Wiener Staatsoper / Vienna State Opera 2025/2026 season

Two days ago, the Vienna State Opera opened its 2025/26 season in classic fashion with a Mozart opera. The program features many well-known works, a few new ones, intriguing premieres, and exciting casts. A personal highlight comes right at the beginning with Iolanta and Tannhäuser—I’ll be there myself on September 13–14. Otherwise, the Ring and Elektra look strongly cast but somewhat conventional in production. For Strauss lovers, the legendary Schenk Rosenkavalier or Ariadne are certainly worth the trip. Among the premieres, perhaps The Bartered Bride will be the one to watch—or maybe Janáček’s Makropulos Affair and a touch of Debussy with Pelléas et Mélisande. Let’s see!

Best wishes,
Alexander Julius Leventov


Premieren
Smetana: Die verkaufte Braut – Franz Xaver Schlecht, Margaret Plummer, Slávka Zámečníková, Pavol Breslik. Dirigent: Tomáš Hanus.
Beethoven: Fidelio – Attila Mokus, Christopher Maltman, David Butt Philip, Malin Byström. Dirigent: Franz Welser-Möst.
Verdi: Luisa Miller – Federica Lombardi, Roberto Tagliavini, Freddie De Tommaso, George Petean. Dirigent: Michele Mariotti.
Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito – Katleho Mokhoabane, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, Emily D’Angelo. Dirigent: Pablo Heras-Casado.
Bizet: Les Pêcheurs de perles – Kristina Mkhitaryan, Juan Diego Flórez, Ludovic Tézier. Dirigent: Daniele Rustioni.

Revivals
Strauss: Ariadne auf Naxos – Jochen Schmeckenbecher, Samantha Hankey, Erin Morley, Anja Kampe.
Bizet: Carmen – Victoria Karkacheva, Piotr Beczała / Elmina Hasan, Freddie De Tommaso.
Mozart: Così fan tutte – Ruzan Mantashyan, Alma Neuhaus, Markus Werba / Elsa Dreisig, Angela Brower.
Wagner: Das Rheingold – Michael Volle, Gerhard Siegel, Georg Nigl.
Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier – Camilla Nylund, Günther Groissböck, Samantha Hankey, Michael Spyres.
Wagner: Der Fliegende Holländer – Franz-Josef Selig, Andreas Schager, Tomasz Konieczny.
Poulenc: Dialogues des Carmélites – Olga Kulchynska, Bogdan Volkov, Julie Boulianne.
Mozart: Die Entführung aus dem Serail – Serena Sáenz, Ante Jerkunica.
J. Strauss: Die Fledermaus – Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau.
Wagner: Die Walküre – Michael Spyres, Günther Groissböck, Michael Volle, Camilla Nylund.
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte – Christof Fischesser, Julian Prégardien, Serena Sáenz / Günther Groissböck, Pavol Breslik, Jessica Pratt.
Mozart: Don Giovanni – Mattia Olivieri, Adela Zaharia, Bogdan Volkov.
Donizetti: Don Pasquale – Nicola Alaimo, Dmitry Korchak, Pretty Yende.
Strauss: Elektra – Ausrine Stundyte, Nina Stemme, Camilla Nylund.
Tschaikowski: Eugene Onegin – Asmik Grigorian, Boris Pinkhasovich, Bogdan Volkov.
Verdi: Falstaff – Ambrogio Maestri, Ruzan Mantashyan, Emily Pogorelc.
Gounod: Faust – John Osborn, Olga Kulchynska, Alex Esposito.
Wagner: Götterdämmerung – Andreas Schager, Günther Groissböck, Camilla Nylund.
Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel – Regine Hangler, Alma Neuhaus.
Mozart: Idomeneo – Bernard Richter, Kate Lindsey, Eleonora Buratto.
Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia – Liparit Avetisyan, Erwin Schrott, Vasilisa Berzhanskaya.
Puccini: Il Trittico – Michael Volle, Nicole Car, Violeta Urmana, Ambrogio Maestri.
Tschaikowski: Iolanta – Sonya Yoncheva, Boris Pinkhasovich, Dmytro Popov.
Donizetti: L’Elisir d’Amore – Maria Nazarova, Edgardo Rocha / Pretty Yende, Michael Spyres.
Puccini: La Bohème – Juan Diego Flórez, Nicole Car, Andrey Zhilikovsky.
Verdi: La Traviata – Nadine Sierra, Xabier Anduaga.
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro – Huw Montague Rendall, Adriana Gonzalez, Serena Sáenz.
Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor – Adela Zaharia, Bekhzod Davronov.
Puccini: Madama Butterfly – Eleonora Buratto / Ermonela Jaho.
Massenet: Manon – Kristina Mkhitaryan, Benjamin Bernheim.
Verdi: Nabucco – Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Anna Netrebko, Ivan Magrì.
Verdi: Otello – Arsen Soghomonyan, Ludovic Tézier, Malin Byström.
Wagner: Parsifal – Klaus Florian Vogt, Gerald Finley, Jennifer Holloway.
Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande – Rolando Villazón, Kate Lindsey, Simon Keenlyside.
Dvořák: Rusalka – Nicole Car, Piotr Beczała, Alexander Vinogradov.
Strauss: Salome – Elena Stikhina, Tomasz Konieczny, Gerhard Siegel.
Wagner: Siegfried – Andreas Schager, Camilla Nylund, Michael Volle.
Verdi: Simon Boccanegra – Ludovic Tézier, Federica Lombardi, Kwangchul Youn.
Wagner: Tannhäuser – Georg Zeppenfeld, Clay Hilley, Ludovic Tézier, Camilla Nylund.
Puccini: Tosca – Elena Stikhina, Jonathan Tetelman, Ludovic Tézier / Anna Netrebko, Christopher Maltman.
Janáček: Vec Makropulos – Marlis Petersen, Pavel Cernoch, Bo Skovhus.