The first thing I would like to do is simply thank you. Two rollercoaster years lie behind us, during which we never knew how, or indeed whether we could open our opera house to you. You stood by us during this time, and the enthusiasm you showed for our performances has confirmed that experiencing culture in times like these is perhaps even more important than normal.

Opera and theatre not only give us precious hours to forget our everyday worries, they also offer us a chance to explore the meaning of our life, the fragility of our notions of happiness and our longing for a better world. The diverse new productions we offer you this season reflect this. Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion, Beethoven’s FIDELIO and Verdi’s SIMON BOCCANEGRA are confessional works, each in its own way. And just as Richard Strauss’ ARABELLA questioned one hundred years ago how we should live in a world which has lost its moral compass, today the composer Giorgio Battistelli asks how social change is possible in IL TEOREMA DI PASOLINI.

Good musical theatre must ask questions. Every viewer, however, must find their own answers, for an evening at the opera leaves each of us with different feelings and thoughts. The images that accompany us through the season, try to mirror this experience.

You can find out more about what we have prepared for you here on our website and in the printed preview. I look forward to welcoming you.

Yours, Dietmar Schwarz