On a cold, rain-swept evening, 13 February 2026, Staatsoper Unter den Linden presented one of Giacomo Puccini’s most gripping masterpieces. Already a highlight of the season, the closing performance crowned its run with an interpretation that combined musical refinement, theatrical intensity, and an audience response that lasted long after the final curtain.

Production and Artistic Team

The three-act melodrama, drawn from the play by Victorien Sardou and fashioned into a libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, was conducted by Petr Popelka and staged by Alvis Hermanis. Visual elements played a decisive role: sets and costumes came from Kristine Jurjane, lighting from Gleb Filshtinsky, while the chorus had been meticulously prepared by Gerhard Polifka. In the pit, the Staatskapelle Berlin once again demonstrated why it is counted among Europe’s most distinguished opera........

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