OF ONE BLOOD

In the organizer's words:

World premiere on May 10, 2026

Composer Brett Dean / Heather Betts. Libretto by Heather Betts based on texts by Mary Stuart, Elizabeth Tudor and other 16th century sources.

Opera in two acts (2026)

recommended for ages 14 and up

In English language. With surtitles in German and English. New production.

Duration approx. 2 hours 55 minutes

Act 1 Intermission Act 2

approx. 18.00 - 19.10 approx. 19.10 - 19.40 approx. 19.40 - 20.55

Commissioned by the Bavarian State Opera, The Santa Fe Opera, State Opera South Australia and Garsington Opera, made possible by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation and Karin and Roland Berger.

Introductions take place in the Capriccio Hall one hour before each performance(except on the premiere evening). Seating is limited, duration approx. 20 minutes.

The premiere will be broadcast live on BR-Klassik.

Production

"Of One Blood" were the two powerful women who were related to each other and whose graves can be found next to each other in London's Westminster Abbey today. Nevertheless, the two women were very distant from each other throughout their lives: Elizabeth I ruled England and Ireland as queen for almost half a century, while Mary Stuart ruled Scotland for a quarter of a century. A bitter power struggle between Protestant supremacy and the Catholic opposition and ultimately pressure from Parliament forced the English queen to have Mary Stuart executed.

Not only numerous history books and Friedrich Schiller's drama tell the story, but also Brett Dean's new opera, which will be premiered at the Bavarian State Opera. For the libretto, Heather Betts found what she was looking for in letters from the two queens and other sources from the 16th century: In her compilation, the escalating spiral of claims to power, intrigue, violence and aristocratic influence over several decades is condensed into a captivating dramaturgy of situations as a welcome facility for Brett Dean's music: this offers soundscapes of an enormous dynamic range in which extremes are exploited, with unconventional playing styles also being used. Director Claus Guth will focus on the ambivalent relationship between the two women and how the conflict, which dates back over four centuries, is still being perpetuated and retold today. Iconic backdrops are brought to us with emotional emphasis in an interplay of historical perspectives.

Directing team

The Australian composer Brett Dean is already familiar to Munich audiences: his opera Hamlet , which was named "World Premiere of the Year 2018", was presented at the Nationaltheater, as was Testament in a concert by the Bavarian State Orchestra, which is also documented on CD, and Nocturnes and Night Rides as part of the 500th anniversary of the Bavarian State Orchestra. Director Claus Guth has already demonstrated his virtuoso craft in recent seasons at the Bavarian State Opera with material from a wide variety of provenances: After his production of the contemporary opera Bluthaus by Georg Friedrich Haas was awarded the Austrian Music Theater Prize for "Best International Music Theater Production" at our Ja, Mai festival, the internationally active director lent contemporary urgency to Georg Friedrich Händel's baroque opera Semele at the 2023 Munich Opera Festival. Most recently, he devoted himself to the rarity of a so-called "house god" of the Bavarian State Opera, namely Die Liebe der Danae by Richard Strauss. Claus Guth commissioned set designer Etienne Pluss to build his worlds for the world premiere of Violetter Schnee at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin and for Bluthaus at the Bayerische Staatsoper. The director has also worked with costume designer Ursula Kudrna on several occasions. Dramaturge Yvonne Gebauer is a constant member of the team, whether at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London, the Vienna State Opera, the Zurich Opera House or at the festivals in Bayreuth and Aix-en-Provence.

Production team

• Composer: Brett Dean
• Libretto: Heather Betts
• Musical direction: Vladimir Jurowski
• Production: Claus Guth
• Stage: Etienne Pluss
• Costumes: Ursula Kudrna
• Sound design: Bob ScottSvenEckhoff
• Lighting: Michael Bauer
• Choreography: Sommer Ulrickson
• Choir: Christoph Heil
• Dramaturgy: Yvonne GebauerLukasLeipfinger

Price information:

Price varies depending on seat category: Prices M , € 193 /168 /142 /117 /90 /64 /16 /14; Prices L , € 163 /142 /117 /91 /64 /39 /15 /11; Prices K , € 132 /115 /95 /74 /52 /30 /14 /10