Editorial and overview season 2022/23

Boundless

The unifying slogan of the 2022/23 season is »Uferlos« (Boundless) – a concept that conjures up visions of limitlessness and great freedom. »Uferlos« can also mean »shoreless« in English, evoking the idea of natural phenomena that have burst forth with all their power. However, the idea of not being able to see or reach the shore is also an oppressive vision, a state of being lost or in existential crisis, necessitating the search for support and orientation. The word »Uferlos« is, in any case, ambivalent, and thought-provoking, presenting itself differently depending on the point of view.

In many ways, this concept is reflected in the programme of our new season. Wagner’s »Ring des Nibelungen« offers a boundless scope of interpretation and perspectives. In many ways, it is one of the most significant pillars in opera and poses a unique challenge for every opera house. Dmitri Tcherniakov, who has already directed »Parsifal«, »Tristan und Isolde« and several Russian-language operas at the Staatsoper, will bring this exceptional four-part work to the stage together with his team. The special feature of this version is that it can be experienced as a whole in just one week – a circumstance that requires very early rehearsals and sophisticated logistics. Three »Ring« cycles in autumn 2022 will be followed by another one during the FESTTAGE 2023.

While Richard Wagner expanded new musical horizons during his era and for the future of opera, Antonio Vivaldi and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart did the same in their respective eras, one in the early and the other in the late 18th century. As part of our fifth edition of the BAROCKTAGE, a Vivaldi opera will be performed for the first time Unter den Linden: »Il Giustino«, composed by the baroque grandmaster using the full breadth of his musical inventiveness. »Mitridate, Re di Ponto«, a sophisticated opera seria by the 14-year-old Mozart, composed for the Milan opera house in 1770, is also a tribute to the spirit of its age. René Jacobs and Marc Minkowski are the conductors of these two works, staged and directed by Barbora Horáková and Satoshi Miyagi.

Another premiere is also dedicated to a Mozart seria, »Idomeneo«, staged by David McVicar under the musical direction of Simon Rattle. Here, »Uferlos« takes on a literal meaning as the ocean’s vastness and force are part of the work’s substance and its dramatic story — as well as its endless emotional depths. Richard Strauss’ late opera »Daphne«, like Mozart’s »Idomeneo«, retells a story from Greek mythology about disenfranchisement and transformation. Romeo Castellucci will stage this ancient legend, on which the very first opera works were based, and Thomas Guggeis will conduct. The last premiere of the season is focused on Franz Schubert’s song cycle »Die schöne Müllerin«. This marks the start of a journey undertaken by Musicbanda Franui together with director and puppeteer Nikolaus Habjan and baritone Florian Boesch, discovering the cosmos of the composer’s deeply romantic libretto.

This project is part of our »Linden 21« programme, which represents unusual and experimental works. In addition to »Die schöne Müllerin« on the main stage, other projects in the »Alter Orchesterprobensaal« fit this description under this label. These include the world premieres of Hans Werner Henze’s »La piccola Cubana«, Jürgen Flimm’s operatic evening »Im Nebel Ein Licht« with texts by Botho Strauß and music by Leoš Janáček, and the world premiere of »Robinson«, a chamber opera by Oscar Strasnoy. What’s more, premiere of Georg Friedrich Haas’ »Thomas«.

Our opera repertoire this season ranges from early baroque to the present day, from Monteverdi’s »L’incoronazione di Poppea« to the resumption of Peter Eötvös’ opera ballad »Sleepless« which premiered at the Staatsoper at the end of 2021. There are also works by Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini, Cherubini, Bizet and Saint-Saëns, Wagner, Strauss and Janáček, which run the gamut of tragedy and comedy.

Our concert programme for the new season once again offers eight major subscription concerts in the Staatsoper and Philharmonie, which range from Viennese classical to contemporary music, including works by Beethoven, Berlioz, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Strauss and Rachmaninov, whose 150th birthday we will be celebrating in 2023. We will also be welcoming several conductors who will be working with us for the first time, including Gustavo Gimeno and Tugan Sokhiev, and look forward to great soloists, such as Cecilia Bartoli, Alexandre Kantorow, Nicolas Altstaedt and Sol Gabetta. At the FESTTAGE, Beethoven’s »Missa solemnis« is a true pinnacle of European music, while András Schiff plays piano music by Bach and Beethoven. Zubin Mehta, the honorary conductor of the Staatskapelle Berlin, will conduct the open-air concert of »Staatsoper für alle« on Bebelplatz for the first time. He will also hold the baton on the occasion of Daniel Barenboim’s 80th birthday. The Staatskapelle can also be experienced again in the Pierre Boulez Saal, with two exceptional programs. And with visits to Paris, Vienna and the Far East, the orchestra is once again acting as a cultural ambassador for Berlin this season.

Our chamber concerts are dedicated to Franz Schubert, and some of the recitals and choir concerts also feature his work. The BAROCKTAGE concerts and the series »Preußens Hofmusik« (Prussian Court Music) focus on music by Antonio Vivaldi, following the premiere of »Il Giustino». During this season, the topic of sustainability will play a central role in two events: firstly, the »Klimakonzert« of the Orchester des Wandels (Orchestras of Change) and secondly, the newly established series »Sustainable Listening« in the Apollosaal.

It is important to us to give children and adolescents a platform once again this season, whether through participation or specially targeted performances. The Opernkinderorchester, which was founded in 2018, will be represented this year with its own programme not only in the Staatsoper’s main auditorium but also with performances in Brandenburg, while the ensemble of the Kinderopernhaus Unter den Linden will present a new version of »Sehnsucht.Lohengrin«. There will also be a production of »Robinson« as well as numerous concerts for young people of different age groups, rehearsal visits, workshops and much more.

We are very confident that after the pandemic-related circumstances of the last two years, which have noticeably hampered the rehearsal and presentation operations of the Staatsoper, cultural life can now return to normality — with all the diversity and proverbial »boundlessness« that a large, efficient opera house can offer. We look forward to welcoming you to our new season, which will reunite our audiences with familiar works as well as offering worthwhile discoveries both in operas and concerts.

A warm welcome to the 2022/23 season!

Matthias Schulz, Intendant   
Daniel Barenboim, General Music Director

ROLE DEBUTS

• Rolando Villazón – Loge (DAS RHEINGOLD)
• Vida Miknevičiūtė – Sieglinde (DIE WALKÜRE) / Senta (DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER) /Jenůfa (JENŮFA)
• Peter Rose – Fafner (SIEGFRID)
• Anja Kampe – Brünnhilde (SIEGFRIED und GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG)
• Mika Kares – Hagen (GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG)
• Pene Pati – Mitridate (MITRIDATE, RE DI PONTO)
• Angela Brower – Sifare (MITRIDATE, RE DI PONTO)
• Andrés Moreno García – Tamino (DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE)
• Aida Garifullina – Mimì (LA BOHÈME)
• Iréne Theorin – Die Küsterin Buryjovka (JENŮFA)
• Nicky Spence – Albert Gregor (DIE SACHE MAKROPULOS)
• Marianne Crebassa – Carmen (CARMEN)
• Stanislas de Barbeyrac – Don José (CARMEN) / Erik (DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER)
• René Pape – Peneios (DAPHNE)
• Anna Kissjudit – Gaea (DAPHNE)
• Vera-Lotte Boecker – Daphne (DAPHNE)
• Linard Vrielink – Leukippos (DAPHNE)
• Pavel Černoch – Apollo (DAPHNE)
• Andrew Staples – Idomeneo (IDOMENEO)
• Anna Prohaska – Ilia (IDOMENEO)
• Olga Peretyatko – Elettra (IDOMENEO)
• Ema Nikolovska – Octavian (DER ROSENKAVALIER)
• Vincent Wolfsteiner – Tannhäuser (TANNHÄUSER)
• Gerald Finley – Der Holländer (DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER)
• Stefan Pop – Don Carlo (DON CARLO)
• Lauri Vasar – Jochanaan (SALOME)

CONDUCTORS OPERA AND BALLETT
Ido Arad, Marco Armiliato (house debut), Daniel Barenboim, Karel Mark Chichon (house debut), Paul Connelly, Finnegan Downie Dear (house debut), Peter Eötvös, Thomas Guggeis, Adrian Heger, Alevtina Ioffe, René Jacobs, Axel Kober, Oksana Lyniv, Antonello Manacorda (house debut), Giuseppe Mentuccia, Marc Minkowski, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Maxime Pascal, Matthias Pintscher, Simon Rattle, Max Renne, François-Xavier Roth, Andreas Schett, Giedrė Šlekytė (house debut), Alexander Soddy, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Leonardo Sini (house debut), Jonathan Stockhammer, Anu Tali (house debut), Krzysztof Urbański, Sebastian Weigle, Massimo Zanetti

CONDUCTORS CONCERT
Daniel Barenboim, Finnegan Downie Dear (house debut), Vincent Dumestre, Thomas Dunford, Edward Gardner (house debut), Gustavo Gimeno (house debut), Thomas Guggeis, Cristian Măcelaru (house debut), Gregor A. Mayrhofer, Zubin Mehta, Giuseppe Mentuccia, Marc Minkowski, Dorothee Oberlinger, Kristof Polonek, Petr Popelka (house debut), Simon Rattle, Uwe Sochaczewsky, Tugan Sokhiev (house debut), Vinzenz Weissenburger

DIRECTORS
Percy Adlon, Ruth Berghaus, Anna Bergmann, Pauline Beaulieu (house debut), Andrea Breth, Romeo Castellucci, Dieter Dorn, Eike Gramss, Claus Guth, August Everding, Jürgen Flimm, Nikolaus Habjan (house debut), André Heller, Alvis Hermanis, Philipp Himmelmann, Eva-Maria Höckmayr, Barbora Horáková (house debut), Lindy Hume, Martin Kušej, David McVicar (house debut), Damiano Michieletto, Satoshi Miyagi (house debut), Kornél Mundruczó, Hans Neuenfels, Georg Schütky, Yuval Sharon, Bartlett Sher, Simon Steen-Andersen, Philipp Stölzl, Damián Szifron, Dmitri Tcherniakov

GUEST SINGERS OPERA
Alyona Abramova, Sarah Aristidou, Noa Beinart, Vera-Lotte Boecker (house debut), Adriana Bignagni Lesca, Angela Brower, Marianne Crebassa, Lise Davidsen (house debut opera), Sarah Defrise, Michal Doron, Tara Erraught, Mandy Fredrich, Anett Fritsch, Elīna Garanča, Aida Garifullina, Angela Gheorghiu, Asmik Grigorian, Evelyn Herlitzius, Eve-Maud Hubeaux (house debut), Alexandra Ionis, Anja Kampe, Kataryna Kasper, Christiane Kohl, Magdalena Kožena, Rainelle Krause, Aleksandra Kurzak, Anna Lapkovskaja, Irina Lungu, Claudia Mahnke, Elena Maximova, Liubov Medvedeva, Vida Miknevičiūtė, Latonia Moore (house debut), Ema Nikolovska, Camilla Nylund, Elena Pankratova, Hera Hyesang Park, Olga Peretyatko, Ailyn Pérez, Marlis Petersen, Ewa Płonka (house debut), Anna Prohaska, Anita Rachvelishvili, Helena Rasker, Marina Rebeka (house debut), Serena Sáenz, Hanna Schwarz, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Nadine Sierra, Siobhan Stagg, Kristina Stanek, Elena Stikhina, Iréne Theorin, Olivia Vermeulen, Caroline Wettergreen, Pretty Yende, Sonya Yoncheva, Slavka Zamečnikova

Marcelo Álvarez, Olaf Bär, Stanislas de Barbeyrac (house debut), Paul-Antoine Bénos-Dijan (house debut), Florian Boesch, Spencer Britten, Charles Castronovo, Max Emanuel Cenčić, Pavel Černoch, Graham Clark, Francesco Demuro, Christophe Dumaux, Karl-Michael Ebner, Rupert Enticknap, Andrzej Filończyk (house debut), Gerald Finley, George Gagnidze (House debut), Lucio Gallo, Paul Gay, Brian Jagde (house debut), Robin Johannsen, Mika Kares, Dmitry Korchak, Jochen Kowalski, Johannes Martin Kränzle, Ulf Dirk Mädler, Ivan Magri, Christopher Maltman, Andrea Mastroni, Jaka Mihelač, Žilvinas Miškinis, Edgaras Montvidas (house debut), Maurizio Muraro, Pene Pati, Matthew Peña, George Petean, Stefan Pop, Gabriel Rollinson, Peter Rose, Artur Ruciński, Fabio Sartori, Benno Schachtner, Erwin Schrott, Nikolai Schukoff, Andrè Schuen (house debut), Bo Skovhus, Michael Smallwood, Nicky Spence (house debut), Andrew Staples, David Steffens (house debut), Siobhan Stagg, Ludovic Tézier (house debut), Tómas Tómasson, Freddie De Tommaso, Lauri Vasar, Rolando Villazón, Carlo Vistoli, Gabriele Viviani (house debut), Bogdan Volkov, Michael Volle, Linard Vrielink, Thomas Walker, Nils Wanderer, Robert Watson, Jonathan Winell, Vincent Wolfsteiner

SOLOISTS CONCERT
Martha Argerich, Sarah Aristidou, Cecilia Bartoli, Diana Damrau, Lea Desandre, Sol Gabetta, Katharina Kammerloher, Anna Kissjudit, Clara Nadeshdin, Evelin Novak, Camilla Nylund, Marina Prudenskaya, Victoria Randem, Anna Samuil, Natalia Skrycka, Elena Stikhina, Tanja Tetzlaff, Marie Théoleyre, Diana Tishchenko, Eva Zaïcik

Nicolas Altstaedt, Virgile Ancely, Daniel Barenboim, Benjamin Chamandy, Magnus Dietrich, Martin Grubinger (house debut), Florian Hoffmann, Alexandre Kantorow, Xavier de Maistre, Francesco Manalich, Benoît-Joseph Meier, Fabian Müller (house debut), René Pape, Saimir Pirgu, Kristof Polonek, András Schiff, Michael Spyres, Roman Trekel, Michael Volle, Haochen Zhang (house debut)

GUEST ORCHESTRAS AND ENSEMBLES
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Berliner Barock Solisten, Ensemble Jupiter, Ensemble This | Ensemble That, Le Poème Harmonique, Mecklenburgische Bläserakademie, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Musicbanda Franui, Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca

ENSEMBLE
Katharina Kammerloher, Anna Kissjudit (new since 2022/23), Evelin Novak, Marina Prudenskaya, Adriane Queiroz, Victoria Randem, Anna Samuil, Natalia Skrycka

Florian Hoffmann, Arttu Kataja, Adam Kutny, Siyabonga Maqungo, Jan Martiník, Andrés Moreno García, Gyula Orendt, David Oštrek, René Pape, Stephan Rügamer, Andreas Schager, Grigory Shkarupa, Roman Trekel

INTERNATIONAL OPERASTUDIO
Benjamin Chamandy, Magnus Dietrich, Friedrich Hamel, Regina Koncz, Johan Krogius, Clara Nadeshdin, Carles Pachon, Gefördert von der Liz Mohn Kultur- und Musikstiftung

ADVANCE TICKET SALES
The regular advance ticket sale begins on 12th April 2022 at 12 noon for the RING-cycles and for the FESTTAGE 2023, on 23rd April 2022 at 12 noon for subscriptions 2022/23 and on 14th May 2022 at 12 noon for all opera and concert performances 2022/23. The early pre-sale for members of the Friends, subscribers and holders of the StaatsopernCard begins on 9th April 2022 at 12 noon for the RING-cycles and for the FESTTAGE 2023 and on 7th May 2022 at 12 noon for all opera and concert performances 2022/23. Further information: www.staatsoper-berlin.de.

All performances will take place with protective and hygienic measures in place to contribute to the further containment of coronavirus infection. The applicable hygiene measures in place at any time can be found online at https://www.staatsoper-berlin.de/en/service/hygiene-concept/. Please check for any changes before attending your performance.

MAIN PARTNERS
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden sincerely thanks the Verein der Freunde und Förderer der Staatsoper Unter den Linden and its main partners BMW and the Hilti Foundation for their support.