.” Joana Mallwitz conducts the {…}
The year is at an end. But a new year brings new opera experiences and here at OperaWire, we are pumped for the potential of numerous performances. Here are the 10 productions we are most excited for in the first half of the 2025, in alphabetical order (and each company is limited to a single production on the list). Die {…}
(Photo © Zurich Opera House. All rights reserved.) “She let herself go to the rocking of the melodies and felt herself vibrating with all her being as if the bows of the violins had been walking on her nerves.” -“Madame Bovary,” part II, Chapter XV As Emma Bovary is overwhelmed by “Lucia di Lammermoor,” so too was the audience at {…}
“Andrea Chénier” is the greatest masterpiece of Umberto Giordano, one of the most prominent exponents of Verismo. The plot is based on historical events: poet and scholar André Chénier, who had sympathized with revolutionary ideas, was guillotined in 1794 during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution of 1789. The libretto features a love story between Chénier and Maddalena {…}
(Photo: ) Giuseppe Verdi’s “I vespri siciliani” recounts the story of a historical revolution: the uprising of the Sicilian people against their French rulers in 1282, leading to the liberation of the island from their occupation. The political narrative is intertwined with the personal lives of the main characters. Duchess Elena, whose brother was killed by the French, seeks vengeance {…}
(Photo: Monika Rittershouse) Opernhaus Zürich presents a new production of Claudio Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo.” Premiered in 1607, “L’Orfeo” is not the first opera ever composed, but it is hailed as the first great opera. It stands out as the first to use music as a dramatic tool, employing diverse musical colors to express various emotional states. Its monumental success paved the {…}
Opernhaus Zürich has announced a cast change for its production of Bizet’s “Carmen.” The company said, “Edgaras Montvidas takes over the role of Don José in the ‘Carmen’ performance on Friday, April 19, 2024, replacing Saimir Pirgu.” Montvidas has performed with the Opéra National du Rhin Strasbourg, the Bregenzer Festspiele, the Opernhaus Zürich, Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Teater an {…}
Opernhaus Zürich has announced its 2024-25 season. Premieres Samuel Penderbayne’s “Wir pfeifen auf den Gurkenkönig” will be conducted by Thomas Barthel and Ann-Katrin Stöcker. Claudia Blersch directs the production which will star Liliana Nikiteanu, Sylwia Salamonska, Irène Friedli, Philipp Mayer, Stanislav Vorobyov, Valeriy Murga, Gary Martin, Martin Zysset, Carl Hieger, Christian Sturm, Indyana Schneider, Céline Akçağ, Sylwia Salamonska, and Rebeca {…}