Music by Richard Strauss, Texts by Stefan Zweig after Ben Jonson
For Richard Strauss, who was approaching his seventies, it was a stroke of luck when, in the early 1930s, the renowned writer Stefan Zweig—known for his artful, thought-provoking novels, novellas, and plays—offered his services as his new librettist.
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Die Schweigsame Frau, Staatsoper Berlin
Die Schweigsame Frau, Staatsoper Berlin
In a mutually inspiring collaboration, they created—based on a comedy by Ben Jonson from the Shakespearean era—a truly “comic opera” full of striking characters, pace, and wit, yet also deeply reflective.
“The opera is a bull’s-eye, even if perhaps only in the 21st century,” said Strauss himself, who, in difficult, dark times, succeeded in creating a work of high compositional virtuosity and lighthearted cheerfulness—a story of people who long for peace or indulge in busyness.
Director Jan Philipp Gloger makes his debut at the State Opera with this production—and for Christian Thielemann, it is the first new production as General Music Director of the house, a position once held by Strauss himself.
Cast
Conductor: Christian Thielemann
Stage direction: Jan Philipp Gloger
Stage Coach / Acting Coach: Caroline Staunton
Set design: Ben Baur
Costumes: Justina Klimczyk
Lighting: Tobias Krauß
Video: Leonard Wölfl
Choreography: Florian Hurler
Chorus rehearsal: Dani Juris
Sir Morosus: Peter Rose
His Housekeeper: Evelyn Herlitzius
Barber Schneidebart: Samuel Hasselhorn
Henry Morosus: Siyabonga Maqungo
Aminta, his wife: Brenda Rae
Isotta: Serafina Starke
Carlotta: Rebecka Wallroth
Morbio: Dionysios Avgerinos
Vanuzzi: Manuel Winckhler
Farfallo: Friedrich Hamel
Orchestra: Staatskapelle Berlin
Chorus: Staatsoper Chorus
(In German with German and English surtitles)
Additional information
Duration: approx. 3 hours and 40 minutes, including two intermissions
Language: In German with German and English surtitles
Recommended age: 14 and up
Pre-show talk 45 minutes before the performance begins in the Apollosaal
Participating artists
Richard Strauss (Komponist/in)
Stefan Zweig (Autor/in)
