Christian Räth
© Ute Mans
‘Immaculate timing’
‘A director who really seems to understand what the music “means”... He moves his pieces with immaculate timing and a real eye for the stage picture… Opera productions don’t get much better than this’
A native of Hamburg, director Christian Räth works with the world’s leading opera houses, directing a large and diverse repertoire, ranging from Mozart, Britten and Bartók to musicals and contemporary creations.
Recent new productions include Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète, Strauss’ Die Schweigsame Frau and Korngold’s Das Wunder der Heliane at Bard Summerscape, and Der Freischütz and Macbeth at Wiener Staatsoper. Projects in the 2024–25 season include his debut with Gothenberg Opera and the world premiere of Toshio Hoskawa’s new opera Natasha for New National Theatre, Tokyo.
In 2021 Räth conceived and directed two unique historical events in Egypt – ‘The Pharaoh’s Golden Parade’ – celebrating the journey of 22 royal mummies through the city of Cairo, and the opening ceremony of the antique ‘Sphinx Road’ at Luxor. Both productions involved more than a thousand participants and were broadcast worldwide.
Räth enjoys an ongoing collaboration with director Laurent Pelly, having been associate and revival director for many of his productions, as well as collaborations with Robert Carsen and Francesco Zambello, including as Senior Associate Director for Zambello’s complete Ring for San Francisco Opera.
‘Each great opera has its own musical and dramatical logic and you have to be flexible in order to transform it into a theatrical performance. The music always tells you which way to go’
