Opera highlights 2025/26: Graz celebrates with Strauss and Berg!

Opera highlights 2025/26: Graz celebrates with Strauss and Berg!

Graz, Österreich - The opera Graz presented its season for 2025/26 with a multifaceted program. The focus is on the opera "The Rosenkavalier" by Richard Strauss , which was premiered on January 26, 1911 and has a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. Strauß, who lived from 1864 to 1949, is considered one of the most important composers of his time, and his works reflect the area of tension between romance and modernism. In Graz, the role of Sophie by Tetiana Miyus is embodied, while Wilfried Zelinka plays the Baron Ochs and Polina Pastirchak.

"The Rosenkavalier" tells the story of Octavian, a 17-year-old lover of the Marschallin, who is hired as a Rosenkavalier for the brutal Baron Ochs to hand over a silver rose. The action unfolds in Vienna in the 1740s and addresses complex human relationships and the transition from youth to adult. The work emphasizes the female voices and remains one of the most popular pieces in the repertoire.

festivals and premieres

The 2025/26 season not only includes "the Rosenkavalier", but also a number of unusual premieres and events. On February 13, Alban Berg celebrates its premiere, staged by Evgeny Titov, with Annette Dasch in the leading role as Marie. In addition, Jean-Philippe Rameaus "Castor et Pollux" will be experienced on April 11th, staged by Bernhard Forck.

The ballet director Dirk Elwert also plans the premiere of "La Divina Comedia" on January 17th, and the fresh work "Modern Times" will be premiered on May 20. The classic musicals also find their place in the game plan, including "On the Town" on October 21 and Emmerich Kálmán's "Arizona Lady" directed by Christian Thaausing.

anniversaries and special performances

A special highlight is the 75th anniversary of the Graz Philharmonic, who celebrate with an opening concert on September 20 under the motto "Eroica" on Beethoven's third piano concert, as well as works by Richard Strauss and Mahler. The final concert on June 27 is entitled "Freedom!" And offers a diverse program selection that Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 and Bernstein's "Age of Anxiety" includes.

The customs festival "Stimmer" with the Graz Philharmonic and the Herbert Pixner Project on September 12th as well as a concert performance of "Moscow, Tscherjomuschki" on October 4, under the moderation of Harald Schmidt, a cultural festival promise for the visitors. In addition, the operetta "My favorite animal is called winter" on March 22nd, and the first three episodes can be streamed free of charge on the Graz opera website.

Despite the challenges through cuts in the cultural budget for 2025, as Lenz emphasizes, the coming season has already been determined and promises a rich cultural offer that takes visitors into the world of classical music and opera.