What remains of humanity when everything familiar has disappeared? "Die große Stille" (The Great Silence) explores Mozart's music as a timeless anchor in a distant future – a musical theater project that powerfully interweaves sound, ritual, and existential questions.
Culture creates meaning, provides structure and, as "Die große Stille" (The Great Silence) shows, can even offer existential support. The musical theater project by Christopher Rüping, Omer Meir Wellber, and Malte Ubenauf focuses on a group of people who live far away from Earth in a future world. For them, the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart becomes a daily ritual—both a reminder and a warning of what it means to be and remain human.
Making music, whether together or alone, is one of humanity's oldest cultural practices and is deeply connected to our self-image. But it is precisely these rituals that deserve to be questioned. The production creates a world that has little in common with our reality today. And yet the central constant remains the human being – with their fears, hopes, and search for orientation. Rüping, one of the most influential directors of our time, makes his long-awaited debut with his team at the Hamburg State Opera. Together, they explore the role that a timeless cultural heritage such as Mozart's music can play in existential situations. What resonance does this music create in us? What answers do people find when threats and opportunities arise simultaneously? And what happens when silence really does fall in the end?
"Die große Stille" (The Great Silence) is a musical theater project that raises questions about identity, memory, and the future—and shows how powerful music can be, even in the most remote places.
Premiere March 15,
Additional performances: March 17, 19, 21, 26, and 29, April 2, 5, and 10, 2026
