As an endless source of inspiration, Ovid’s Metamorphoses have left a lasting mark on our culture for over two thousand years. Combining some of its episodes with music by Antonio Vivaldi, Stage Director Barrie Kosky creates a pasticcio for our times, a fascinating new work of rich imagination and breathless narratives. With a leading cast of singers assembled by Cecilia Bartoli, and with the participation of actor Angela Winkler, Hotel Metamorphosis stands out as “a panopticon of human emotions”. Vivaldi expert Gianluca Capuano conducts Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco, presenting a unique variety of Vivaldi’s arias, ensembles and choruses, music with a particularly powerful emotional charge. “What a brilliant evening of theatre.” (BR Klassik) / “Checking into this hotel guarantees a luxury stay.” (Kurier) / “…the musical Champions League.” (Deutschlandfunk Kultur)
Giulio Cesare in Egitto
Handel’s Baroque opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto unfolds here as a high-stakes drama of power, passion and survival. Dmitri Tcherniakov’s powerful production strips the story to its psychological core, placing political rivalry and a fiery love story within the claustrophobic setting of an underground bunker. Christophe Dumaux delivers a compelling Cesare, while Olga Kulchynska shines as a “lyrical” Cleopatra in her Salzburg debut. With a superb supporting cast, above all Lucile Richardot as Cornelia “with her smouldering mezzo” (BR Klassik) and Federico Fiorio as Sesto, Emmanuelle Haïm conducts Le Concert d’Astrée from the harpsichord, shaping “a perfect whole” (Kurier) of musical brilliance and electrifying theatre.
Nabucco
With a spectacular cast and the staging direction of Stefano Poda, this production of Verdi’s Nabucco presents the Arena di Verona in a postmodern aesthetic brought to light through a futuristic vision, cosmic symbolism and absolute abstraction. Anna Netrebko gifts the festival’s audience with a powerful interpretation of one of Verdi’s most demanding roles: her Abigaille is “beautiful, vivacious, magnetic” (La Stampa) and “tackles this formidable challenge with great confidence” (Rivista Musica). Amartuvshin Enkhbat is “a marvellous performer of Nabucco, deeply moving” (Forum Opera). “Pinchas Steinberg conducts the choir and orchestra of the Arena di Verona with verve, power, brio and fire” (Der Merker), a magnificent performance that culminated in a rendition of “Va’ pensiero” brimming with pathos and intensity.
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Wagner defined Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg as the most complete work that he had ever created. The Bayreuth Festival 2025 presents the comedy in a new production staged by Matthias Davids, whose playful irreverence stands between tradition and renewal. Under the exceptional baton of Daniele Gatti, who debuted in Bayreuth in 2008 with Parsifal, the cast showcases its brilliancy and finesse. Georg Zeppenfeld, at the core of the performance, interprets Hans Sachs with excellent vocal skills and particular sensibility. Equally remarkable performances are given by Michael Spyres and Christina Nilsson, respectively Walther and Eva, and Michael Nagy as a finely drawn Beckmesser. The result is a compelling piece of music theatre: “A comedy of manners where themes of art, tradition and human love arise naturally” (Seen and Heard International).Michael Spyres “has everything a Stolzing needs: he is effortlessly present, sounds light yet embodied in the upper register, a German knight with italianità.” (BR-KLASSIK)
Maria Stuarda
With a sublime cast and the revolutionary staging by Ulrich Rasche, this Salzburg Festival production of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda transforms a bel canto masterpiece into an evening of theatre. The conflict between Maria and Elisabetta becomes tangible through contrasting costumes, a constantly shifting space of rotating platforms and projected images. Lisette Oropesa’s Maria showcases “a truly wonderful display of vocal intelligence, human warmth and a completely effortless, natural tone” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), while Kate Lindsey’s Elisabetta conveys the fury and despair of the English monarch with striking intensity. Under the baton of Antonello Manacorda and with the outstanding contribution of the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, this production conquers through rhythm, movement and physical presence as expressive forces.
“Lisette Oropesa imbues all of this with vocal mastery and emotion. Beyond pure virtuosity she shapes the inner workings of the character into operatic drama” (Der Standard)
La forza del destino
Among Teatro alla Scala’s most unforgettable productions, this La forza del destino is a performance of striking musical energy, with Riccardo Chailly conducting an exceptional cast of opera stars. Anna Netrebko (Leonora), confirms her absolute dominance of the Verdian repertoire, showcasing “beautiful floating high notes and enviable fiato” (OperaWire). Brian Jagde (Don Alvaro) and Ludovic Tézier (Don Carlo), give impeccable performances of great emotional depth and timbral richness. Joining forces, Stage Director Leo Muscato and Set Designer Federica Parolini deliver a reinterpretation of Verdi’s classic in a modern key. On a set that impresses for both beauty and functionality, the scenes are set across different eras, reminding us that war is always part of humans’ fate. “The undisputed star of the evening is Anna Netrebko. She elevates Donna Leonora with her distinctive, dark, velvety timbre, impeccable high notes, and acting presence.” (Orpheus Magazine)
Lucia di Lammermoor
A manifesto of Italian romanticism, Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor is a tale of dark atmosphere and turbulent love. Teatro alla Scala presents its new production under the signature of stage director Yannis Kokkos, whose sober vision remains faithful to the libretto with elegance, emotion and the expression of passions over any gesture of modernity. Conductor Riccardo Chailly leads a splendid vocal cast: Lisette Oropesa delivers a compelling Lucia of vocal refinement and emotional depth, while Juan Diego Flórez brings elegance and lyrical intensity to Edgardo. The Orchestra and Chorus give an exceptional interpretation, creating a “beautiful, rich, ominous sound” (Bachtrack). “Riveting. Flórez and Oropesa did not disappoint on the opening night …. The chemistry between them is electrifying from the opening duet. (FINANCIAL TIMES)
Les Troyens
Pierre Audi directs Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek and American tenor Bryan Hymel in one of Berlioz’s most ambitious operas. In this staging of Les Troyens, Audi made the orchestra more visible: the stage extends around the pit, the orchestra is in the centre. He also set up opposite styles for the sets of each parts: horizontal for Troy, vertical for Carthage. Eva-Maria Westbroek, one of the most acclaimed sopranos in the world, is Cassandra, Priam’s clairvoyant daughter. Bryan Hymel, the American tenor, made his debut in 2010 as Aeneas, Dido’s lover.
Così fan tutte
Two pairs of young lovers, a cynical old philosopher and an irreverent maid: the set-up for Così fan tutte could hardly be simpler. But Mozart and Da Ponte’s great comedy of the human heart is open to a thousand interpretations, few more compelling than this 2002 production directed by Jürgen Flimm for Opernhaus Zürich. Flimm’s light-touch staging gives limitless scope to conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt – unrivalled in this repertoire – and a truly glorious cast, with Cecilia Bartoli as a passionate Fiordiligi and Liliana Nikiteanu as her more carefree sister Dorabella. With Agnes Baltsa as Despina and Roberto Saccà as Ferrando, the result is timeless.
Der Freischütz
Deep in the German forest, dark forces stir. Weber’s masterpiece Der Freischütz opened a new and spine-tingling chapter in 19th-century opera, and with its hunting choruses and gothic atmosphere, this tale of a young huntsman ensnared by demonic forces remains one of the great operatic thrillers. It’s natural territory for a conductor with Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s sense of history (and of colour), and Ruth Berghaus’s powerful modernist re-imagining was one of the highlights of his long creative relationship with Opernhaus Zürich. Swedish soprano Inga Nielsen (Agathe) and the great German tenor Peter Seiffert (Max) head a world-beating cast in this performance from 1999.