Organization

Stage director

Christof Loy

Chorus master

Andrés Máspero

Lighting designer

Reinhard Traub

Singer

Soprano

Barbara Zechmeister

A fortune-teller

Bass

Martin Winkler

Count Waldner

Conductor

David Afkham

Jordi Francés

Set designer

Herbert Murauer

Choreographer

Thomas Wilhelm

Sara Jakubiak

Arabella

Sarah Defrise

Zdenka

Mezzo-soprano

Anne Sofie von Otter

Adelaide

Baritone

Josef Wagner

Mandryka

Tenor

Matthew Newlin

Matteo

Dean Power

Count Elemer

Roger Smeets

Count Dominik

Elena Sancho-Péreg

The Fiakermilli

Astrid Kessler

Spoken

José Manuel Montero

Hotel porter

Hanno Jusek

Jankel

Niall Fallon

Djura

Benjamin Werth

Welko

Costume designer

Tyler Zimmerman

Count Lamoral

Assistant Conductor

Assistant Stage Director

Axel Weidauer

Silvia Aurea De Stefano

Jacquelyn Wagner

Oper Frankfurt

Teatro Real de Madrid

Others

Coro Intermezzo

Orchestra

Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid

alemana

Madrid

Spain

Teatro Real

Sala Principal

Don't miss an exceptional staging of Arabella—the first ever in Madrid! Jacquelyn Wagner and Sarah Defrise bring a heartfelt and genuine rapport to the stage, a sisterly bond that forms the cornerstone of an excellent stage production—from the mise en scène by Christof Loy to the direction of David Afkham, every finely wrought detail enchances the drama and enjoyment of a timeless comic opera.

It has been said that Arabella is an opera that reflects the personality of its composer, Richard Strauss—with characters who are at once extremely idealistic, direct, dramatic, and yet lighthearted. Its comedy and levity—sometimes derided by critics—may, however, belie the fraught political backdrop that gave rise to its creation: Arabella premiered in 1933, five months after Hitler’s rise to power. Misunderstandings and plot twists, mistaken identities, and a final-act double wedding may reflect a desire for a happy ending on the part of the composer, aging and worn down by the turmoils of his era.

Worried about the future of her family, Countess Adelaide (the great Anne Sofie von Otter) consults a fortune teller to find out if her daughter Arabella will enter into a prosperous marriage and restore the her family's former high standing. But the tarot cards predict some complications—perhaps at the hand of Zdenka, Arabella's younger sister, whose machinations en travesti threaten to ruin the happy nuptials…

Public

Private

Approved

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