Go to the site's main content

A place for joy

Welcome to a season filled with the joy of life and the search for it.

This season offers a varied repertoire of opera and drama including new productions (The Bartered Bride, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Nabucco, Cabaret), Swedish premieres (Die schweigsame Frau, Märchen im Grand-Hotel), much-anticipated revivals (La Bohème, Rigoletto, Tinsel and Tumult) and unique experiences, including a pocket version of Don Pasquale and premieres of two original pieces – Sandvargen and Svenne. In summary: a glorious mix of well-known works and new discoveries.

Many of these works share a strong common theme: How do we choose the person we want to share our life with, and how free is our choice? This is a question posed by many of our main characters this season. Some of them are clearly influenced by social rules and the expectations of people around them, as in the case of Rigoletto and the arranged marriages in The Bartered Bride, Don Pasquale and Die schweigsame Frau. Others are more influenced by romantic ideals, such as the quest for perfection in Les Contes d’Hoffmann or the easy charm seen in La Bohème, or by a thirst for power, as in Nabucco.

The characters in this season’s two musicals, Cabaret and Märchen im Grand-Hotel, find themselves similarly balancing on the boundary between free choice and social norms. The imaginative child in the new opera Sandvargen, in which philosophical questions are brought to life for a young audience, helps us understand the world a little better. This is perhaps something both we and this season’s main characters need.

Although these works may differ widely from each other, they are all populated by strong characters, multifaceted individuals who break loose, rebel, raise their voices or find their own paths.

The 2022/2023 season also features a wide range of concerts. Grandi Voci, our series of recitals by great singers, continues, bringing you international stars such as Lawrence Brownlee and Maria Bengtsson. Our magnificent orchestra takes the limelight in concerts of music by Alfvén, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky, while a new initiative featuring young conductors will fill our hearts with joy and wonderful music this summer. The orchestra is joined by our eminent chorus for Puccini’s choral work Messa di Gloria, which will be performed in two cathedrals. Our much-loved foyer chamber concerts will continue this season, as will our popular GO Club, a monthly after-work event with a bar, food and live music.

We’ll also continue our initiatives to attract young and new audiences. Skapa Days, Recreate and The Year 2 Choir are three examples of this. Our collaborations with local schools, the Red Cross and Save the Children will be stepped up.

We really look forward to sharing all this with you, our dear audience. Welcome to our world of musical joy and dramatic intensity!

Henning Ruhe
Artistic Director Opera/Drama