in these uncertain times, we often hear about social division, opposition and conflict. Difficult times for music theater? On the contrary!
We need to flood our world with empathy! And what art form would be more suitable for this than musical theater?
While sitting in the auditorium, we can empathize with people on stage who are different from us, who have different thoughts and feelings, who live differently. For this we need you, our loyal audience. Together with you, we can laugh, cry, dream and reflect night after night. We invite you to do the same with us at the Volksoper in the coming season.
Lotte de Beer
Season 2024/25
In 2024/25, our repertoire includes eleven premieres, one revival production and eighteen repertoire works, once again showcasing the full diversity of musical theater.
Freedom is one of the central themes in Georges Bizet's Carmen. In Le nozze di Figaro, a young Mozart ensemble explores the themes of sex and power from different perspectives. These two opera classics, directed by Lotte de Beer and under the musical direction of Ben Glassberg, are accompanied by the world premiere of Alma by Ella Milch-Sheriff. In Ruth Brauer-Kvam's production, the Israeli composer's opera focuses on a little-noticed aspect of Alma Mahler-Werfel's life: Alma as a mother.
Singspiel, operetta or revue - Ralph Benatzky's Im weißen Rössl (The White Horse Inn), which premiered in 1930, is all of these - and in Jan Philipp Gloger's production it is also a political satire about tourism and over-tourism. In contrast, Emmerich Kálmán's Die Csárdásfürstin (The Csárdás Princess), which premiered just 15 years earlier, reflects the "Great War" and the approaching end of the monarchy.
The protagonists in Stephen Sondheim's musical Follies, directed by Martin G. Berger, take a nostalgic look back at their great stage successes. Ruth Brauer-Kvam, on the other hand, will rehearse a jewel of the musical repertoire: My Fair Lady. Together with a wonderful ensemble, she will make the legendary production from 1979 shine in new, old splendor.
Under the title KaiserRequiem, conductor Omer Meir Wellber has created an interweaving of Viktor Ullmann's Emperor of Atlantis, written in Theresienstadt, with Mozart's Requiem. Andreas Heise stages a touching world-theater with soloists, the choir and orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper and dancers from the Vienna State Ballet. Every farewell is also a new beginning: for his last premiere as director of the Vienna State Ballet, Martin Schläpfer chose three choreographers of the younger generation - Alessandra Corti, Louis Stiens and Martin Chaix - to present their Kreationen (Creations) to Viennese audiences for the first time.
Almost 24% of visitors to the Volksoper are under 30 years old. All the more reason to enrich the program of the Junge Volksoper with three premieres. With chansons by Jaques Brel, Johanna Arrouas tells a story about the reconciliation of two rival gangs in Der Krieg der Knöpfe (The War of the Buttons). Nurejews Hund (Nureyev's Dog) has a mysterious talent. Florian Hurler tells of this in a touching piece by Peter te Nuyl with a musical arrangement by Keren Kagarlitsky. The second generation of singers is already growing up in the Volksoper's opera studio and presents itself to the (young) audience for the first time in the Austrian premiere of Jonathan Dove's Das verzauberte Schwein (The Enchanted Pig).
The printed season preview is available for € 3.50 at the Bundestheater box offices in the opera foyer, at the box office of the Volksoper Wien or by ordering by e-mail to: marketing@volksoper.at (shipping plus postage costs)
