Welser-Möst conducts Johann Strauss II: Simplicius

When Johann Strauss entered the opera house, he always tried something new, and the plot of his 1887 operetta Simplicius will surprise anyone who expects champagne-fuelled farce. It’s an “operetta seria”, a drama of love, faith and espionage set against the turmoil of the Thirty Years War. But Strauss’s melodic genius burns as brightly as ever, and this dazzlingly inventive staging from Zurich goes all-in on fantasy. Director David Pountney takes his inspiration from the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, and with Franz Welser-Möst conducting a cast that includes the young Piotr Beczala, this might be the most spectacular modern staging of this undervalued masterpiece.

Soloists: 

Martin Zysset (Tenor), Michael Volle (Bass-Baritone), Piotr Beczała (Tenor), Rolf Haunstein (Baritone), Elizabeth Magnuson (Soprano), Oliver Widmer (Bass-Baritone), Martina Janková (Soprano), Cheyne Davidson (Baritone), Liliana Nikiteanu (Mezzo-Soprano), Heikki Yrttiaho (Bass), Jörg Heppe (Bass), Meinolf Kalkuhl (Tenor), Louise Martini (Singer)

Ensembles: 

Chor des Opernhauses Zürich, Orchester des Opernhauses Zürich, Kinderchor des Opernhauses Zürich

Conductor: 

Franz Welser-Möst