Between love, jealousy, and self-sacrifice, Rameau's Castor et Pollux unfolds a musical drama of baroque power and psychological depth. Nanine Linning combines dance and musical theater to create an intense look into the depths of human nature—accompanied by Bernhard Forck, one of the most distinguished specialists in early music.
At the heart of Jean-Philippe Rameau's masterpiece Castor et Pollux are four people who are going through the hell of their own emotions. Choreographer and director Nanine Linning—already familiar to Graz audiences from Hoffmann's Tales —once again creates that fusion of dance and musical theater characteristic of French Baroque opera. She is accompanied by her artistic partner Bernhard Forck, a renowned expert and interpreter of early music.
The initial situation is irresolvable from the outset: Télaïre is promised to Pollux, but – like Phébé – she loves Pollux's brother Castor. Pollux, in turn, loves Télaïre. To see his brother happy, Pollux renounces his own love. But shortly afterwards, Castor falls in a fight provoked by the jealous Phébé. In order to unite Télaïre and Castor, Pollux makes a radical decision: he descends into the underworld to bring his brother back – knowing that he himself must remain there. And Phébé's passion for Castor continues to burn unabated.
The journey to the underworld to bring a loved one back to life is one of the oldest and most impressive motifs in world literature. Like Monteverdi in L'Orfeo, Rameau uses this topos to paint a psychological portrait of his four protagonists. With unconventional harmonies, differentiated timbres, and a dramaturgical precision that was ahead of its time, he revolutionized French opera after Lully.
After the premiere in 1737, Rameau fundamentally revised his work. The second version from 1754, dramaturgically streamlined and musically refined, was a resounding success—and contributed significantly to Camille Saint-Saëns' later assessment: "The immortal Rameau is the greatest musical genius France has ever produced."
Premiere April 11,
Further performances: April 16, 19, 22, and 25, May 29, June 7 and 25, 2026
