Spring!

As spring gathers apace in May, the Komische Oper presents one of the twentieth century’s pivotal masterpieces: Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. A ballet depicting a springtime sacrificial ritual, it’s still one of the modern repertoire’s most imposing works, featuring intricate rhythms and bold melodies. The American conductor Tito Muñoz is also bringing us a fascinating work from across the Atlantic. While Stravinsky was scandalizing early twentieth-century Europe with his expressionist ballets, the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas—much less well known in Germany—was crafting his own orchestral masterpiece, Sensemayá, likewise inspired by ancient dance rituals. In addition, the soprano Josefine Mindus returns to the Komische Oper with Brett Dean’s contemporary Shakespearean meditation And Once I Played Ophelia. And what better way to conclude the evening than with Charles Ives’ existential inquiry, The Unanswered Question?