We're Still Open

Restiamo aperti

Seguimos abiertos

Live performances have been cancelled all over Europe as the health crisis has become a crisis for the cultural sector. But we’re still open and doing our best to support the live arts in this difficult time on ARTE.

collection_content

collection_videos

With the composer in attendance, the French radio orchestra performs film scores from famous films such as The English Patient, The Talented Mr Ripley and Betty Blue.

Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France

Gabriel Yared: Film Music

All videos

collection_subcollection

Founded on the boulevard Unter den Linden in 1742 at the behest of King Frederick II of Prussia, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden is one of the German capital’s most illustrious cultural institutions. 

Staatsoper Unter den Linden

40 microphones for the orchestra, 20 microphones for the choir, one camera for the conductor and 1000 meters of 10 gigabit fiber optic cable: This is how the "sound transmission from next door" of the Zurich Opera works. The orchestra and choir broadcast live from the rehearsal room on Kreuzplatz to the auditorium of the opera house.

Zurich Opera House

40 microphones for the orchestra, 20 microphones for the choir, one camera for the conductor and 1000 meters of fiber optic cable.

The way of the sound

The year is 1830 and the ruling Zurich pastor doesn’t want a theatre in his city. The citizenry find this situation intolerable and decide to establish a “TheaterAktiengesellschaft” – an ingenious move involving the creation of a joint-stock company that enabled the inhabitants of the city to build a theatre. Sixty years later, the building burns down and everyone is happy. How can that be?

What you’ve always wanted to know about the Zurich Opera House but never dared to ask: time to take stock...

Let’s take stock

What happens to all the costumes at the end of the season?The nimble-fingered ladies of the Costume Shop unlock the ozone closet and demonstrate vodka spray.What you always wanted to know about the Opernhaus, but were afraid to ask:The team of Opernhaus Zürich reveals all.

What you always wanted to know about the Opernhaus, but were afraid to ask:The Repertoire Costume Shop.

The Ladies of the Repertoire Costume Shop

New shoes should be taken good care of. “Certainly not!” screams the pointe shoe.Because the pointe shoe is tough – having been cut, kneaded, beaten, and stitched.All for its own good of course.What you always wanted to know about the Opernhaus, but were afraid to ask:the team of Opernhaus Zürich reveals all.

What you always wanted to know about the Opernhaus, but were afraid to ask: The Pointe Shoe.

The Life of a Pointe Shoe

Not only in the auditorium, there are many seats in an opera house. Who takes a seat where when any why in the opera house during the course of a working day? The Zurich Opera House answers in a new episode of: What you always wanted to know about the opera house, but never dared to ask.

What you always wanted to know about the opera house, but never dared to ask.

Chairs, Stools, and other Seats

A lyrical mezzo-soprano and sonorous baritone sing a musical in an opera house.Or is it an operetta? Categorizing works according to genre is not always easy, but it can be extremely important.What are the different disciplines for singers and how are they assigned? What you always wanted to know about the Opernhaus, but were afraid to ask:The team of Opernhaus Zürich reveals all.

What you always wanted to know about the Opernhaus, but were afraid to ask: The Voice.

The voice

In six minutes, the curtain rises - a stressful moment for every opera singer. Tenor Benjamin Bernheim, baritone Huw Montague Rendall and conductor Speranza Scappucci explain how they deal with their stage fright. What you always wanted to know about an opera house, but never dared to ask: employees of the Zurich Opera House answer.

What you always wanted to know about an opera house, but never dared to ask.

Stage fright

Over a ton of artificial fir trees must go on the stage of the Zurich Opera House. They are needed for "La bohème". But not every person in Zurich understands why day in and day out there’s an opera truck driving through the city. What you always wanted to know about an opera house, but never dared to ask: employees of the Zurich Opera House answer.

What you always wanted to know about an opera house but never dared to ask.

Scenography

Puking geese, gutted pigs and almost real crows - Andreas Gatzka is the "Gyro Gearloose" at the studios of the Zurich Opera House. He creates illusions on stage that put the visions of the directors to life. What you always wanted to know about an opera house, but never dared to ask: employees of the Zurich Opera House answer.

Theatre Magic

Andreas Homoki, Director of the Zurich Opera House, will remain in office until 2025. The contract extension was announced by the Board of Directors of the Zurich Opera House on 2 July 2018. The contract renewal of ballet director Christian Spuck was also announced. Gianandrea Noseda succeeds Fabio Luisi as General Music Director from 2021.

Director Andreas Homoki and ballet director Christian Spuck have extended their contracts.

Zurich Opera House: Team 2021

The Opernhaus Zurich is Switzerland’s largest cultural institution.

Scarcely any other opera house is as tradition-conscious as is the Vienna State Opera.

Vienna State Opera

Conductor Raphaël Pichon and director Cyril Teste team up to bring Beethoven’s Fidelio to the stage of the Opéra Comique.

Beethoven’s only opera conducted by Raphaël Pichon.

Beethoven's "Fidelio" at the Opéra Comique

The name of this Paris institution stands for a whole subgenre of opera.

Opéra Comique

National opera since 1963, La Monnaie maintains a strong multicultural identity.

La Monnaie/De Munt

Long-neglected works from several centuries of operatic history have long been a staple of the internationally acclaimed annual opera festival in the little Irish coastal town of Wexford.Having been forced to take a break last year, the festival has a rediscovered work by the important Italian composer Alfredo Catalani on this year’s programme: Edmea.

Wexford Festival Opera 2021

Wexford Opera Festival proudly presents a rediscovered, long forgotten work by Alfredo Catalani.

Alfredo Catalani: Edmea

This year’s opera festival in the little seaside town of Wexford in Ireland was originally to have been devoted to operatic adaptations of Shakespeare. But like so many other festivals in this pandemic year, Wexford Festival Opera had to rethink its entire concept. No longer able to welcome opera lovers from all over the world, it relaunched the festival on the internet under the banner of “Waiting for Shakespeare ... The Festival in the air.”

This year’s opera festival in the little seaside town of Wexford in Ireland was originally to have been devoted to operatic adaptations of Shakespeare.

Wexford Festival Opera – Waiting for Shakespeare

The little town of Wexford, just two hours away from Dublin, is home to an opera festival like no other.

Wexford Festival Opera

During Richard Wagner’s seven years here he staged the premieres of both Der Fliegender Holländer and Tannhäuser.