13 Mar 2026, 20:00 Landsberg City Theatre (Schlossergasse 381, 86899 Landsberg)
Béla Bartók (1881-1945)
Duke Bluebeard's Castle (A kékszakállú herceg vára), op. 11 (1911) Libretto by Béla Balázs based on the fairy tale La Barbe bleue ( Bluebeard )
NN, Duke Kékszakallú/Bluebeard NN, Judith Daniel Grossmann, conductor
Martin Valdés-Stauber, scenic design
JEWISH Without the Jewish-Hungarian-German author Béla Balázs, Bartók's opera would not exist: In 1910, Balázs wrote the symbolist drama Bluebeard's Castle based on the legend circulating throughout Europe. He dedicated his work to the composers Bartók and Zoltán Kodály. Bartók heard the text at Kodály's home and immediately recognized its stage potential: Balázs emphasizes the tragedy of the title character and the idea of redemption, impressively narrating 'the tragedy of a soul destined to be alone.'
TODAY Together with dramaturge Martin Valdés-Stauber, Daniel Grossmann develops the concept of the 'chamber opera' further – resulting in a contemporary performance form, the 'minimal opera', in which stories are told on stage using simple but all the more impressive means.
FOR ALL Opera for everyone in the theater, without an orchestra pit, very direct. A story we know from fairy tales, but one that takes on a new dimension on stage – enigmatic, yet relatable, almost familiar. Opera where you're right in the middle of it!
