Die schweigsame Frau
‘The opera is a direct hit, even if perhaps only in the 21st century,’ said composer Richard Strauss in 1915 during rehearsals for his opera Die schweigsame Frau. In these dark times, he succeeded in creating a work of great compositional virtuosity and relaxed cheerfulness. Since its premiere at the Semperoper in 1935, Die schweigsame Frau has only been performed once in Berlin, at the Komische Oper in the early 1990s.
For the first time, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden is staging Richard Strauss' rarely performed comic opera Die schweigsame Frau – with Christian Thielemann conducting the Staatskapelle Berlin, who is rehearsing this piece for the first time and thus presenting his first new production at the Unter den Linden as general music director. Theatre and opera director Jan Philipp Gloger makes his house debut with this musically complex and scenically eventful opera, which combines entertaining musical theatre with depth of content.
Stefan Zweig wrote the libretto for Die schweigsame Frau in a mutually inspiring collaboration with Richard Strauss – based on a comedy by Ben Jonson from the Shakespeare era. The result is a linguistically outstanding, noticeably differentiated and at the same time humorous text, full of striking characters, tempo and wit, but also of thoughtfulness and seriousness. For Christian Thielemann, the libretto is one of the best texts in a Strauss opera – and the music is on a par with his particularly prominent, frequently performed works.
For his first work at the Staatsoper, Jan Philipp Gloger focuses on two themes in particular: (old age) loneliness and housing shortages – a real problem, especially in Berlin. Sir Morosus, the main character, is portrayed as a socially phobic loner who lives alone in a large old apartment in Charlottenburg. Through his confrontation with a theatre troupe that moves in with him after much confusion, he reconnects with the world and society. Gloger's directorial style is influenced by puppet theatre and the school of Dieter Dorn, combining realism with imagination.
Ben Baur designs a hyper-realistic stage set with a detailed apartment building; Justina Klimczyk's costumes feature many references and allusions – from Rococo to Robert Wilson.
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The title role of Sir Morosus is sung by Peter Rose – a special treat for the British bass, who at 64 is exactly the same age as his character. At his side are Brenda Rae as the ‘silent’ Aminta, Samuel Hasselhorn as the barber Schneidebart and Iris Vermillion as the housekeeper, with Siyabonga Maqungo appearing as nephew Henry Morosus. Other roles are taken on by Serafina Starke (Isotta), Rebecka Wallroth (Carlotta), Dionysios Avgerinos (Morbio), Manuel Winckhler (Vanuzzi) and Friedrich Hamel (Farfallo), all of whom are current or former members of the State Opera's International Opera Studio. The State Opera Chorus sings, rehearsed by Dani Juris. Florian Hurler is responsible for the choreography, while Tobias Krauß and Leonard Wölfl are responsible for lighting and video.
The premiere on 19 July 2025 at 6 p.m. will be broadcast live on rbb radio3.
The Staatsoper would like to express its sincere thanks to the friends and patrons of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden and its main partners BMW and the Hilti Foundation for their support.