»Mazeppa« von Peter I. Tschaikowski

A love that defies all conventions gives rise to a bloody family feud: Tchaikovsky’s darkest opera portrays power-hungry individuals who increasingly lose their sense of proportion.

Maria, the daughter of the wealthy Kochubey, is in love with the much older General Mazeppa. When the two marry against Maria’s father’s will, a bitter power struggle ensues: Kochubey accuses Mazeppa—with whom he had previously been friends and business partners—of high treason before the Tsar. But the plan backfires: The Tsar does not believe the accusations and has Kotschubej publicly executed. When Maria realizes the fatal consequences of her love, she loses her mind.

Director Matthew Wild interprets Tchaikovsky’s opera as a political parable about an elite that settles its conflicts at the expense of its own people.