#BSO2425
Before we start the year 2025, we would like to take a look back with you at the last few months and the highlights at the Bayerische Staatsoper. Together, we will look back on the most beautiful and significant moments of the past year. Let us relive these special memories once again. Enjoy browsing through our review of the year!
#BSOako
After the 2nd Academy Concert in November 2023 with Kent Nagano, the new year began with the third performance under the musical direction of Vladimir Jurowski. With Pascal Deuber on the horn, the Bayerisches Staatsorchester performed works by Gotthard Odermatt and Franz Schubert alongside Mozart's Symphony No. 29 in A major, which many consider to be one of the highlights of his symphonic oeuvre.
#BSOpiquedame
The Bayerische Staatsoper celebrated its first premiere in 2024 with Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky's Pique Dame. The young Uzbek conductor Aziz Shokhakimov made his debut with this new production. Director Benedict Andrews, who last staged Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Così fan tutte in 2022, took over the direction. Asmik Grigorian excelled in the role of Lisa. Brandon Jovanovich took on the role of Hermann, Violeta Urmana the role of the Countess and Boris Pinkhasovich the role of Prince Yeletsky.
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#BSOhongkong
On February 22, the Bayerische Staatsoper opened the 52nd Hong Kong Arts Festival (February 20 - March 24) with a guest performance of Ariade auf Naxos. Under the musical direction of Patrick Lange, Rachel Willis-Sørensen made her role debut as Primadonna | Ariadne and Clay Hilley made his role debut as The Tenor | Bacchus. Brenda Rae took on the role of Zerbinetta, Michael Nagy that of the music teacher. A chamber concert with soloists from the Bayerische Staatsorchester took place in the Hong Kong City Concert Hall.
The Bayerische Staatsorchester was on tour with the Academy Concerts under the direction of Vladimir Jurowski in March and May. The stops included the venues Santander and Madrid in Spain as well as Bologna and Turin in Italy. In Switzerland, the Bayerische Staatsorchester made a stop in Lugano.
#BSOthemed concerts
The theme concert evenings are dialogs between two manifestations of the human urge to explore: on the one hand in the form of lectures from basic research and applied science, and on the other with music at the pulse of its time for chamber ensembles and similar formations. In the 2023/24 season, the new production of Mieczysław Weinberg's opera The Passenger provided an opportunity to present the chamber music works of this composer, who has only been widely recognized for a decade and a half. The Bayerische Staatsoper has increasingly devoted itself to the subject of the culture of remembrance since the research project “How one becomes what one is” - it is more topical than ever. Various disciplines from Brainlab's wide-ranging scientific network approached this complex of questions of reminiscent responsibility, human memory and its strategies for surviving existential crises in lectures. The music brought the personality of the Soviet composer of Polish-Jewish origin to life, in correspondence with a work by his friend and patron Dmitri Shostakovich and a central composition by the American minimal music pioneer Steve Reich; the event opened with a concert performance of the chamber opera Lady Magnesia, a black comedy based on a text by George Bernard Shaw.
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#BSOthepassenger
With Mieczysław Weinberg's Die Passagierin Tobias Kratzer staged his first opera on the stage of the Nationaltheater. The two-act opera was composed in 1968, Weinberg's parents and sister perished in the Trawniki concentration camp. The libretto was based on the story by Zofia Posmysz. She was a Polish resistance fighter, editor and author. She was interned in Auschwitz from 1942-1945 and was liberated in the Neustadt-Glewe concentration camp. Posmysz, who was involved in several memorial and educational institutions until the end, died in a hospice in Oświęcim in 2022, just two weeks before her 99th birthday. The new Munich production was the first production since her death.
In 2024, Die Passagierin won the critics' poll in the “Performance of the Year” category of the journal Opernwelt.
#BSOako
In the 4th Academy Concert, GMD Vladimir Jurowski presented three works that are rarely performed despite the fame of their composers. There is, for example, Arnold Schönberg, who is notorious for being a twelve-tone composer, with a real curiosity: a film score without film. In his only piece for the then still young, but all the more important genre, he uses stylistic devices that are still used in today's Hollywood films, but in his own compositional technique. Ottorino Respighi, who brought Italian music back to world fame in the symphonic genre at the beginning of the 20th century and whose “Pines of Rome” and “Roman Fountains” cycles were enchanting, came into his own here with a rarity. Respighi was inspired by the Gregorian chants of the Roman Catholic liturgy to write a beautiful violin concerto, which was played in the Academy concert by one of the best violinists of our time: Frank Peter Zimmermann. After the interval, the great symphonist Johannes Brahms, before he became a great symphonist. Brahms had avoided the symphony for years, even decades, because Beethoven's example seemed so overpowering, and instead drew ever closer to this genre in concentric circles. The first Serenade, which is indeed symphonic in scale but multifaceted in character, from playfully light to serious and sublime, is a work that is heard far too rarely and leaves a deep impression.
#BSOako
Her debut in the Bayerische Staatsorchesters Academy Concerts planned for 2020 had to be canceled due to the pandemic-related restrictions. In 2023/2024, Joana Mallwitz made up for the date with the 5th Academy Concert and a new program. In addition to Mozart's Symphony No. 36 in C major, the audience enjoyed Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 in B minor.
#BSOlucrezia_mond
The new production by the Bayerische Staatsopers Opera Studio combined two operas from the 1930s, Ottorino Respighi's Lucrezia and Carl Orff's Der Mond, both in reduced versions; Lucrezia is arranged for a smaller orchestra by Richard Whilds, Der Mond by Takénori Némoto. The Bayerisches Staatsorchester was conducted by Ustina Dubitsky, a former member of the Bayerische Staatsoper Children's Choir, who was making her debut as a conductor at the opera house. The production was directed by Tamara Trunova, a young Ukrainian director from Kiev, whose work in recent years has dealt intensively with the subject of war, its dynamics and consequences for societies and individuals. At the heart of her interpretation of the two operas, which take us to the core of human coexistence and social (dis)order, is the theme of deficit and lack, which leads to robbery. In Lucrezia, man robs man, in the “small world theater” Der Mond, man robs an entire world. Her reinterpretation of Der Mond was the third time the work had been staged at the Bayerische Staatsoper, following its premiere in 1939 and a new production in 1958.
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#BSBtriplebill
Spring was full of dance in Munich! From April 12 to 20, 2024, the Bayerisches Staatsballett presented premieres, guest performances and the highlights of the current season at the Ballet Festival Week. A firm fixture in the festival calendar since 1960 and the dance counterpart to the Munich Opera Festival.
The Ballet Festival Week opened on April 12, 2024 with the premiere of the triple bill evening Duato / Skeels / Eyal. Sharon Eyal's Autodance could be seen for the first time in Munich, while Nacho Duato's White Darkness was danced by the Bayerisches Staatsballett for the first time in Munich. Canadian Andrew Skeels celebrated his debut with the Staatsballett and created a world premiere for the ensemble. Peeping Tom was the first time that experts in the field of physical theater could be seen at the Munich Nationatheater. The Belgian company presented their three-part work Triptych, which consists of the pieces The missing door,The lost room and The hidden floor, on two evenings. The program was complemented by current works from the repertoire, such as Onegin (John Cranko), Tchaikovsky Overtures (Alexei Ratmansky), Le Parc (Angelin Preljocaj) and La Bayadère (Patrice Bart).
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#BSOtosca
Following his much-discussed interpretation of Lohengrin, the team led by Hungarian film and theater director Kornél Mundruczó has now staged a new take on Tosca at the Bayerische Staatsoper. Mundruczó's productions are shown at major festivals and stages around the world. Together with his team (including set and costume designer Monika Pormale and lighting designer Felice Ross), he has dedicated himself to an Italian opera for the first time. The musical director was the young Italian conductor Andrea Battistoni, who has already caused a sensation at the Nationaltheater in performances of Verdi, Puccini and Bellini operas. Eleonora Buratto made her role debut in the title role, Charles Castronovo also made his role debut in the role of Mario Cavaradossi. Ludovic Tézier took on the role of Baron Scarpia.
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#BSOako
In May, General Music Director Vladimir Jurowski was once again on the podium at the Academy Concerts. He presented an evening of last works. Ludwig van Beethoven's last completed piano concerto, Emperor, opened the evening, before Robert Schumann's Rhenish Symphony provided the crowning finale.
#BSOfestival
The tradition of the Munich Opera Festival dates back to 1875, when a “Festive Summer” was organized for the first time. This tradition continues under the directorship of Serge Dorny. The Munich Opera Festival 2024 presented the new productions of the season, which are based on the guiding principle “A fountain that looks to the sky”. The two opera premieres of the Munich Opera Festival, Le Grand Macabre by György Ligeti and Pelléas et Mélisande by Claude Debussy, presented contemporary opera and a masterpiece of musical impressionism. One focus of the Munich Opera Festival 2024 was on works by Giacomo Puccini and Richard Wagner. The program included four works by the two composers, which are also important operas in the repertoire: Giacomo Puccini's Tosca and La fanciulla del West were shown alongside Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser and Parsifal. Numerous chamber concerts and recitals rounded off the program. The ballet evening Sphären.02 | Preljocaj also celebrated its premiere during the Munich Opera Festival with contemporary ballets by choreographers of the younger generation and Angelin Preljocaj. The Bayerisches Staatsballett also revived the two new productions of the season, Le Parc by Angelin Preljocaj and an evening created by Nacho Duato, Andrew Skeels and Sharon Eyal.
#BSOgrandmacabre
The team around director Krzysztof Warlikowski has been working together successfully for many years, which has taken them to all the major opera houses in Europe, including several productions at the Bayerische Staatsoper. The team last staged Dido and Aneas ... Erwartung in the same constellation in 2023. Expectation on stage. Le Grand Macabre was the eighth production at the Nationaltheater after Tristan und Isolde, Salome, Die Frau ohne Schatten, Die Gezeichneten, Eugene Onegin and Kabaret Warszawski. Małgorzata Szczęśniak again designed the stage and costumes for Le Grand Macabre, as she has done for all of Warlikowski's productions since 1992. Felice Ross has been responsible for the lighting design for the team's opera productions for over 20 years. Kamil Polak, who was awarded an Oscar in the “Animated Short Film” category in 2008, designed the videos. The dancer and actor Claude Bardouil was responsible for the choreography and Christian Longchamp for the dramaturgy. Kent Nagano, former General Music Director of the Bayerische Staatsoper, was responsible for the musical direction.
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#apollonstufenbar
Like every year, summer in Munich had an oasis. The oasis had steps, nestled in ancient surroundings - a lush garden of liquid delights. There were also sounds and music, DJs and musicians.
This year, the “Apollon Stufenbar” took place from June 20 to July 31, 2024.
To the Apollon Stufenbar
#BSOforthedrama
ARD Kultur's mini-series “For the Drama” celebrated its premiere on June 20. It tells the story of a relationship crisis between two fictional members of the Bayerische Staatsoper ensemble. “For the Drama” was filmed during rehearsals for Barrie Kosky's new production of Johann Strauss' operetta Die Fledermaus. The three-part series starring Marie Nasemann, Eidin Jalali, Vivien König and Wilson Gonzalez Ochsenknecht can be seen in the ARD Mediathek and on ardkultur.de.
Since May 2021, the Bayerische Staatsoper has been documenting its excellence, versatility and tradition with its own label: Bayerische Staatsoper Recordings.
Discover selected opera productions and concert recordings from this year!
#BSOpelleasetmelisande
Dutch director Jetske Mijnssen stages productions at opera houses throughout Europe. Her work focuses on the psychological penetration of the characters, based on an intensive study of the music. Her most recent productions include Idomeneo, Orlando paladino (Joseph Haydn) and Hippolyte et Aricie (Jean-Philippe Rameau) at Zurich Opera House, Eugen Onegin and Don Carlo at Graz Opera, L'Orfeo (Claudio Monteverdi) at Kongelige Opera Copenhagen, Katja Kabanowa at Komische Oper Berlin and Maria Stuarda (Gaetano Donizetti) at De Nederlandse Opera Amsterdam. She has a long-standing collaboration with the stage and costume designer Ben Baur. Musical director Hannu Lintu, chief conductor of the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki and the Orquestra Gulbenkian in Lisbon, made his debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper with Pelléas et Mélisande.
Dutch director Jetske Mijnssen staged Claude Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande for the first time at the Bayerische Staatsoper. The musical director was Hannu Lintu, chief conductor of the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki and the Orquestra Gulbenkian in Lisbon, who was also making his debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper. Ben Bliss, Sabine Devieilhe and Christian Gerhaher took on the main roles.
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#BSBspheres
In the Spheres series, ballet director Laurent Hilaire focuses on the younger generation of dance makers. The aim is to track down connections within a choreographic “sphere” and derive elements of a possible dance language of the future. The performances at the Cuvilliéstheater enjoy great popularity and demonstrate the broad spectrum of artistic styles with which ballet is created today. Narrative, abstract, improvised, classical and performance art elements are used and show the direction in which ballet could develop. This year's edition #02 in the 2023/24 season was curated by Angelin Preljocaj.
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#BSOofa
The Bayerische Staatsoper and its global partner BMW invited: Opera for All took place as part of the Munich Opera Festival on July 27, 2024 on Max-Joseph-Platz in the heart of Munich. The performance at the Nationaltheater, Giacomo Puccini's Tosca in a production by Kornél Mundruczó, was broadcast live to Max-Joseph-Platz and living rooms. Andrea Battistoni, who made his debut at the Bavarian State Opera in 2016 with La Traviata, conducted the new production. Eleonora Buratto, Jonas Kaufmann and Ludovic Tézier excelled in the roles of Floria Tosca, Mario Cavaradossi and Baron Scarpia.
#BSOofa #bmwoperanext #unicredit4people
To kick off the new season, the Opera for All concert took place on Friday, September 20, 2024 - with free admission once again in 2024 thanks to Global Partner BMW and Co-Partner HypoVereinsbank - Member of UniCredit. This time, the Bayerische Staatsorchester was a guest at the Passionstheater Oberammergau. Ivan Repušić conducted, with Aigul Akhmetshina (mezzo-soprano) and Piotr Beczała (tenor) singing.
On Saturday, September 21, the front building of the Nationaltheater and the plaza of the FÜNF HÖFE were transformed into an agora. There were flash mobs, small concerts and performances to take part in, a children's program, exhibitions, talks and information for anyone interested in the various art forms of the Bayerische Staatsoper: a public ballet training session, a look behind the scenes, stories from behind the scenes, artists to talk to and a jazz session in the foyer to round things off.
On Sunday, September 22, the focus was on backstage tours of the Nationaltheater. On both days of the weekend, there were short opera and ballet performances for children and adults on the stage of the Nationaltheater and in the Cuvilliés Theater at the exclusive UniCredit Septemberfest price.
#BSOoperaawards
The International Opera Awards are regarded as the Oscars of the opera world and celebrate opera talent from all over the world. In 2023, the Bayerische Staatsoper received the prestigious Opera Company of the Year award and the New Production Award for its production of Sergei S. Prokofiev's War and Peace. The 2024 International Opera Award ceremony took place at the Prinzregententheater in Munich. The ceremony features performances by stars of the opera world as well as singers from the Bayerische Staatsoper opera studio - supported by the multi-award-winning Bayerisches Staatsorchester, one of the oldest orchestras in the world.
With Das Rheingold, Tobias Kratzer began his new production of Wagner's Ring Gesamtkunstwerk, the four evenings of which will premiere over three seasons. While Wagner's reception in recent decades has tended to emphasize the human qualities of the gods and the entire Ring of the Nibelung has often served as a foil for biting criticism of capitalism, the future artistic director of the Hamburger Staatsoper was primarily interested in the motif of faith and its significance for today's society. After all, gods and goddesses currently lead a rather niche existence. There will be three more performances in July 2025.
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#BSOkleiner30
Since the end of October, in addition to discounted tickets for selected performances, we have been offering a wide range of offers for all <30, aimed at newcomers as well as our already loyal visitors. Various formats are aimed specifically at young visitors: Open Stage (stage for young artists), Open Night (joint finale to a performance), Open Mind (experimental performances/interpretations) and Open Labs (artistic workshops once a week).
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#BSOkindco
WYLD delved into the chaotic world of emotions and explored the highs and lows of the emotional rollercoaster we find ourselves on throughout our lives. Music, song and movement expressed what we feel when words are no longer enough. The languages on stage were as varied as the emotions: music with German, English and Italian lyrics - and fantasy language for the main character Equinox. When developing the play, the aim was to be very close to the ideas and perspectives of young people: In workshops with Munich children and young people between the ages of ten and fourteen, small texts, sound collages, voice recordings, swear word lists, ideas for costumes and stage design were created to form the basis of this opera. Intense, crazy, exciting, in other words: wyld!
#BSOako
General Music Director Vladimir Jurowski opens the Academy concert season with an explosive combination. Arnold Schönberg's “Orchestral piece with speaker and male choir” entitled A Survivor from Warsaw is one of the composer's most profoundly direct and confessional artistic statements.
La Sylphide is considered the romantic ballet classic par excellence. This two-act work by Filippo Taglioni, in which the dancers embodied the illusion of weightlessness as aerial spirits, not only marked the breakthrough of pointe dance in the 1830s; together with the white tutus of the ghostly creatures, it created an image of this art form that is still emblematic of classical dance today. In 1972, Pierre Lacotte, who died in 2023, staged his reconstruction of the work at the Paris Opera. In order to come as close as possible to the traditional Romantic ideals and the style of Filippo Taglioni, the choreographic “inventor” of Sylphide, Lacotte studied historical images and records intensively. Lacotte's version differs from August Bournonville's version, which is better known today and which was performed by the Bayerisches Staatsballett until the 1990s, in that its movement language is influenced by the French school. In addition, Lacotte's version is musically based on the original score by Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer.
The set design by Pierre Ciceri was created for the Bayerisches Staatsballett under the direction of Andrea Hajek and produced in the workshops of the Bayerische Staatsoper. The costumes were also made in the workshops of the Bayerische Staatsoper.
#BSOako
Following a long-standing tradition, members of the Bayerische Staatsorchester introduce themselves to their audiences as soloists in the Academy Concerts. At the 2nd Academy Concert, it was the turn of Emanuel Graf, who has been principal cellist here since 2015. He performed Antonín Dvořák's Cello Concerto, one of the most important solo works for this instrument. In addition, the young Polish conductor Krzysztof Urbański dedicated himself to Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps.
Shortly before Christmas, the Bayerische Staatsoper celebrated the last premiere of 2024 with Gaetano Donizetti's La Fille du régiment. After almost 90 years, the charming, comic and touching story of Marie returned to the stage of the Nationaltheater. Following his debut production of Aida in the 2022-23 season, director Damiano Michieletto took on a new production at the Bayerische Staatsoper for the second time. The musical direction was in the hands of Stefano Montanari, with Xabier Anduaga, Misha Kiria, Sunnyi Melles, Dorothea Röschmann and Pretty Yende in the main roles.
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Orchestra of the year - Critics' survey by magazine Opernwelt
Show of the year - Critics' survey by magazine Opernwelt
DVD/Blu-ray of the Month - Gramophone Magazine
DVD/Blu-ray of the Year - Presto Recordings of the Year
Singer of the year - Opus Klassik
