An empty glitter bomb: Aschenbrödels Traum at the Volksoper Wien

Daniel Schmutzhard (Johann Strauss) and Juliette Khalil (Ida Grünwald)

Lionel von Lawrence (Danny Robinson) and Oliver Liebl (Aschenbrödel)

Mila Schmidt (Grete), Juliette Khalil (Ida Grünwald), Lionel von Lawrence (Danny) and Oliver Liebl

Ruth Brauer-Kvam (Miss Alice / Madame Francine) and Ensemble

Jakob Semotan (Manager Stefan/Josef Stanzel) and Ensemble

By Chanda VanderHart, 05 December 2025

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“the evening feels like scrolling through an over-caffeinated Instagram feed”

Reviewed at Volksoper Wien, Vienna on 4 December 2025

Eisenreich, Aschenbrödels Traum (after sketches by Johann Strauss II)

Volksoper Wien

Leslie Suganandarajah, Conductor

Axel Ranisch, Director

Falko Herold, Set Designer

Alfred Mayerhofer, Costume Designer

Alex Brok, Lighting Designer

Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper

Chorus of the Vienna Volksoper

Daniel Schmutzhard, Johann Strauß / Leon

Juliette Khalil, Ida Grünwald

Oliver Liebl, Aschenbrödel

Jakob Semotan, Stanzel / Fußballmanager

Lionel von Lawrence, Danny Robinson

Ruth Brauer-Kvam, Mutter / Mme Francine

Death, interrupted: KaiserRequiem moves at the Volksoper

Chanda VanderHart, 25th January

Omer Meir Wellber’s Mozart-Ullmann mash-up sounds like a terrible idea, but absolutely hits the mark.

****1

Paging Dr Freud! Iolanta and the Nutcracker at the Volksoper Wien

Mark Pullinger, 5th December

When is The Nutcracker not The Nutcracker? When's it's mashed together with Tchaikovsky's Iolanta to represent the blind princess’ inner world in a dark interpretation.

****1

Ella Milch-Sheriff’s Alma emerges as a dark triumph at the Volksoper

Chanda VanderHart, 31st October

A haunting, musically compelling impression of a woman whose life was shaped by creation, loss, and unfulfilled thirst for personal expression.

****1

Femicide! A controversial Carmen from Lotte de Beer at the Volksoper

Chanda VanderHart, 6th October

Lotte de Beer’s new retelling at the Volksoper reintroduces the element of shock into Bizet's popular opera.

****1

The subconscious at play: Lady in the Dark at the Volksoper

Chanda VanderHart, 18th December

Kurt Weill's musical, with its focus on psychoanalysis, makes its Austrian premiere in the city of Sigmund Freud.

****1

Brigadoon charms in Austrian premiere at the Volksoper

Chanda VanderHart, 4th December

Movement was so effectively utilised in this production, with elements of ballet, modern and Scottish folk melded in true Agnes de Mille fashion.

****1

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Chanda VanderHart

Dr. Chanda VanderHart is a pianist, musicologist and creative who lives, works and plays in Vienna, Austria. For more on Chanda and her projects, click here.