Missy Mazzoli's Breaking the Waves

I went all the way to Mainz for this one. Given that it's a Mazzoli opera, not to mention that it had an intense subject matter, I felt like I wanted to see this one, and it didn't matter if it was all the way in Mainz. It was absolutely worth it.

Joseph Beer's Polnische Hochzeit

I rarely see operettas. But as I had an opportunity to see a rather rare one in Regensburg, I opted to get a ticket. And it was a fantastic show!

Georg Friedrich Händel's Alcina

It seems I am dipping my toes heavily into Baroque opera nowadays. In late May, I was temporarily in Regensburg for a holiday, and during that time, the Staatstheater Regensburg was producing this Late Baroque opera. I decided to see it, and I have to say, I absolutely enjoyed it, regardless of the fact that when my musical center of gravity leans heavily toward post-WWII avant-garde and spectralism. Intriguing, eh?

Olga Neuwirth's Orlando

Somehow, I ended up getting a ticket for Orlando (2019), which is a "music-theatre in 19 scenes," based on the 1928 novel by Virginia Woolf. It was produced recently in the Komische Oper Berlin, and was a multimedia explosion that transcends traditional genre boundaries. Komische Oper said it was a queer sci-fi hybrid grand opera, so I was curious.

Franz Schreker's Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin

I went to Halle for this one. It's a rare opera after all. And I have to say, it was totally worth it. I first encountered Franz Schreker's music earlier this year, when I saw Der Schatzgräber in the Deutsche Oper Berlin. I loved the fact that his music forecasted the contemporary classical music styles that I liked, which only appeared decades later. That, and the fact that his music is rather rare due to the fact that the Nazis suppressed his music made it even more attractive to me, given my penchant for rare pieces.

Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream

I recently saw my third Britten opera. A Midsummer Night's Dream was playing at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and as it coincided with a family visit, we all decided we would attend. I have to say, I thought I didn't like it, but in the end, I enjoyed it.

Claudio Santoro's Alma

I actually haven't heard of Claudio Santoro before. I never knew that this Brazilian composer even existed in the first place. So a few weeks ago, when I was looking for interesting events to attend, my AI bot alerted me to this production, as it was being produced in Dessau. And Dessau was just about 90 minutes away by train. So I went.

Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos

As a last minute decision, I went to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden one evening to watch Ariadne auf Naxos. I was looking for something to do, and they still had tickets that evening. I am glad I went. It's been a while since I saw a Richard Strauss opera, and so I was looking forward to this one.

Alfred Schnittke's Life with an Idiot

Once again, I went to Magdeburg to see this opera. Given my penchant for the visceral, the complex, and the avant-garde, Alfred Schnittke’s Life with an Idiot (Жизнь с идиотом) is a choice that aligned remarkably well with my "high-octane" musical palate.

Georg Friedrich Händel's Agrippina

Oh I never imagined I would absolutely enjoy an opera that was more than 300 years old. Contemporary classical music tends to be the type of music that I enjoy the most, so a Baroque opera would be very far from my familiar territory. Nevertheless, I wanted to broaden my horizons and so I went all the way to Halle an der Saale for one evening to attend a very contemporary performance of Händel's Agrippina, an opera from 1709.

Franz Schreker's Der Schatzgräber

This piece was interesting. I took an interest in this opera not because it was contemporary, but rather because this is one of those operas that seems to be rarely performed nowadays. So when it appeared on the schedule of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, I opted to get a ticket.

Francis Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites

I went all the way to Dresden to see this one. The Semperoper was producing it earlier this year, and one of the dates was designated as "Dresdentag", which meant that Category 1 seats were being sold for a low price, compared to the usual. I couldn't resist not going. And I am glad that I did.

Matthias Pintscher's Das kalte Herz

This opera was an interesting one. I am semi-familiar with Matthias Pintscher's music, and I wanted to see what an opera of his might be like. It was worth it.

Harrison Birtwistle's Punch and Judy

I went all the way to Frankfurt for this one. It is a weird opera, and I just felt like I really needed to see it. And I am glad I did!

Kurt Weill's Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny

Oh I definitely enjoyed this opera. It's an opera from 1930, and is definitely an opera that is anti-Wagner so to speak.

Modest Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina

I wanted to see something different. So when the opportunity presented itself to watch my first Russian-language opera, I decided to take it. It appeared in the form of Modest Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina. I have to say, this was epic, very different, and absolutely fantastic.

Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette

Watching Roméo et Juliette was a spontaneous decision. I was alone in Berlin one week, and had nothing to do. So I checked out what was showing in the Berlin opera houses, and found this one. Given that the music is outside of the typical classical music genres that I enjoy, I was wondering whether I would enjoy this one or not. It ended up to be a positive experience.

Riccardo Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini

The Deutsche Oper Berlin started offering tickets for 34 EUR on certain days during the season, and so this was one such day. I decided to go and watch this production, not only because of the discounted ticket, but also because I actually don't know anything about Riccardo Zandonai, nor about this piece. It turned out to be a fantastic evening.

Astor Piazzolla's María de Buenos Aires

I went to all the way from Berlin to Erfurt for this one. This was fantastic!

Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto

Ah, Rigoletto. This was such a tragic plot.