The golden dragon awakes and the knights raise from their sleep when we return to the depth of our hearts, listening to the most human rhythm of all rhythms: our heartbeat. And not two beats are the same, and not to humans are.

Storytelling is one of the oldest traits of humanity and it will prevail and outlive all AI, chatGPT and smart glasses.

I am pursuing the ultimate art of storytelling in music theater — inspired by magic realism and what connects us all as humans: pure love.

2024

Edgar - version de 4 actes

Giacomo Puccini

Conductor Daniele Callegari
Set George Souglides
Lighting David Debrinay
Cast

9 November 2024 Co-production with Teatro Regio Torino et Carlo Felice di Genoa
Opera de Nice

Opera de Nice Côte d'Azur

2024

Ulysses

Reinhard Keiser

Dirigent Clemens Flick
Ausstattung Madeleine Boyd
Licht Andreas Rehfeld
Dramaturgie Thomas Böckstiegel
Texte Ulrike Schumann
Cast
- Henryk Böhm
- Jutta Böhnert
- Dora Pavlikovà
- Klaus Brantzen
- NN
- NN
- NN

22 March 2024
Stadttheater Solothurn

Solothurn/Biel

2022

Ulysses

Reinhard Keiser

Dirigent Clemens Flick
Ausstattung Madeleine Boyd
Licht Andreas Rehfeld
Dramaturgie Thomas Böckstiegel
Texte Ulrike Schumann
Cast
- Henryk Böhm
- Jutta Böhnert
- Dora Pavlíková
- Andrew Nolen
- Theresa Immerz
- João Terleira
- Manuela Sonntag
- Elena Trobisch
- Klaus Brantzen

3 December 2022

Theater Heidelberg/Schlosstheater Schwetzingen

2022

Le Amazzone nell'isole fortunate

C. Pallavicino

Conductor Christophe Rousset - Les Talens
Lyriques
Video Marc de Pierrefeu
Lighting Leo Göbl
Cast
- Axelle Fanyo
- Marco Angioloni
- Clara Guillon
- Irina Kyshliaruk
- Anara Khassenova
- Eleonore Gagey
- Olivier Cesarini

25 June 2022 im Rahmen der Musikfestspiele Postdam Sanssouci
Schlosstheater Neues Palais Potsdam

a young singers project with Les Talens Lyriques

stefan gloede

2022

Turandot

G. Puccini

Conductor Chin-Chao Lin
Stage Mirella Weingarten
Costumes Raphaela Rose
Video Martin Andersson
Lighting Leo Göbl
Cast
- Camila Ribero-Souza
- Jeffrey Hartman/Deniz Yilmaz
- Anna Pisareva/Theodora Varga
- Young Kwon/Oliver Weidinger
- Frederic Mörth
- Brent L. Damkier
- Jason Lee
- Seymur Karimov
- Christian Schossig

20 May 2022

Stadttheater Regensburg - NEUER TERMIN/NEW DATE

2022

Die Fledermaus

J. Strauss

Conductor Lucie Leguay
Choreography Bruno Bouché
Set Cleo Laigret
Costumes Lauriane Demissy
Lights David Debrinay
Cast
- Benoit Rameau
- Parveen Savart
- Clémence Danvy/Marie Lombard
- Floriane Hasler
- Yeongtaek Seo
- Matthieu Walendzik
- Aymeric Biesemans
- Lancelot Lamotte
- Thais Rai-Westphal
- Sébastien Dutrieux

2 March 2022

CNSMDP/Philharmonie de Paris

Ferrante Ferranti

2021

Macbeth

G. Verdi

Conductor Sebastiano Rolli
Design Ashley Martin Davies
Light Andrew May
Video Pierre Martin/
Jerome Huguenin-Virchaux
Cast
- Stephen Gaertner
- Alexandra Zabala
- Dario Russo
- Elodie Hache
- Carlo Allemano
- Yoann LeLan
- Jonas Yajure

2 November 2021

Opera de Dijon/Auditorium - NEUER TERMIN/NEW DATE

Mirco Magliocca

2021

Rusalka

Antonin Dvorak

Conductor Pavel Baleff
Set Julia Müer
Costumes Raffaela Rose
Lights Bernd Purkrabek/Rick Martin
Video Martin Andersson
Cast
- Ruzan Mantashyan
- Adam Smith
- Marie Adeline Henry
- Marion Lebegue
- Rafal Pawnuk
- Marc Scoffoni
- Yete Queiroz

29 January 2021 Co-production with Opera du Rhin Strasbourg

Opera de Limoges - NO PUBLIC PERFORMANCE/FILMED FOR FRENCH TV

2020

Stiffelio

Giuseppe Verdi

Conductor Michael Balke
Set Boris Kudlicka
Costumes Julia Müer
Light Felice Ross
Cast
- Dimitris Paksoglou / Mickael Spadaccini
- Annemarie Kremer / Jessica Rose Cambio
- Damiano Salerno / Alexey Bogdanchikov
- Nik Kevin Koch
- Samuli Taskinen / Bozidar Bozhikilov
- Christel Loetzsch

26 June 2020

Klosterhof St. Galler Festspiele - CANCELLED- ANNULÉ

2020

Macbeth

Giuseppe Verdi

Conductor Sebastiano Rolli
Design Ashley Martin Davis
Light Andrew May
Video Pierre Martin
Cast
- Stephen Gaertner
- Alexandra Zabala
- Dario Russo
- Stephanie Marshall
- Carlo Allemano
- Yoann Le Lan
- Jonas Yajure

22 March 2020

Opera de Dijon/Auditorium - CANCELLED/RESCHEDULED - ANNULÉ/REPORTÉ

2019

La Traviata

Giuseppe Verdi

Conductor Ainars Rubikis/ Jordan de Souza
Set Madeleine Boyd
Costumes Annemarie Woods
Lighting design Linus Fellbom
Soundscape Sebastian Lipski
Video Benjamin Weiß/ Jake Witlen
Dramaturgy Simon Berger
Choreography Oren Laszowski
Cast
- Natalya Pavlova/Vera-Lotte Boecker
- Ivan Magrí/Alexey Neklyudov
- Günter Papendell/Giuseppe Altomare
- Maria Fiselier/Marta Mika
- Marta Mika/Caren van Oiyen
- Philip Mayrhöfer
- Ivan Turšić
- Carsten Sabrowski
- Dániel Foki

1 December 2019

Komische Oper Berlin

Iko Freese / drama-berlin.de

2019

Rusalka

Antonin Dvorak

Conductor Antony Hermus
Set Julia Müer
Costumes Raffaela Rose
Video Martin Andersson
Lighting design Bernd Purkrabek
Cast
- Pumeza Matzikisha
- Brian Register
- Rebecca von Lipinski
- Patricia Bardon
- Attila Jun
- Clairen Péron
- Jacob Scharfman

18 October 2019 Co-production with Opera de Limoge

Reviews

»«

Opera National du Rhin Strasbourg

Klara Beck

2019

Ariodante

G.F. Händel

Conductor Ian Page
Set & Lighting Linus Fellbom
Costumes Gesine Völlm
Choreography Caroline Finn
Cast
- Ann Hallenberg
- Christophe Dumaux
- Roberta Mameli
- Francesca Aspromonte
- Martin Vanberg
- Johannes Weisser
- Olof Lilja

3 August 2019

Drottningholm Slottstheater

Mats Bäcker

2019

La Wally

Alfredo Catalani

Dirigent Arvo Volmer
Bühnenbild Mirella Weingarten
Kostüme Julia Müer
Licht Clifton Taylor
Cast
- Charlotte Ann Shipley
- Ferdinand von Bothmer
- Ashley Martin Prewitt
- Francesca Sorteni
- Francesca Sartorato
- Alessandro Guerzoni
- Enrico Marchesini

21 March 2019

Stadttheater Bozen/ Fondazione Haydn OPER.A 20.21

2018

Jenufa

Leos Janacek

Conductor Loukas Karytinos
Design Georges Souglides
Licht David Debrinay
Choreographie Fotis Nicolaou
Cast
- Sarah Jane Brandon/Maria Mitsopoulou
- Sabine Hogrefe/Julia Souglakou
- Ines Zikou
- Frank van Aken
- Dimitris Paksoglou
- Artemis Bogri
- Margarita Syngeniotou
- Yannis Yannisis
- Dimitris Kassioumis
- Varvara Biza
- Barunka Preisinger
- Miranta Makrynioti

14 October 2018
Greek National Opera

Greek National Opera

2018

Il corsaro

Giuseppe Verdi

Conductor Fabio Biondi
Design George Souglides
Lightdesign David Debrinay
Cast
- Michael Fabiano
- Kristina Mkhitaryan
- Oksana Dyka
- Vito Priante

28 March 2018

Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia

2018

Semiramide

Gioacchino Rossini

Conductor Giuseppe Grazioli
Set Madeleine Boyd
Costumes Julia Müer
Lightdesign Bernd Purkrabek/Andrew May
Cast
- Karine Deshayes
- Aude Extremo
- Daniele Antonangeli
- Manuel Nunez-Camelino
- Thomas Dear

2 March 2018

l'Opera de Saint Etienne

2018

Elektra

Richard Strauss

Conductor Leo Hussein
Design Luis F. Carvalho
lightingdesign Nuno Meira
Cast
- Nadja Michael
- Lioba Braun
- Allison Oakes
- James Rutherford
- Marco Alves dos Santos

1 February 2018
Cultural Center Belem

National Theatre of São Carlos Lisbon

2017

Francesca da Rimini

Riccardo Zandonai

Conductor Giuliano Carella
Design Ashley Martin Davis
Lightdesign James Farncombe
Cast
- Saioa Hernandez
- Josy Santos
- Marco Vratogna
- Marcelo Puente
- Tom Randle
- Francesca Sorteni
- Marta Bauzà
- Claire Péron
- Fanny Lustaud
- Idunnu Münch
- Stefan Sbonnik
- Dionysios Tsaousidis

8 December 2017

Opera National du Rhin

2017

Lakme

Leo Délibes

Conductor Philippe Auguin
Set Design Annemarie Legenstein
Costumes Gesine Völlm
Lighting Zerlina Hughes
Video Martin Eidenberger
Cast
- Svetlana Moskalenko/Beate Ritter
- Leonardo Ferrando
- Taras Shtonda
- Matilda Poulsen
- Julie Mathevet
- Laine Quist
- Jakob Högström
- Maria Streijffert
- Eric Lavoipierre

7 October 2017

Malmö Opera

2017

Semiramide

Gioachino Rossini

Conductor Domingo Hindoyan
Set design Madeleine Boyd
Costumes Julia Müer
Lighting Bernd Purkrabek
Cast
- Salome Jicia
- Franco Fagioli
- Matthew Grills
- Nahuel Di Pierro
- Fabrizio Beggi
- Inna Jeskova
- Ju In Yoon

2 May 2017

Opera National Lorraine

2017

Der Zwerg

Alexander von Zemlinsky

Conductor Martin André
Set José Capela
Costumes Mariana Sa Nogueira
Lightdesign Rui Monteiro
Staffproducer Carlos Antunes
Cast
- Peter Bronder
- Sarah-Jane Brandon
- Dora Rodriguez
- Nuno Pereira
- Carla Caramujo
- Filipa van Eck
- Carolina Figueiredo

31 March 2017 — Portuguese premiere
Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos

National Theatre of São Carlos Lisbon

2016

I Capuleti e i Montecchi

Vincenzo Bellini

Conductor Fabio Biondi
Design Ashley Martin Davis
Lighting Linus Fellbom
Choreography Benito Marcellino
Cast
- Nino Surguladze
- Kristina Mkhitaryan
- Christopher Tiesi
- Igor Gnidii
- Alexander Robin Baker

5 November 2016
— Grieghallen

Bergen National Opera

2016

Written on Skin

George Benjamin

Conductor Rossen Gergov
Design Mirella Weingarten
Lighting Andreas Volk
Cast
- Vera-Lotte Böcker
- Bernhard Landauer
- Andrew Schroeder
- Anna Werle
- Daniel Ralphsson

7 October 2016 — Italian premiere Premio Franco Abbiati 2017 Miglior Regia

Stadttheater Bozen

2016

Jesu Hochzeit

Gottfried von Einem

Conductor Jonathan Stockhammer
Design Annemarie Legenstein
Lighting Hari Michlits
Cast
- Boris Grappe
- Frederika Brillembourg
- Ursula Hesse von den Steinen
- Julia Koci
- Annette Schoenmüller
- Marcel Beekman
- Dan Paul Dumitrescu

6 August 2016
Stiftshof Ossiach

Carinthischer Sommer

2016

A Flowering Tree

John Adams

Conductor Joana Carneiro
Design George Souglides
Lighting Aaron Black
Choreography Renato Zanella
Cast
- Jessica Rivera
- Luís Rodrigues
- Shawn Mathey

6 April 2016
Cultural Center Belem

National Theatre of São Carlos Lisbon

@ Carlos Antunes

2016

Lohengrin

Richard Wagner

Conductor Alexander Vedernikov
Set design George Souglides
Costumes Julia Müer
Lighting Aaron Black
Fights Ran Arthur Braun
Associate director Natascha Metherell
Cast
- Steven Humes
- Burkhard Fritz
- Anne Margrethe Dahl
- Yukka Rasilainen/
- Thomas Jesatko
- Tuiija Knihtilä
- Peter Felix Bauer

22 January 2016

Video

Copenhagen New Opera House

2015

Boris Godunov

Modest Mussorgski

Conductor Leif Segerstam
Set Georges Souglides
Costumes Julia Müer
Lightdesign Linus Fellbom
Cast
- Matti Salminen
- Anna Immonen
- Artem Grutko
- Mika Pohjonen
- Taras Shtonda/Jyrki Korhonen
- Christian Juslin
- Heikki Kilpeläinen
- Giorgi Kirof/Johann Tilli
- Lasse Penttinen
- Vuokko Kekäläinen
- Dan Karlström
- Hilke Andersen
- Heikki Aalto

11 July 2015 — Version 1869

Savonlinna Opera Festival

2015

Written on Skin

George Benjamin

Libretto Martin Crimp
Conductor Otto Tausk
Design Mirella Weingarten
Lighting Andreas Volk
Dramaturgy Alexandra Jud
Cast
- Evelyn Pollock
- Jordan Shanahan
- Benno Schachtner
- Theresa Holzhauser
- Nik Kevin Koch

2 May 2015 — Swiss Premiere

Theater St. Gallen

2015

A Flowering Tree

John Adams

Conductor Joana Carneiro
Design George Souglides
Lightdesign Aaron Black
Choreography Renato Zanella
Cast
- Julia Sporsén
- Eric Fennell
- Omar Ebrahim

7 February 2015 — A take-over from Chicago Opera Theater as Scandinavian premiere Gothenburg

Video

Göteborgs Operan

2014

Das Leben am Rande der Milchstrasse

Bernhard Gander

Text Christa Salchner
Johannes Heide
Conductor Simeon Pironkoff
Design Alix Burgstaller
Lightdesign Thomas Jelinek
Cast
- Benjamin Appl
- Nicolas Isherwood
- Theresa Dlouhy
- Anna Hauf
- Bernhard Landauer
- Bibiana Nwobilo

1 August 2014 — A Sitcom Opera – World Premiere
Werkstattbühne Bregenz/Konzerthaus Wien

Bregenzer Festspiele/Wien Modern

2014

Thaïs

Jules Massenet

Conductor Patrick Fournillier
Design Johan Engels
Lighting design Linus Felbom
Cast
- Nino Machaidze
- Plácido Domingo
- Paul Groves

17 May 2014
Los Angeles

Los Angeles Opera

2014

Das schlaue Füchslein

Leoš Janáček/Jonathan Dove

Conductor Attilio Tomasello
Design Alix Burgstaller
Lightdesign Rolf Irmer
Dramaturgy Alexandra Jud
Cast
- Wade Kernot
- Theresa Holzhauser
- Riccardo Botta
- Matt Boehler
- Jordan Shanahan
- Simone Riksman
- Evelyn Pollock
- Nik Kevin Koch
- Luzian Hirzel

19 February 2014 - chamber version
St.Gallen

Theater St. Gallen - Lokremise

2013

Otello

Giuseppe Verdi

Conductor Pier Giorgio Morandi
Set Design Ashley Martin Davis
Costumes Julia Müer
Lighting Design Linus Fellbom
Fights Ran Arthur Braun
Cast
- Raymond Very
- Ann Petersen
- John Lundgren

21 September 2013 - won Årets Best Opera 2014
Købnhavn

Video

Copenhagen Opera House

2013

Tristan und Isolde

Richard Wagner

Conductor Jan Latham-Koenig
Design George Souglides
Lighting design Aivar Salikhov
Cast
- Claudia Iten
- Michael Baba
- Anastasia Bibicheva/
- Elena Svechnikova
- Vitaly Efanov/
- Evgeny Stavinsky
- Artyom Garnov/
- Oleg Shagotsky
- Alexander Skvarko

19 May 2013 — nominated for the Golden Mask Awards as “Best Production”
Moskau

Novaya Opera Moscow

2013

Thaïs

Jules Massenet

Conductor Mikko Franck
Design Johan Engels
Lighting Design Linus Fellbom
Cast
- Sabina Cvilak
- Jaakko Kortekangas
- Luc Robert

25 January 2013
Helsinki

Video

Ooppera Helsinki

2012

Thaïs

Jules Massenet

Conductor Pedro Halffter
Design Johan Engels
Lighting Design Linus Fellbom
Cast
- Nino Machaidze
- Plácido Domingo
- Antonio Gandía
- Stefano Palatchi
- Micaëla Oeste
- Marifé Nogales

25 October 2012
Sevilla

Teatro de la Maestranza

2012

Les Malheurs d'Orphée / Mahagonny Songspiel

Darius Milhaud / Kurt Weill

Conductor Jan Latham-Koenig
Design Nicola Raab
Lighting Design Victor Zapatero
Video David Haneke
Paper Art Humberto Spíndola
Cast
- Andrew Ashwin
- Irasema Terrazas
- Andrew Rees
- Yvonne Fontane
- Natasha Day
- Josué Cerón
- Andreas Mattersberger
- Lourdes Ambriz
- Adélaïde Rouyer
- Richard Wiegold

18 August 2012
Mexico City

Sala Miguel Covarrubias, UNAM

2012

Thaïs

Jules Massenet

Conductor Patrick Fournillier
Design Johan Engels
Lighting Design Linus Fellbom
Cast
- Malin Byström
- Plácido Domingo
- Paolo Fanale
- Gianluca Buratto
- Micaela Oeste
- Marina Rodríguez-Cusí
- María José Suárez

28 March 2012
Valencia

Reviews

»Nicola Raab inszeniert die Oper als innovative Montage« El País

Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia

2011

Der Tod und das Mädchen

Alfons Karl Zwicker

Libretto Daniel Fuchs
Conductor Jonathan Stockhammer
Design Alix Burgstaller
Video David Haneke
Lighting Design Andreas Volk
Dramaturgy Magdalena Zorn
Cast
- Frances Pappas
- Andreas Scheibner
- Hans-Jürgen Schöpflin

17 September 2011 — Swiss Premiere
St. Gallen

Reviews

»…verstörte, fesselte und faszinierte…« Zürichsee Zeitung more…
»…eine packende szenische Lösung für das in jeder Hinsicht gewaltige Werk.« St. Galler Tagblatt »St. Gallen verstört« Bündner Tagblatt

Video

Theater St. Gallen

2011

Parsifal

Richard Wagner

Conductor Arvo Volmer
Co-director Ran A. Braun
Design Robert Innes Hopkins
Lighting Design Davy Cunningham
Cast
- Richard Decker/Roman Sadnik
- Irmgard Vilsmeier/Magdalena A. Hofmann
- Manfred Hemm/Richard Wiegold
- Eike Wilm Schulte/Rauno Elp
- Martin Winkler

25 August 2011 — Estonian premiere as part of Tallinn Cultural Capital of Europe, Noblessner foundry in the harbour of Tallinn

Reviews

»This approach worked and created the atmosphere of metaphysical barrenness.« Mike Amundsen on EPB News more…
»The partially preserved Art Nouveau elegance, the powerful Stalker effect of the grimy halls and the amazing sound offered a great variety of options that even Pirita Convent could not have provided. (...)
Nicola Raab wants to show us the end of the era of an industrial society, leaving us with the question of whether the new generation is able to keep watering its garden until the wounds inflicted on the nature heal like the body of Amfortas. Silvery pipes rust away, the Knights carry their pieces like memories, at the same time covering the metal with a white towel.« Klaus Billand for parsifal estonia

Video

Estonian National Opera Tallinn

2010

Il barbiere di Siviglia

Gioacchino Rossini

Conductor Arne Willimczik
Design Benita Roth
Lighting Design Wanja Ostrower
Cast
- Francis Bouyer/
- Seymur Karimov
- Jasmin Etezadzadeh/
- Misaki Ono
- Iurie Ciobanu
- Ruben Gerson
- Sung-Heon Ha
- Ruth Müller/
- Theodora Varga

18 December 2010
Regensburg

Reviews

»Eine tolle Aufführung, die man nicht versäumen darf!« Julia Hanekker in der Rundschau more…
»Was diese Produktionen in ihrer ganzen Unterschiedlichkeit verbindet, ist Raabs grenzüberschreitende Leidenschaft fürs Musiktheater jenseits der Kategorien von U- und E-Musik.« Hermann Weiß in der Welt am Sonntag »Vom Geist der Leichtigkeit durchweht. Die Regensburger Inszenierung (…) ist absolut hörens- und sehenswert. Ein Genius der Leichtigkeit durchweht die Premierenaufführung im Haus am Bismarckplatz. Schwerelos dahinschwebend wie Seifenblasen setzt sich das aus Intrigen und Liebeshändeln gewirkte Spiel in Gang. Kein derber Klamauk wird hier getrieben, vielmehr sorgen leichtgeschürzte Pointen und Gags immer wieder für Heiterkeit im Publikum, das ganz adäquat reagiert nicht mit lauten Gelächter, sondern mit verhaltenem Kichern und Glucksen. Man erlebt einen Theaterabend im Geiste von Rossinis spritziger Musik, bei dem die Szene stets im Detail auf die Töne aus dem Orchestergraben reagiert, (…) Einhelliges Urteil des Publikums. Dieser neue ›Barbier von Sevilla‹ macht dem Regensburger Theater Ehre, und verdient das Prädikat absolut sehens- und hörenswert.« Gerhard Dietl in der Mittelbayerische Zeitung

Stadttheater Regensburg

2010

Thaïs

Jules Massenet

Conductor Jan Latham-Koenig
Design Johan Engels
Lighting Design Linus Fellbom
Cast
- Malin Byström
- Thomas Lander
- Tomas Lind

27 February 2010
Göteborg

Reviews

»
…a theatre-experience that gives you
goose bumps
« Sofia Nyblom in Svenska dagbladet more…
»Opera for body and soul. In Nicola Raab’s (…) production the story is moved from fifth century Egypt to Paris and the time when the opera was written. This enhances the degradation from theatrical luxury to desert and impoverished nakedness as well as it sharpens the purpose typical of its time the unmasking of the ego. The scene when Thaïs leaves behind her creative existence and steps out of her boudoir, in which she has been completely emerged (you can almost not tell where she ends and the interior begins), is also one of many magically beautiful moments. Breath-taking! The final phrases cut through everything such as mirrors and names and contours—in order for something else to appear. A human being in all her undefined fullness. Let us call her Thaïs.« Martin Nyström in Dagens Nyheter

Video

Göteborgs Operan

2009

Owen Wingrave

Benjamin Britten

Conductor Daniel Hoyem Cavazza
Design Anne-Marie Legenstein
Lighting Design Michael Hofer
Cast
- Andrew Ashwin
- Brian Galliford
- Astrid Hofer
- Craig Smith
- Ingrid Habermann
- Rika Shiratsuki
- Paul Schweinester
- Ewa Biegas
- Tobias Margiol

23 May 2009 — Austrian Premiere
Wien

Reviews

»Das begeisterte Publikum erhielt einen unverstellten Blick auf die Geschichte. Bravo!« Markus Hennerfeind in Wiener Zeitung more…
»Director Nicola Raab and designer Anne Marie Legenstein have set the work within a group of abstract, sliding grey monoliths, which give it a military feel but also suggest the coldness of Paramore, the Wingrave mansion, and overwhelming claustrophobia. The ghost of the dead child haunts Owen, clutching his legs. With a quick movement of the monoliths, we are in Coyle’s schoolroom, dripping with toy soldiers, or in a park, or any number of locations in Paramore. A dinner table scene is effectively suggested with the cast standing in a line, each holding silver serving items (Sir Philip wields a carving knife and fork), while Owen remains empty handed, palms outstretched and upturned. Locked inside one of the monoliths, the dead Owen is revealed clad only in a loincloth, suggestive of a Michelangelo Pietà. It seems that Owen’s time has come.« Larry Lash on musicalamerica.com »Eine Rarität, die unter die Haut geht. Brittens ›Owen Wingrave‹ überzeugt in der Kammeroper.« Opal/Kurier »Essentielle Konfrontation mit dem Mut des Widerstands - mit fast 40 Jahren Verspätung endlich in Wien Benjamin Brittens ›Owen Wingrave‹ in einer exemplarischen Aufführung. Der (...) Abend beeindruckte das Publikum zu recht tief. Er ist in hohem Masse sehenswert.« Renate Wagner in Neues Volksblatt

Wiener Kammeroper

2008

MarathonFamily

Isidora Zebeljan

Conductor Premyl Petrovic
Fights Ran A. Braun
Design Duncan Hayler
Lighting Design Christian Weisskircher
Cast
- Marcel Beekman
- Martin Winkler/Robert Pertl
- Marco Disapia
- Walter Raffeiner
- Andreas Jankowitsch
- Jovita Sip
- Karin Golz
- Alfred Werner
- Ran A. Braun

13 August 2008 — World premiere at Bregenz Festival, Werkstattbühne
Jugoslav Drama Theatre Belgrade Neue Oper Wien, Halle E Museumsquartier Wien

Reviews

»
Mad and atrocious
« Süddeutsche Zeitung more…
»Brilliant, full of ideas and coherent, Nicola Raab put this creepy opera on the workshop-stage, at best supported by designer Duncan Hayler. Perturbed by the story, but delighted by the music, the staging and the performers, one emerges from this world premiere.« Neue Vorarlberger Tageszeitung »Nicola Raab’s production, with every detail perfect, is tangy and fast, the grumpy characters scarily alive; at least up to the final showdown, when the whole nightmarishly beautiful set collapses altogether and turns into a graveyard. Across the sky flickers a film of the marriage of the 2 lovers that will never take place. A magical opera that makes you hear, see and laugh.« Liechtensteiner Volksblatt »A Vile, Idiotic Opera The Marathon Family, a new opera buffa by Serbian composer Isidora Žebeljan, contains perhaps the most vile, reprehensible, disgusting, idiotic and amoral characters and plot in operatic history, and I loved ever one of its 88 uninterrupted minutes. Also starring were Duncan Hayler’s set, and Nicola Raab’s direction, together a stage-manager’s nightmare.« musicalamerica.com

Bregenzer Festspiele / Neue Oper Wien

2008

A Flowering Tree

John Adams

Conductor John Adams
Choreography Renato Zanella
Design George Souglides
Lighting Design Aron Black
Cast
- Natasha Jouhl
- Noah Stewart
- Sanford Sylvan

14 May 2008 — first fully stagedUS premiere
Harris Theater Chicago

Reviews

»It is a beautiful story with some of Adams’s most beautiful music. He has also finally found a director, Raab, who matches his aesthetic.« chicagocritic.com more…
»If all this was gorgeous to behold, it would not have impacted us as strongly as it did without Nicola Raab’s masterful direction. First, without ever unduly cluttering the stage, Ms. Raab has devised meaningful and poetic movement for the large chorus and corps de ballet.« operatoday.com »…beautiful, richly colored stage pictures at the hands of director Nicola Raab, whose "Beatrice and Benedict" last season for COT was also lovely to look at, and set and costume designer George Souglides. The transformation scenes are first hypnotic visual poetry. And choreographer Renato Zanella has found wonderful ways to animate Adams' score onstage with nine gifted dancers.
There are two beautiful streams of artistic creation here…« Chicago Suntimes

Chicago Opera Theater

2008

Scherz, Satire, Ironie und tiefere Bedeutung

Detlev Glanert

Libretto Jörg W. Gronius
Conductor Walter Kobéra
Choreography Nikolaus Adler
Design Benita Roth
Lighting Design Norbert Chmel
Cast
- Bernhard Landauer
- Michael Spyres
- Magdalena Anna Hofmann
- Heidi Wolff
- Rupert Bergmann
- Andreas Jankovitch
- Camillo dell’Antonio
- Alfred Werner
- Thomas Tatzl

19 February 2008 — Austrian premiere
Halle E Museumsquartier Wien

Reviews

»a spirited production by Nicola Raab« Die Presse more…
»Nicola Raab’s production full of temperament makes fun of the essential ingredients of the history of theatre with aplomb… the audience laughs. But it’s no comfortable delight.« Opernwelt »Nicola Raab’s job it is to reduce this piece to a common denominator, and in the first half she succeeds mainly by means of irony, in the second half, when chaos is starting to dominate the plot, quite simply through her readiness for total absurdity.« Der Neue Merker

Neue Oper Wien

2007

Béatrice et Bénédict

Hector Berlioz

Conductor Jan Latham-Koenig
Design Johan Engels
Lighting Design Adam Silverman
Cast
- Joseph Kaiser
- Sandra Piques Eddy
- Paul Corona
- Jurgita Adamonyte
- Matthew Worth
- Joshua Blum

23 May 2007
Harris Theater Chicago

Reviews

»like stars on a summer night« John von Rhein in Opera Magazine more…
»For any opera company staging Berlioz’ elusive Beatrice et Benedict, the trick is keeping the audience’s sympathy for the squabbling lovers in keen dramatic focus while allowing the refinement of this magical score to twinkle around them like stars on a summer night. Chicago opera theatre’s new production, (…), carried off this delicate juggling act very nicely. Nicola Raab updated the action to Sicily at the end of World War II, (…). The director’s primary innovation was to replace the sung recitatives of the original with spoken dialogue taken directly from Shakespeare’s ›Much Ado About Nothing‹, on which the opera is based. The singers had no trouble switching between sung French and spoken English.« John von Rhein in Opera Magazine

Chicago Opera Theater

2007

Artaxerxes

Leonardo Vinci

Conductor Huw Rhys James
Set-design Reinhard Taurer
Costumes Linda Redlin
Lighting Design Stefan Pfeistlinger
Cast
- Andrew Watts
- Marianne Gesswagner
- Romeo Cornelius
- Roman Sadnik
- Elena Copons
- Gottfried Falkenstein

14 February 2007 — Austrian premiere and first performance since 1746 Exhibitionhall Semperdepot, Academy of Fine Arts
Wien

Reviews

»Hitverdächtig!« Karl-Heinz Roschitz in Kronenzeitung more…
»Ebenso grossen Antiel Am sieg des Werkes hat die Regisseurin Nicola Raab (…); sie hat Respekt vor dem Libretto, den Figuren, ihrer Geschichte. Sie rezitative werden mit einer Intensität gespielt als handle es sich um Theater, für die Arien gibt sie den Protagonisten Zeit, die volle Bandbreiet der Emotionen zu entwickeln.« Dr. Renate Wagner in Vorarlberger Nachrichten