Valentina Fijačko Kobić

The most brilliant of Austrian operettas takes us to the outskirts of romantic Old Vienna. It’s New Year Eve and we are in the company of Rosalinde, who is determined to teach her philandering husband Eisenstein a lesson, even while she is being pursued by her former beau, the operatic tenor Alfred. At the centre of the action is the extremely wealthy, eternally bored Prince Orlofsky, whose lavish masked ball brings everything to a most delicious boil. But what if the whole plot has been a cunning plan masterminded by someone just to get back at Eisenstein? Die Fledermaus, Johann Strauss II’s comic operetta in three acts which premiered in 1874, has become a synonym of the operetta genre.

To find a wife who truly loves him, a young trickster disguises himself as a pauper. But getting her parents' blessing will take every trick in the book. Part of the Croatian National Theatre’s repertoire since its premiere in 1935, Jakov Gotovac’s comic opera is an ode to a rural way of life. It culminates in a frenzied tempo with a vigorous ballet – a celebration of Dalmatian music and dance.

A beautiful, coldhearted Chinese princess has issued a decree for her suitors: whoever cannot solve her riddles to win her hand will be beheaded. When a mysterious man passes her test, will she finally open her heart to love? Puccini’s last opera Turandot, unfinished at his death, is musically his most adventurous work. Infused with Asian touches, it cannot deny its Italian heritage, culminating in the world-famous aria ‘Nessun dorma’. In 2017, the director duo Ricci/Forte were awarded the prestigious Italian Music Critics Award Franco Abbiati for best direction for their creative project.