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Franz Schreker's opera The Treasure Hunter isn't just about gold and precious stones – rather, the work revolves around the search for an intangible treasure: the human longing for happiness, love, and redemption.



The Deutsche Oper Berlin presents this late-Romantic masterpiece under the musical direction of Marc Albrecht and directed by Christof Loy.


The plot tells of Els and Elis, two soulmates who strive for fulfillment in different ways. While the wandering minstrel Elis tracks down hidden treasures with a magical lute, Els, raised motherless in a brutal male world, doesn't shy away from lies, theft, and murder to achieve her goal. But neither wealth nor power can satisfy her desire – as is so often the case with Schreker, it is desire itself that becomes the true treasure.


After acclaimed productions of forgotten operas from the early 20th century – such as Erich Wolfgang Korngold's The Miracle of Heliane and Riccardo Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini – Christof Loy once again turns his attention to a work by Franz Schreker. His production of The Treasure Hunter (premiered in Frankfurt in 1920, a sensational success with 44 subsequent productions) brings a long-neglected opera back into the spotlight.


The story is set in a world full of greed, violence, and emotional instability – and poses central questions about art, reality, and human dreams. For Schreker, art itself was a path to redemption. His colorful score, composed during the turmoil of the First World War, reflects this in every note.


International stars on stage


The cast of this lavishly produced opera is top-class:

Featuring Elisabet Strid, Daniel Johansson, and Thomas Cilluffo, among others.


Director Christof Loy is one of the world's most sought-after opera directors – his work has received numerous awards, including the OPUS KLASSIK and Grammy Award nominations.


Marc Albrecht, a long-time musical partner of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, returns to the house with Der Schatzgräber, where he served as Principal Guest Conductor from 2001 to 2014. International successes in Bayreuth, Milan, Amsterdam, and Zurich have made him one of the leading conductors of the late Romantic repertoire.


  • Duration: approx. 3 hours 15 minutes (one interval)
  • Language: German, with German and English surtitles

Additional information
  • An opera in four acts, with a prologue and an epilogue, by Franz Schreker with a libretto by the composer.
  • First performed on 21 January 1920 at the Oper Frankfurt
  • Premiered at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on 1 May 2022







Pre-performance lecture (in German): 45 minutes prior to each performance
Participating artists
Marc Albrecht (Musikalische Leitung)
Christof Loy (Inszenierung)
Johannes Leiacker (Bühne)
Barbara Drosihn (Kostüme)
Olaf Winter (Licht)
Jeremy Bines (Chöre)
Dorothea Hartmann (Dramaturgie)
Jared Werlein (Der König)
Doke Pauwels (Die Königin)
Clemens Bieber (Kanzler)
Philipp Jekal (Der Graf / Ein Herold)
Joel Allison (Der Magister / Der Schultheiss)
Thomas Cilluffo (Narr)
Thomas Johannes Mayer (Der Vogt)
Benjamin Dickerson (Junker)
Daniel Johansson (Elis)
Michael Dimovski (Schreiber)
Michael Bachtadze (Wirt)
Elisabet Strid (Els)
Patrick Cook (Albi)
Paul Minhyung Roh (Landknecht)
Asahi Wada (Chorsoli)
N. N. (Chorsoli)
Michael Gernot Sumper (Schauspieler*innen)
Tobias Wollschläger (Schauspieler*innen)
David Martinez Morente (Schauspieler*innen)
Stefan Liebermann (Schauspieler*innen)
Hanno Jusek (Schauspieler*innen)
Nicolas Franciscus (Schauspieler*innen)
Koray Tuna (Schauspieler*innen)
Niall Fallon (Schauspieler*innen)
Benjamin Werth (Schauspieler*innen)
Jeanna Serikbayeva (Schauspieler*innen)
Sonja Isabel Reuter (Schauspieler*innen)
Xenia Wolfgramm (Schauspieler*innen)
Chor der Deutschen Oper Berlin (Chöre)
Orchester der Deutschen Oper Berlin (Orchester)
Dates
January 2026
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