Die Lustige Witwe

In the organizer's words:

Count Danilo has been ordered to marry the millionaire widow Hanna Glawari so that the money will stay in his home country of Pontevedro and the impending national bankruptcy can be averted. But both the inheritance and his homeland seem to leave the count cordially cold, as he much prefers to spend his time in the Parisian nightclub "Maxim". But Hanna and he have a common past. When Hanna finally announces her engagement to the Frenchman Camille
de Rosillon, Danilo's former feelings are finally rekindled. Moreover, a mysterious fan causes some confusion and madness ...

With the "Merry Widow" Franz Lehár landed a world success in 1905, not least due to catchy tunes such as "Da geh' ich ins Maxim", the "Vilja" song or "Lippen schweigen". In addition to the classical waltz and polka, the composer also added dances such as the polonaise, kolo and cake walk, making "The Merry Widow" the pinnacle of the dance operetta genre.

Director Bernd Mottl has long been no stranger to Cologne, with "Die Csárdásfürstin" among the successful productions of past seasons. Now he returns to Cologne Opera as a team with set designer Friedrich Eggert, costume designer Alfred Mayerhofer and choreographer Christoph Jonas. The Gürzenich Orchestra plays under the musical direction of Andrea Sanguineti.