In the figures of the god Dionysos and King Pentheus, two opposing principles collide: Eros and ratio. Their showdown ends in tragedy. Pentheus took power in Thebes and immediately banned the new cult of Dionysus. In vain, because the people and even his mother Agaue are already devoted to the god who drives them to intoxicated festivals on Mount Kytheron. Pentheus believes that he can evade the power of instinct through reason and asceticism. He uses torture against the followers of the god. When he himself climbs the mountain in disguise at night, Dionysus sends the unleashed crowd on the intruder. Believing it to be a wild animal, Pentheus is killed by Ague. Only the next morning does she realize that she is holding her dead son's head in her hands. Dionysus triumphs. Musical direction: Rossen Gergov Staging: Frank Hilbrich,