Hofmannsthal wrote to Strauss in 1911 that the new opera was to ZAUBERFLÖTE as the ROSENKAVALIER was to FIGARO. And indeed, much in this work is reminiscent of Mozart's "grand opera": the encounter between different social classes, the fairytale-like plot charged with high symbolic value, but above all the awareness of an elementary turning point in time that calls the previous order into question. And here, as there, realisation is only achieved through difficult trials ... Conductor: Sir Donald Runnicles; Director: Tobias Kratzer; With David Butt Philip, Jane Archibald, Marina Prudenskaya, Jordan Shanahan, Catherine Foster and others.
About the workAccording to Hugo von Hofmannsthal in a 1911 letter to Richard Strauss, in which he set out his idea for another collaboration between the two men, their next opera would be to THE MAGIC FLUTE what THE KNIGHT OF THE ROSE had been to FIGARO. And the work that premiered a full eight years later did indeed have strong echoes of Mozart’s »grand opéra«: there is the clash of different social classes, the fairytale-like, highly symbolic storyline and above all the strong feeling that ground-breaking change is underway which is challenging accepted orthodoxy and forcing issues of human interaction and values to the top of the political agenda. And in both cases enlightenment is gained only through ordeal and adversity. Here the shadow has a pivotal function as a metaphor for female fertility: the barren Empress and her nurse bargain with the dyer’s wife for her shadow. Only when the Empress rebels against achieving marital happiness and maternal contentment at someone else’s expense does a path to social harmony open up.

About the productionTobias Kratzer has chosen this monumental fantasy opera to close his cycle of Strauss works at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Where ARABELLA explores how hard it can be to even start a relationship based on equal rights and INTERMEZZO depicts what can happen in a marriage that has gone stale, in THE WOMAN WITHOUT A SHADOW Kratzer focuses on the challenge of rekindling a bond that has weakened through years of poor nurturing – an approach that extends far beyond the domestic sphere due to the ethical issues surrounding surrogate motherhood.

Artists/Collaborators: Sir Donald Runnicles (Musikalische Leitung), Tobias Kratzer (Inszenierung), Rainer Sellmaier (Bühne, Kostüme), Olaf Winter (Licht), Jonas Dahl (Video), Manuel Braun (Video), Jörg Königsdorf (Dramaturgie), Christian Lindhorst (Kinderchor), Jeremy Bines (Chöre), David Butt Philip (Der Kaiser), Jane Archibald (Die Kaiserin), Marina Prudenskaya (Die Amme), Patrick Guetti (Der Geisterbote), Hye-Young Moon (Ein Hüter der Schwelle des Tempels), Chance Jonas-O'Toole (Erscheinung eines Jünglings), Nina Solodovnikova (Die Stimme des Falken), Stephanie Wake-Edwards (Eine Stimme von oben), Jordan Shanahan (Barak, der Färber), Catherine Foster (Sein Weib), Philipp Jekal (Der Einäugige), Padraic Rowan (Der Einarmige), Thomas Cilluffo (Der Bucklige), Hye-Young Moon (1. Dienerin), Alexandra Oomens (2. Dienerin), Arianna Manganello (3. Dienerin), Hye-Young Moon (Kinderstimmen / Stimmen der Ungeborenen), Alexandra Oomens (Kinderstimmen / Stimmen der Ungeborenen), Lilit Davtyan (Kinderstimmen / Stimmen der Ungeborenen), Stephanie Wake-Edwards (Kinderstimmen / Stimmen der Ungeborenen), Martina Baroni (Kinderstimmen / Stimmen der Ungeborenen), Arianna Manganello (Kinderstimmen / Stimmen der Ungeborenen), Stephen Marsh (Stimmen der Wächter der Stadt), Kyle Miller (Stimmen der Wächter der Stadt), Geon Kim (Stimmen der Wächter der Stadt), Kinderchor der Deutschen Oper Berlin (Kinderchor), Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin (Chor), Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin (Orchester)

Runtime: Sun, 26/01/2025 to Tue, 11/02/2025

Introduction in German language - 45 mins before beginning

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