When lies become normalised and history is continually rewritten, who will remember what truth looks like? In 1984, the population of Oceania is under constant surveillance, immersed in a daily torrent of propaganda and doublethink.
Led by Big Brother, the INGSOC party has totalitarian control. Their Thought Police crush every attempt at independence. Winston is a civil servant at the Ministry of Truth, continually erasing and reshaping history to fit the party’s version of events, but he secretly longs for truth and love, which he finds in Julia. Their attempt to find sanctuary in each other outside the system has lethal consequences. In a society where love is forbidden, even touch is an act of rebellion.
In this opera, based on George Orwell’s 1949 novel, the dystopian world of Oceania is brought to life through music that is by turns brutal and tender, proceeding at a cinematic pace. It is a merciless operatic experience that refuses to let go.
1984 was composed by Lorin Maazel, one of the twentieth century’s leading conductors, and had its premiere at Covent Garden in 2005. Our production comes from Theater Regensburg, named Theatre of the Year in Germany in 2025.
A production on loan from Theater Regensburg.
