Hamlet

"To be or not to be" premiere date: Hamlet, William Shakespeare's early 17th century epochal drama delving deeply into the key questions of human existence, has fascinated audiences for centuries. At Elsinore, Prince Hamlet mourns his deceased father, King Hamlet of Denmark. The funeral is quickly followed by the marriage of his widow Gertrude to Claudius, the king's brother. Hamlet is deeply disturbed by his father's early death and his mother's sudden marriage. At the same time, his father's ghost appears to him. His love for Ophelia is also failing. Hamlet is lost further and further in a world of power games, a thicket of lies, intrigues and insincerities. Brett Dean's setting for this search for meaning and truth by a fragile young man premiered at Glyndebourne in 2017. "A magnificent evening of musical theatre," hailed Die deutsche Bühne, "a masterpiece!" Virtuoso choral passages alternate here with a large ensemble of singers, contributing to a musically imposing experience brought to the stage of the Nationaltheater by the Bayerische Staatsoper in the world premiere production by Neil Armfield and conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, who was also took to the podium at Glynebourne.

Vladimir Jurowski, General Music Director of the Bayerische Staatsoper since the 2021/2022 season, was Music Director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera in England from 2001 to 2013. He returned to Glyndebourne in 2017 to conduct the world premiere of Brett Dean's Hamlet, directed by Neil Armfield. Armfield is artistic director of the Adelaide Festival and co-founder of the Belvoir Theatre in Sydney, where he was also artistic director for 17 years and responsible for more than 50 productions. He has also directed numerous TV films and is the recipient of many awards, including the AFI Award, ATOM Award and twelve Helpmann Awards. He has been an Officer of the Order of Australia since 2007. He has a long working relationship with Australian Ralph Myers. Myers succeeded Armfield as artistic director of Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney from 2011 to 2015, where he hired Simon Stone as resident director and designed numerous sets for him. As a set designer, he has worked internationally with renowned Australian directors in dance, circus, film and opera, including Benedict Andrews and Barrie Kosky. Alice Babidge, costume and set designer for film and television, theatre and opera, is also closely associated with directors Simon Stone, Benedict Andrews and Neil Armfield, working in Australia as well as Europe. She worked with Simon Stone on his Netflix film, The Dig, starring Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan, and with director Justin Kurzel on his film, Nitram, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.