The Bucharest National Opera continues celebrating the miracle of Christ’s Resurrection during Bright Week by restaging Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni on Thursday, April 24, 2025. The opera was also performed on Maundy Thursday, paired with Pagliacci by Ruggiero Leoncavallo, on Romania’s foremost lyrical stage. The program for the week of April 21–27, 2025, also includes Peer Gynt (by Edvard Grieg) and Carmina Burana (by Carl Orff) on Friday, April 25, followed by Verdi’s Nabucco on Saturday, April 26, and two exceptional events on Sunday, April 27: Enescu 70 Made Easy and the International Ballet Gala marking World Dance Day.
Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci – Thursday, April 24, 2025, 6:30 PM
Through these two masterpieces of Italian verismo, the Bucharest National Opera invites the audience into a cultural immersion in the bucolic, yet violent and decadent, atmosphere of southern Italy (Sicily and Calabria). These operas depict and intensify the lives of humble rural communities, focusing on love triangles that end in tragedy.
Cavalleria Rusticana takes place on Easter Sunday, making its Holy Thursday presentation particularly symbolic. The devout ringing of church bells in a timeless Sicilian or Calabrian town amplifies tales of passion, destiny, and raw emotion. From the hidden desires erupting in a Sicilian village (Cavalleria Rusticana) to a troupe of actors caught between reality and performance in a Calabrian town (Pagliacci), the audience is invited to experience the expressive power of music that has shaped operatic history.
Peer Gynt & Carmina Burana – Friday, April 25, 2025, 6:30 PM
The Nordic ballets Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg and Carmina Burana by Carl Orff embody a powerful fusion of the archaic and the modern. Peer Gynt tells the story of a dreamer and adventurer wandering the world in pursuit of perfect, yet illusory, love. Grieg’s music offers a reflection on human consciousness, morality, forgiveness, and redemption.
The second part features Carmina Burana, based on medieval manuscripts (11th–13th centuries) discovered in a Bavarian Benedictine monastery in 1803. This cantata is brought to life on stage by the ballet, soloists, chorus, and orchestra of the Bucharest National Opera, exploring the vulnerability of mankind in the face of fate.
Originally titled Nabucodonosor, this opera premiered at La Scala in Milan on March 9, 1842, securing Verdi’s reputation as a great opera composer. The work tells the story of the Jewish people’s oppression and exile under Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II.
Yet Verdi uses historical events as a backdrop for a romantic plot and political intrigue. Inspired by the Jewish captives’ longing for their homeland, Verdi composed the famous “Va, pensiero” chorus, which quickly became an anthem of Italy’s Risorgimento movement. With powerful music, monumental choruses, and unforgettable arias, Nabucco remains one of the most grandiose works in operatic history.
Enescu 70 Easy for Everyone– Sunday, April 27, 2025, 2:00 PM
Marking 70 years since the passing of composer George Enescu, the Bucharest National Opera honors his legacy with a concert and accompanying exhibition-talk titled Enescu 70 Easy for Everyone. This special event presents his monumental opera Oedipe in an engaging and accessible format, revealing its deep ties to Romanian folklore.
A towering figure in 20th-century music, Enescu blended the essence of Romanian folk with classical traditions, leaving a lasting legacy as a violinist, pianist, conductor, composer, and teacher. This project aims to highlight the beauty and complexity of his work.
Performers (in the Opera’s Foyer): Ștefan Ignat, Bianca Mărgean, and Liviu Indricău. Piano accompaniment: Luminița Berariu.
International Ballet Gala – Sunday, April 27, 2025, 6:30 PM
Join the Bucharest National Opera in celebrating World Dance Day through an exceptional International Ballet Gala. The event features principal dancers and soloists from the Bucharest National Opera and the Sibiu Ballet Theatre.
Special guests include Arianne Lafita Gonzalvez and Vittorio Galloro.
Tickets available at http://tickets.operanb.ro and the Bucharest National Opera Box Office.