Season Preview 2024/25

Richard Strauss composed Die schweigsame Frau (The Silent Woman) in the 1930s based on a libretto by Stefan Zweig, despite the animosity directed against the Jewish writer. The beautiful, very artful and yet inscrutable music of this composer and former general music director at the Staatsoper has influenced the institution for over one hundred years now and will be featured during the coming season in several concerts performed by the Staatskapelle Berlin.
The fascinating beauty that contemporary music can reveal is shown by two works that will be performed in Berlin for the very first time: György Kurtág’s Fin de partie based on the play by Samuel Beckett, an opera by one of the most important composers in recent decades, which premiered just a few years ago, and Bernard Foccroulle’s very topical treatment of the myth of Cassandra, which also explores how humanity treats our planet. These two operas and several new productions of operas from past centuries allow us to engage with relevant issues of our time in a gripping and inspiring way. New this season: a few days before each premiere, we offer the opportunity to briefly visit a rehearsal in the early evening and learn about the conceptual ideas behind the production.
In their presumably first encounter with the art form, we would like to instill in many young people a sense of amazement and fascination for opera as a sophisticated art form. As part of the program Junge Staatsoper (Young State Opera), which has been an important part of our work for many years now, this season we will offer young people the opportunity to experience a contemporary version of Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz, created especially for them, in the unique historic ambience of the main hall. The performance of the Kinderopernhaus will also deal with Weber’s music and be held in the generous space of Probebühne 1. Young people are also welcome to attend the final rehearsal of select concerts of the Staatskapelle Berlin.
The following pages of this season preview offer insights on the star-studded productions of our extensive repertoire, our manifold and rich concert program, several special events, and extensive information all about attending a performance. We hope you enjoy browsing through it and finding the performances you would like to attend. As the new team at the helm of the Staatsoper, we look forward to welcoming you to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden!

He will be conducting at several subscription concerts and special events this season and many outstanding musicians of various generations and backgrounds will fill out the program. In addition to concerts featuring major symphonies from the classical, romantic, and modern periods, the season will also feature additional works from the eighteenth to the twenty-first centuries. We will also be presenting a wide selection of chamber music, with a broad range of styles in performances that allow for a communicative proximity between the performers and the audience, generating a special atmosphere.