Enlarge image
The Russian soprano Anna Netrebko during a performance in Prague
Photo:
Roman Vondrous / AP
The International May Festival in Wiesbaden is sticking to the program despite the premature end of Uwe Eric Laufenberg's directorship. As the theater announced on Monday, the artistic implementation of the festival is the responsibility of a multi-person team from the management level of the State Theater. After lengthy arguments, Laufenberg left the house in January. The new directors Dorothea Hartmann and Beate Heine are expected at the start of the 2024/25 season.
Famous guests include American actor John Malkovich and Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko. She appeared at the May Festival last year. Because of her alleged closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine, there were protests against her appearance.
This year's International May Festival opens on May 1st with a premiere of "Falstaff," an opera by Giuseppe Verdi. Over the course of the festival until May 31, John Malkovich will be on stage at the Big House for three performances, organizers announced. Malkovich is starring in a production of Bernard-Marie Koltès' "In the Solitude of Cotton Fields."
Other highlights include “The Ring of the Nibelung” by Richard Wagner and the Puccini opera “Turandot,” in which Anna Netrebko will sing.
ada/dpa