Large chunks of repertoire and new dance direction in Basel

Under the direction of Benedikt von Peter, Theater Basel has ambitious plans for the next season. 29 premieres and 10 revivals are on the program for the three divisions of ballet, opera and drama.

The opera is staging Richard Wagner's tetralogy over two seasons The Ring of the Nibelung. The host stands at the director's desk; the British conductor Jonathan Nott at the podium of the Basel Symphony Orchestra. In 2023/24, the one-act Vorabend The Rhinegold and the almost five-hour Valkyrie developed.

Grönemeyer's opera debut

The musical comedy promises a spectacular world premiere Horse eats hat by singer and bandleader Herbert Grönemeyer in a production by Herbert Fritsch. The composition based on Eugène Labiche's A Florentine hat is Grönemeyer's first music theater production.

The Argentinian choreographer Constanza Macras stages Bizet's Carmen and Rachael Wilson in the title role for the first time, while Salzburg's successful director Romeo Castellucci Mozart's Requiem to the stage. Ivor Bolton will conduct the Basel Symphony Orchestra for the last time as chief conductor.

Christoph Marthaler takes on Monteverdi's last opera L'Incoronazione di Poppea with Kerstin Avemo in the title role. With the mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter and the countertenor Jake Arditti, important roles are prominently cast. The love affair between Nero and the new empress is likely to be another cult production of slowness. The director of the London Academy of Ancient Music, Laurence Cummings, and the baroque orchestra La Cetra will ensure a historically informed performance.

Several revivals fill the opera program: Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Webers Freischütz and Verdi's Rigoletto with Regula Mühlemann as Gilda.

Change of style in ballet

The ballet division is radically reshuffled when Richard Wherlock hands over the ballet directorship after more than twenty years. From then on, it is led by dance curator Adolphe Binder and ballet master Tilman O'Donnell. Instead of classical story ballets, the following are performed: the ballet evening Marie & Pierre by US choreographer Bobbi Jene Smith, an "abduction into a sensual and dramatic multiverse"; Telling Stories by the Swiss artist Fabrice Mazliah, the ballet Verwandlung - A poetically pulsating two-act play with dance and choir by Saburo Teshigawara and on the subject of metabolism the dance and video piece DIEstinguished by La Ribot. One looks in vain for a choreography by the new dance theater director. Born in Romania, she comes from the Wupperthal dance theater scene as a successor to Pina Bausch. The 30 members of the future ballet company, who come from 16 different countries, are referred to as "Dance/Performance Festivals & Guests". At least a third of the Wherlock ensemble will be taken over.

There were allegedly no applications from dancers from the theater's own professional ballet school. Despite accusations against the director, the canton of Basel-Stadt was still subsidizing the school, whose professional training will be discontinued at the end of the school year in the summer, with 900,000 francs. The external investigation found "that some of the female students interviewed were subjected to humiliation and that the principal intimidated them with her behavior and created a climate of fear"! A harsh accusation and an unpleasant end for the 22-year-old training center.

One bright spot is the opening of the foyer of the main stage to the general public. People from all walks of life and generations engage in conversation, study, dance and song. And all this with free admission and no police presence!