La Vestale
On September 26, 2026, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden will celebrate its first premiere of the season with Gaspare Spontini’s La Vestale, bringing back to the stage a work that is particularly closely linked to the history of the theater. La Vestale marked Gaspare Spontini’s international breakthrough in Paris in 1807. Just a few years later, the work was performed at the Royal Opera Unter den Linden, where Spontini served as the first General Music Director from 1820 to 1841. With its impressive choral scenes and innovative musical language, the opera became a key work of the early 19th century and had a lasting influence on composers such as Hector Berlioz and Richard Wagner.
Carlo Rizzi conducts the Staatskapelle Berlin, with Lydia Steier directing. Sonya Yoncheva takes on the title role, making her debut as Julia. She is joined by David Butt Philip as Licinius, Marina Prudenskaya as La Grande Vestale, Siyabonga Maqungo as Cinna, Adrian Sâmpetrean as Le Souverain Pontife, and Hanseong Yun as Un Consul, as well as the Staatsoper Chorus. The Staatskapelle Berlin provides the accompaniment.
Julia, a Vestal Virgin, defies the vow of chastity imposed upon her and chooses to love the general Licinius. Lydia Steier tells this story as an exploration of authoritarian power structures in which religious, political, and military power are inextricably intertwined. The setting for her production is the historic amphitheater at the Sorbonne in Paris—a place of learning where books become fuel for a regime, thus keeping the religiously charged, stabilizing flame burning. In this way, the production links the ancient story to questions of political and personal freedom, female self-determination, and resistance against authoritarian systems.
For Sonya Yoncheva, the role of Julia fulfills a long-cherished wish. Shortly after the season was announced, she described the role as “one of the roles I have long been looking forward to.” She is particularly fascinated by Spontini’s multifaceted musical language, which combines elements of the classical tradition with Romantic expressiveness. For her, Julia embodies a woman of extraordinary courage who changes her life and follows her own convictions.
The set design was created by Etienne Pluss, who also designed the sets for The Makropulos Case and Samson et Dalila at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden; the costumes were designed by Katharina Schlipf. Valerio Tiberi is responsible for the lighting, and Etienne Guiol developed the video projections. Dani Juris is rehearsing the Staatsoper Chorus. La Vestale is a co-production with the Opéra national de Paris.