Caligula

What happens when the worst traits of a power-hungry prince incapable of resisting earthly pleasures, a morally corrupt, vengeful, manipulative woman, and a desire-driven but highly impressionable teenage girl all erupt at the same time upon the appearance of a holy man?

Bartók Béla’s two highly influential stage works explore the dynamics of the relationship between man and woman and the deeper layers of their personalities, as presented by creators who, through a fusion of tradition and innovation, reveal the possibilities inherent in these works for 21st-century audiences.

Pairing the two German composers, Wagner and the Wagnerian Strauss in a single evening creates a sweeping and overwhelming fusion of expansive melodies and driving dramatic force. The encounter between Wagner’s mythical intensity and Strauss’s modernism is a dialogue between two musical giants who reshaped not only German but also international musical life. In the performance of the OPERA Orchestra, their compositions promise deep emotions, dense musical textures, and sonic grandeur.