A Dangerous Game

On the rehearsal stage at the Arsenal, the vocal ensemble and the leading team got into the spirit of the upcoming six weeks, during which they will work together on Alexander Zemlinsky’s Eine florentinische Tragödie and Béla Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle. Both works are retur­ning to the opera house on the Ring after a long abs­ence: Eine florentinische Tragödie was last per­formed at the State Opera in 1917, and Bluebeard’s Castle in 1989. Director Vasily Barkhatov, who is making his State Opera debut with this production, combines both operas into an overarching story of a couple, who have drifted apart over the years and now want to find their way back to each other. But what begins as a playful therapeutic experiment soon gains more power over the participants than expected.

Musically, the production is conducted by Alain Altinoglu, who is returning to the State Opera as principal conductor after a long absence. Asmik Grigorian will sing both female roles – Bianca and Judith – while Christopher Maltman plays Simone, Dmitry Golovnin sings Guido, and Florian Boesch takes the stage as Bluebeard.