Revenge and jealousy are the driving forces behind this eerily beautiful opera by Giuseppe Verdi. Out of revenge for the murder of her mother, who was burned as a witch, Azucena (Marina Prudenskaya) has killed the son of the old duke of Aragón. In truth, though, it was her own son that she’d killed in a moment of delusion. Manrico (Gaston Rivero), the brother of the young duke (Dario Solari), has survived, and Azucena has raised him in the belief that he is her biological child. Now the brothers face each other as rivals while courting the same woman – Leonora (Roberta Mantegna). When it all comes to a head, a cruel showdown ensues. Verdi created music as bleak as it is stirring to match the sinister plot for Il trovatore, which became known for its extraordinary vocal roles. Even Caruso was of the opinion that all you needed for a performance of Trovatore was simply “the four best singers in the world.”

Streaming of Il trovatore on New Year’s Eve, 31 Dec. 2020, 5 pm

http://www.oper-leipzig.de – Link in the Header

Miniature New Year’s Concert from the Musikalische Komödie on 1 January 2021, 5:00pm on Oper Leipzig TV

Join the Musikalische Komödie Leipzig as they festively rock in the New Year. On New Year’s Day 2021 at 5:00pm, Oper Leipzig TV will broadcast a one-off compilation of various musical contributions from the Musikalische Komödie – free of charge and in HD. The theater’s post-renovation grand re-opening was postponed due to the lockdown, and all will continue to wait for both long-awaited premieres and new seats. But a gala performance on the small screen will get audiences members in the mood for a reunion in 2021, when all will finally enjoy the Musikalische Komödie in its new splendid state. Soloists and orchestra members will provide a warm-up to the new season, as they get everyone in the mood for the coming year. This surprise program will feature Lilli Wünscher, Angela Mehling, Mirjam Neururer, Nora Lentner, Justus Seeger, Adam Sanchez, and Michael Raschle, among others.

Musikalische Komödie "Happy New Year!", 1 Jan. 2021, 5 pm

www.oper-leipzig.de – Link in the Header

Retrospective 2020 in FERMATE, the Oper Leipzig’s podcast

What a strange and loopy theater year! The coronavirus crisis didn’t just wreak havoc with performances and rehearsals – it also offered Oper Leipzig employees with a whole variety of challenges. Time for Fermate: the Oper Leipzig’s podcast for the end of the year winds through the last twelve months chronologically, from the first premieres Kiss of the Spider Woman, Über.Leben!, Lamento, through the first lockdown with postponement of the premiere of The Fall of the Antichrist, supporting the City of Leipzig with the production of masks, gowns, and protective curtains from the Oper Leipzig workshops. 2020 saw musical tidings from living rooms, as well as the “Vorstellungskraft” performances in the Westbad, the  choral concert on the Augustusplatz, right up through the coup that was the early Lohengrin premiere and the Trovatore livestream on December 6. The joint Advent calendar on facebook – featuring the opera, Musikalische Komödie, and the Leipzig Ballet – brought the year to a close. You’ll hear from ensemble members such as Sandra Maxheimer and Martin Petzold, chorister Anika Paulik, chorus master Thomas Eitler-de Lint, as well as Intendant and General Music Director Prof. Ulf Schirmer.

The broadcast of the second episode of season two will be available as a Christmas surprise starting on 25 December 2020 www.oper-leipzig.de/…

“Sing and dance with us!” Audience participation videos with the Oper Leipzig Children’s and Youth Choir

For over 30 years, the Oper Leipzig Children’s and Youth Choirs have provided an important musical playground for children and young people from the ages of 4 to 25, and they have been an important part of the Junge Oper. Director Sophie Bauer is exchanging ideas with the young singers as creatively as possible online. And too combat tiredness and boredom at home, the Junge Oper has produced three videos to sing along to, guaranteed to bring music and pep into your day: a wake-up song, a sporty rendition “Si ma ma kaa,” and an improvisation! Join in with the Oper Leipzig Children’s and Youth Choirs and the Musikalische Komödie’s musical youth theater club, and banish the boredom.

www.leipzig.de and click on the button: Junge Oper zum Mitmachen!

or directly at Oper Leipzig TV: www.youtube.com/user/LeipzigOper