Grüße von Übersee

It is astounding how many operas celebrate the conquest and subjugation of faraway cultures. Antonio Vivaldi wrote an opera about the Aztek king Montezuma, Giacomo Meyerbeer’s »L'Africaine« is dedicated to the pioneer of colonialism Vasco da Gama, and even the famous story of Chio-Chio San and Pinkerton in Giacomo Puccini’s »Madama Butterfly« is set against the background of the American occupation of Japan. This gala will take the audience on a modern-day expedition into the unknown regions of the opera repertoire, highlighting the relationship between opera and global domination.