Berlin. Under sunny skies, Berlin’s Bebelplatz was
once again transformed into a musical festival venue at the weekend:
more than 30,000 visitors attended the 20th edition of “Staatsoper für
alle” – the premier open-air event organised by the Staatsoper Unter
den Linden and its long-standing partner BMW. With the live broadcast
of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco” and the concert by the Staatskapelle
Berlin under Christian Thielemann, the audience was treated to two
extraordinary open-air musical events – with free admission.
On Saturday evening, the live broadcast from the Staatsoper of
Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco”, conducted by Francesco Lanzillotta and
featuring Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar, Lidia Fridman, Tareq Nazmi, Elena
Maximova, Andrés Moreno García, Clara Nadeshdin, Junho Hwang und
Hanseong Yun in the title roles, thrilled audiences both in the
auditorium and on the open-air big screen on Bebelplatz. On Sunday
morning, the Children’s Opera Orchestra, together with members of the
International Opera Studio and the Staatsoper’s Youth Choir, opened
the musical programme under the baton of Giuseppe Mentuccia with works
by Jacques Offenbach and Jules Massenet. Afterwards, the Staatskapelle
Berlin, conducted by General Music Director Christian Thielemann, drew
enthusiastic cheers from the audience on Bebelplatz with Ludwig van
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 (“Pastoral”), as well as
his overtures to “Coriolan” and “Egmont”.
“Now in its 20th year, ‘Staatsoper für alle’ demonstrates just how
unifying music can be and the special power that lies in making opera
and concerts freely accessible to everyone right in the heart of
Berlin. It fills me with great joy that Bebelplatz has once again been
transformed into a vibrant venue for shared cultural experiences and
has delighted so many Berliners and visitors from all over the world.
My heartfelt thanks go to all the artists, staff, our partner BMW and
our wonderful audience,” said Intendant of the Staatsoper
Unter den Linden Berlin, Elisabeth Sobotka.
Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG,
People and Real Estate: “The 20th ‘Staatsoper für alle’
weekend has once again transformed Bebelplatz into a stage for shared
experiences. Thousands of music lovers came together to celebrate the
timeless relevance of opera with ‘Nabucco’. Moments like these reveal
the true power of culture: it inspires, connects and brings joy. This
special experience reinforces our commitment at BMW – and we are
already looking forward to the coming anniversary year with you all.”
As in previous years, the open-air event was held under the patronage
of Berlin’s Governing Mayor, Kai Wegner, who, on Saturday evening,
joined Elisabeth Sobotka, Intendant of the Staatsoper, and Nina
Englert, Head of the BMW Group’s Berlin branch, in welcoming the
audience to the 20th edition of this major musical event on
Bebelplatz. On Sunday, the State Secretary for Culture, Ms Cerstin
Richter-Kotowski, together with Elisabeth Sobotka and Nina Englert,
addressed the tens of thousands of spectators from Berlin and around
the world. Journalist and presenter Petra Gute guided the audience
through the programme on both days with her knowledgeable and charming
commentary. Numerous prominent guests from the worlds of culture and
society were also among the audience at “Staatsoper für alle”,
including Kostja Ullmann (actor), Michael Michalsky (designer) and
Klara Lange (actress).
The opera performance was broadcast live on rbb radio3, whilst the
concert by the Staatskapelle Berlin was streamed live on
staatsoper-berlin.de and aired on rbb television. Both the radio
broadcast of “Nabucco” and the television broadcast of the
Staatskapelle concert are available in the ARD media library.
Save the date: On 4 July 2026, “Oper für alle” will
take place in Munich, featuring a live broadcast of Richard Wagner’s
“Die Walküre”, directed by Tobias Kratzer and conducted by Vladimir Jurowski.
Next year, “Staatsoper für alle” will take place on 12 and 13
June 2027 at Bebelplatz.
The BMW Group’s Cultural Engagement, with exclusive updates and
deeper insights into its global initiatives can be followed on
Instagram at @BMWGroupCulture.
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