Die Entführung aus dem Serail
With rehearsals set to begin in mid-May, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden is turning its attention to the final premiere of the current season: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail will premiere on June 27, 2026, in a new production by Andrea Moses. Thomas Guggeis, General Music Director of Oper Frankfurt, will serve as music director. He began his conducting career largely at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and has maintained close ties to the company for many years. Together with the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Staatsoper Chorus, and a first-rate ensemble of soloists, he will now bring Mozart’s Singspiel to the stage.
With Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Mozart—who was only in his mid-twenties at the time—achieved one of his early major operatic successes in 1782. For the “Singspiel” genre, which was established and vigorously promoted by Emperor Joseph II, he created a work of extraordinary musical expressiveness that already reveals much of the emotional depth, sonic imagination, and characterization that would later come to define his great works, such as Die Zauberflöte.
Director Andrea Moses approaches the work with a particular focus on the themes of external attribution, projection, and cultural identity, which are already embedded in the text and music. Bülent Ceylan plays a special role in this production, appearing on the opera stage both in the speaking role of Bassa Selim and in his capacity as a comedian, providing commentary throughout the evening, including stylistic elements familiar from his stage shows. The texts for the spoken scenes are being reworked in collaboration with Andrea Moses and her team. “The production focuses on depth, relevance, and entertainment,” says Bülent Ceylan.
The vocal roles are performed by Adela Zaharia as Konstanze, Serafina Starke as Blonde, Siyabonga Maqungo as Belmonte, Michael Laurenz as Pedrillo, and David Steffens as Osmin. The set design is by Raimund Bauer, the costumes are by Anja Rabes, the lighting design is by Irene Selka, and the video projections are by Andrea Gabriel. Gerhard Polifka is directing the State Opera Chorus.
The Staatsoper would like to express its sincere gratitude to the friends and patrons of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and its main partners, BMW and the Hilti Foundation, for their support.