Opera

It’s in our DNA to produce heartfelt and touching operas. Whether it’s about breathing new life into the classic repertoire with a contemporary eye through interesting and eye-catching portrayals or commissioning entirely new operatic works from today’s most interesting and eye-catching composers.

As early as 1975, Norrlandsoperan had a premiere in its repertoire with Eberhard Eyser’s chamber opera Carmen 36. Other operas that have been commissioned and premiered at Norrlandsoperan include: The Boy and the Birds, Mario and Maria, The Horse and the Boy, Fortunato, Bombi Bitt and Nick Carter, Swell, Sea cows and dandies, Poet and Prophetess, The Elephant Man, and Blanch and Marie.

In 2014, Umeå was Europe’s Capital of Culture and Norrlandsoperan’s largest production ever premiered. Under the direction of director Carlus Padrissa from the Spanish stage collective La Fura dels Baus, 10 000 people experienced how gigantic mechanical puppets were erected over the Umestan corporate park in Richard Strauss’ opera Elektra. A thousand liters of blood flowed over the ground and trees burned while the orchestra and singers made unforgettable contributions. Elektra stands foremost in the long line of groundbreaking productions of opera classics such as La Bohème, La Traviata, Otello, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Carmen that Norrlandsoperan has produced. In recent years, Norrlandsoperan has also been able to play several Sweden premieres of international key works. With titles like Dancer in the Dark, Adriana Mater, and The Death of Klinghoffer, Norrlandsoperan has positioned itself as Sweden’s boldest opera house.