Marietta arrives in a new city with her theater troupe, where she meets the recluse artist Paul. Soon she finds herself drawn into Paul's past - not least his great, lost love. Suddenly we find ourselves in a gripping love story, with blurred lines between dream and reality.

Die tote Stadt was a sensation when it premiered in 1920, and opera houses scrambled to show the new work by Korngold, who at 23 was already considered a genius. In the end two opera houses, Cologne and Hamburg, were allowed to have their premieres on the same evening.

In the 1920s Die tote Stadt was one of the most popular operas, until it was banned by the Nazis because Korngold was Jewish. The composer had by then moved to Hollywood and become their foremost composer in film music. He won two Oscars in the 1930s and his film music inspires composers to this day.

Musically, the opera is a magnificent and sparkling late romantic work, with imaginative sounds and sweeping melodies. And although the opera is inspired by Korngold's great predecessors – Wagner, Strauss and Puccini – the music is unmistakably his own. It is with pride that Bergen National Opera stage the Norwegian premiere of this rare operatic gem, in a new production directed by none other than Calixto Bieito.

DIE TOTE STADT
(The Dead City)
Opera in three acts

Norwegian premiere

Erich Wolfgang Korngold / Music
Paul Schott / Libretto, based on Georges Rodenbach’s novel Bruges-la-Morte

CREATIVE TEAM
Eivind Gullberg Jensen / Conductor
Calixto Bieito / Stage director
Anna-Sofia Kirsch / Set designer
Paula Klein / Costume designer
Michael Bauer / Lighting designer
Adria Bieito Cami / Video designer
Håkon Matti Skrede / Chorus master

CAST
Vincent Wolfsteiner / Paul
Nadja Stefanoff / Marie and Marietta
Günter Papendell / Frank and Fritz (November 2)
Jochen Kupfer / Frank og Fritz (November 4, 6 and 8)
Tone Kummervold / Brigitta
Dumitru Mitu / Victorin
Sarah Gilford / Juliette
Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir / Lucienne
Álvaro Zambrano / Gaston
Kristofer Lundin / Count Albert

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Edvard Grieg Choir, Edvard Grieg Boys’ Choir and Edvard Grieg Girls’ Choir

Sung in German, surtitles in Norwegian and English
Duration: approx. 2 hours and 45 minutes including 30 minutes interval
2, 4, 6 and 8 November 2024
Grieghallen

Introduction (in Norwegian) one hour before each performance in the foyer in Grieghallen

A new production by Bergen National Opera
Presented by Bergen National Opera in collaboration with Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Edvard Grieg Choirs

Listen to Renée Fleming performing Marietta's song (Mariettas Lied) from Die tote Stadt: