The tradition of the Munich Opera Festival dates back to 1875, when a "Festive Summer" was organized for the first time. This tradition continues under the directorship of Serge Dorny.
The Munich Opera Festival 2024 presents the new productions of the season, which are based on the guiding principle "A fountain that looks to the sky". The two opera premieres of the Munich Opera Festival, Le Grand Macabre by György Ligeti and Pelléas et Mélisande by Claude Debussy, present contemporary opera and a masterpiece of musical impressionism. The team led by director Krysztof Warlikowski has enjoyed many years of successful collaboration, which has taken them to all the major opera houses in Europe, including several productions at the Bavarian State Opera.
Krysztof Warlikowski © Bartek Warzecha
For Le Grand Macabre, Małgorzata Szczęśniak is once again designing the stage and costumes, as she has done for all of Warlikowski's productions since 1992. Felice Ross has been responsible for the lighting design for the team's opera productions for over 20 years. Kamil Polak, who was awarded an Oscar in the "Animated Short Film" category in 2008, designs the videos. The dancer and actor Claude Bardouil is responsible for the choreography and Christian Longchamp for the dramaturgy. Kent Nagano, former General Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera, is responsible for the musical direction.
The Dutch director Jetske Mijnssen stages productions at opera houses throughout Europe. Her work focuses on the psychological penetration of the characters, based on an intensive study of the music. She has a long-standing collaboration with the stage and costume designer Ben Baur. Together with conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, she created La Traviata at Theater Bern in 2013. The Lithuanian-born conductor has been Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra since 2016/17. In 2022, she made her debut at the Bavarian State Opera as Musical Director of Das Schlaue Füchslein and is now returning for Pelléas et Mélisande.
One focus of the 2024 Munich Opera Festival is on works by Giacomo Puccini and Richard Wagner. The program includes four works by the two composers, which are also important operas in the repertoire: Giacomo Puccini's Tosca and La fanciulla del West will be performed alongside Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser and Parsifal. Puccini's Tosca can also be experienced as a live audiovisual broadcast on Max-Joseph-Platz at Opera for All during the 2024 Munich Opera Festival.
Jetske Mijnssen © FUNKE Foto Services | Maurizio Gambarini
Numerous chamber concerts and recitals complete the program. The ballet evening Sphären.02 | Preljocaj also celebrates its premiere during the Munich Opera Festival with contemporary ballets by choreographers of the younger generation and Angelin Preljocaj. The Bayerisches Staatsballett will also be reviving the two new productions of the season, Le Parc by Angelin Preljoca and an evening created by Nacho Duato, Andrew Skeels and Sharon Eyal.
June 28 to July 31, 2024
www.staatsoper.de
