Baroque Days 2026 at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden: The festival returns with Cecilia Bartoli, Rolando Villazón, Vera-Lotte Boecker, Anna Prohaska and other renowned artists

Press release of 13 October 2026

From 7 to 27 November 2026, the Barocktage will take place once again at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, under the artistic direction of Elisabeth Sobotka for the first time. The festival offers a varied programme of opera and concerts, ranging from the early days of opera to Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, a work that marks the transition from the Baroque to the Classical period. Highlights include Stefan Herheim’s new production of Francesco Cavalli’s La Calisto with Vera-Lotte Boecker in the title role, Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice with Cecilia Bartoli, and revivals of Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea with Anna Prohaska and Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas, directed by Sasha Waltz. The festival will open with Rolando Villazón, Christina Pluhar and their ensemble L’Arpeggiata performing 17th-century Italian music.

The opening concert, Combattimento – Love that Leads to Death, explores the various facets of love, passion and loss. Scenes from Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda are complemented by other works from the Italian Baroque period. Christina Pluhar performs with her ensemble L’Arpeggiata, alongside the singers Rolando Villazón, Céline Scheen, Luciana Mancini and Renato Dolcini.

A new production by Stefan Herheim of Francesco Cavalli’s La Calisto is set to premiere. In an aesthetic he describes as ‘Baroque science fiction’, he emphasises both the serious and the comic aspects of the work, which represents a high point of Venetian Baroque opera. The music is performed by the Ensemble L’Arpeggiata and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, conducted by Christina Pluhar. Alongside Vera-Lotte Boecker in the title role, the cast includes Milan Siljanov, Giuseppina Bridelli and Luciana Mancini, amongst others. The performance is a co-production with the MusikTheater an der Wien.

In Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Cecilia Bartoli takes on the role of Orfeo, who journeys to the underworld in search of his deceased beloved. The semi-staged performance of the 1769 Parma version is conducted by Gianluca Capuano, with Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco and the choir Il Canto di Orfeo. Mélissa Petit sings the roles of Euridice and Amore.

Claudio Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea takes us to the Roman imperial court, where the pursuit of power, intrigue and passion drive the action. In Eva-Maria Höckmayr’s production, Anna Prohaska plays the ambitious Poppea, Raffaele Pe takes on the role of Nerone, and the cast also includes Carlo Vistoli and Anna Kissjudit, amongst others. Diego Fasolis conducts the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.

The Baroque Days draw to a close with Henry Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas in the legendary production and choreography by Sasha Waltz. The tragic love story between Dido and Aeneas blends opera with contemporary dance. Natalia Skrycka and Gyula Orendt take on the title roles, whilst the Vocalconsort Berlin and dancers from the Compagnie Sasha Waltz & Guests will also be appearing on stage. The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin will be performing under the musical direction of Christopher Moulds.

Three concerts at the Apollosaal – all of which are already sold out – round off the festival: Lamento mirabile with Roberta Mameli and members of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Monteverdi a solo with Raffaele Pe and the ensemble La Lira di Orfeo, and Wonder Women with Luciana Mancini, Christina Pluhar and L’Arpeggiata. The latter is dedicated to works by 17th-century female composers, including Barbara Strozzi and Francesca Caccini. In addition, an edition of the Apollo Salon enriches the Baroque Days: under the title ‘Aria and Response’, local poets meet singers from the International Opera Studio and combine slam poetry with arias from Baroque operas.

Events at the Baroque Days 2026

Opening concert: Combattimento – Love that leads to death
7 November 2026 at 8.00 pm | Staatsoper Unter den Linden
Click here to visit the event page.

La Calisto
Premiere on Sunday, 8 November 2026 at 6.00 pm | Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin
Further performances on 13, 15, 18 and 21 November 2026
An introduction to the opera will take place in the Apollosaal 45 minutes before the start of each performance.
Click here to visit the event page.
On 5 November at 6.30 pm, the dramaturgy team and members of the production team will provide an insight into the new production. You can find more information about this event here.

Apollo Salon III
8 November 2026 at 11.00 am | Apollosaal
Click here to go to the event page.

Lamento mirabile
12 and 14 November 2026 | Staatsoper Unter den Linden | Sold out; any remaining tickets may be available at the box office
Click here to go to the event page.
An introduction to the work will take place 45 minutes before the start of each performance in the Apollosaal.

Wonder Woman
17 November 2026 at 8.00 pm | Apollosaal | Sold out; any remaining tickets may be available at the box office
Click here to go to the event page.

L’incoronazione di Poppea
20, 22, 24 and 26 November 2026 | Staatsoper Unter den Linden
Click here to go to the event page.
An introduction to the opera will take place 45 minutes before the start of each performance in the Apollosaal.

Dido & Aeneas
25 and 27 November 2026 | Staatsoper Unter den Linden | Only a few tickets left
Click here to go to the event page.
An introduction to the opera will take place in the Apollosaal 45 minutes before the start of each performance.
The full programme for the Baroque Days 2026 can be found here.

Please send requests for press passes, stating the nature of your editorial assignment, to pressoffice@staatsoper-berlin.de.

The Staatsoper Unter den Linden would like to thank the Friends and Patrons of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Board of Trustees of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and its main partner, BMW, for their support.