The volcano simmers beneath the glamour of the feather boa and tutu. The revenge of the bat becomes a nightmare, and not just for Gabriel von Eisenstein, when a fake marquis and a fake chevalier, a pretend Hungarian countess and a host of budding artists meet at the glittering masked ball at Prince Orlofsky’s house. Glasses clink, relationships are shaken, people love, lie and dance. The party goes on as long as it lasts, true to the motto: ‘Happy is he who forgets …’.

Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss, first performed in Vienna in 1874, is part of the Bavarian State Opera’s repertoire. In December 2023, the curtain rose on a spectacular new production of this piece. Director Barrie Kosky gave the ‘operetta of all operettas’ a new look: the whole of Viennese society dances towards the abyss in a colourful and lavish setting.

Cast: Diana Damrau, Georg Nigl, Katharina Konradi, Martin Winkler

Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper

Vladimir Jurowski, conductor
Barrie Kosky, director

Recording from 2023