Korngold: Das Wunder der Heliane, Bard Summerscape 2019 (detail) View full image

Christian Räth

Director

The real genius, however, is Räth, a director who really seems to understand what the music “means” and in particular how that can be used to clarify and illuminate the densely expressionistic storyline. He’s sensual when he needs to be sensual while turning dark and dangerous when the music indicates it. At every turn he senses the proper focus while encouraging his intelligent singers to act their socks off... He moves his pieces with immaculate timing and a real eye for the stage picture… Opera productions don’t get much better than this.

Musical America, Das Wunder der Heliane, Bard SummerScape

A native of Hamburg, director Christian Räth is renowned throughout Europe, Japan and the USA. His work takes him to many of the world’s leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera New York, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala Milan, Opéra national de Paris and the Royal Opera House London.

Recent projects include an acclaimed Korngold’s Das Wunder der Heliane at the Bard Summerscape Festival, Der Freischütz and Macbeth at the Wiener Staatsoper, Le Baron Tzigane at the Grand Théâtre de Genève and Kiss Me Kate for the Haut ecole de musique de Genève. Other work includes L’Italiana in Algeri in Portland, Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta for Dallas Opera, Verdi’s rarely-performed comic opera Un Giorno di Regno (King for a Day) for the Glimmerglass Festival and the design and direction of Tristan und Isolde for The Dallas Opera. Projects this season include the creation of a new work for Opera Philadelphia.