Young stars shine in the Staatsoper Berlin’s Rosenkavalier

Peter Rose, Nikola Hillebrand, Patricia Nolz, Christian Thielemann and Julia Kleiter

Der Rosenkavalier, Act 2

Der Rosenkavalier, Act 3

Patricia Nolz (Octavian)

By Mark Pullinger, 29 March 2026

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“cherry-toned and luscious, but the top has a glossy sheen many sopranos would envy”

Reviewed at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin on 28 March 2026

Strauss R., Der Rosenkavalier

Staatsoper Berlin

Christian Thielemann, Conductor

André Heller, Director

Xenia Hausner, Set Designer

Arthur Arbesser, Costume Designer

Olaf Freese, Lighting Designer

Staatskapelle Berlin

Julia Kleiter, Feldmarschallin

Peter Rose, Baron Ochs

Patricia Nolz, Octavian

Roman Trekel, Herr von Faninal

Nikola Hillebrand, Sophie

Clara Nadeshdin, Marianne

Karl-Michael Ebner, Valzacchi

Katharina Kammerloher, Annina

Friedrich Hamel, Police inspector

Florian Hoffmann, Feldmarschallin's Major-Domo

Junho Hwang, Faninal's Major-Domo

Carles Pachón, Notary

Stephan Rügamer, An innkeeper

Andrés Moreno García, Italian Singer

Sonja Herranen, A milliner

Eyes wide shut for Berlin’s new Ballo

Mark Pullinger, 29th March

At the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Rafael R Villalobos addresses the problems he perceives with Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, although the musical performances – led by Anna Netrebko – compensate.

***11

Love is in the hare: a new Cunning Little Vixen opens in Berlin

Elena Luporini, 28th February

The Staatsoper's new production of Janáček's opera buzzes with life thanks to Sir Simon Rattle's conducting and an excellent cast led by Vera-Lotte Boecker and Magdalena Kožená.

****1

Pintscher’s Das kalte Herz premieres at Staatsoper Unter den Linden

Elena Luporini, 14th January

On a snowy January evening, the premiere of Matthias Pintscher’s new opera Das kalte Herz fails to warm up the Berlin public.

**111

Happy 100th birthday, Wozzeck! Thielemann leads Berlin revival

Elena Luporini, 14th December

The Staatsoper Unter den Linden celebrates the 100th birthday of Alban Berg's masterpiece with a stellar cast in Andrea Breth’s revived production.

***11

Low on laughs: Die schweigsame Frau in Berlin

Elena Luporini, 19th July

Newly General Music Director Christian Thielemann and Jan Philipp Gloger bring Richard Strauss' Die schweigsame Frau to the Staatsoper Berlin for the first time, but la commedia is hardly stupenda.

**111

A Norma cooking on medium at Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden

Elena Luporini, 13th April

Despite excellent performances from Rachel Willis-Sørensen and Elmina Hasan, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden's new production of Norma lacks a pinch of salt.

***11

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Young stars shine as Rosenkavalier opens Staatsoper Unter den Linden’s Festtage