Iphigénie en Tauride

The ancient story of Iphigenia is part of a cycle of violence from which there is no escape. It once began with Agamemnon’s willingness to sacrifice his own daughter Iphigenia in order to make the goddess Diana sympathetic to his entry into the Trojan War. Iphigenia’s mother, Clytemnestra, avenged her daughter by killing her husband Agamemnon upon his return from the war. In turn, Orest, Iphigenia’s brother, avenged his father's murder by killing his own mother. Since then, Orest has been tormented by the Eumenides, the goddesses of vengeance. According to the oracle of Delphi, he will only find relief by traveling to Tauris, from where he is to bring the statue of Diana back to Greece. Iphigenia, who was saved by Diana at the last moment before she was sacrificed, lives in Tauris as her priestess. When she is to sacrifice Orest – as she does every stranger who arrives on the island – to Diana, the siblings recognize each other, and Iphigenia refuses to kill again. Thus, the bloody cycle is finally broken.

Gluck, the great reformer, transformed the static French operatic genre of the 18th century into a lively drama of human passions, providing spectacular musical expression for his protagonists’ inner conflicts. Andreas Homoki’s lauded, concentrated production puts the characters’ emotions at the center of the story – first among them the conflict between Iphigenia’s feelings for her brother and her duty as a priestess, and her nearly superhuman strength to forgive. The title role is played by Birgitte Christensen, who also appeared in the premiere series. In the pit is our Orchestra La Scintilla, playing on period instruments. The production is musically led by Greek conductor George Petrou, who knows the early classical repertoire very well.

On June 17, 2023 the official ticket sale for the season 23/24 starts. Friends, subscribers, and shareholders can take advantage of their advance purchase rights one week earlier.