François-Xavier Roth leads centenary production of Die Soldaten in Köln

Köln-born Bernd Alois Zimmermann's only opera, commissioned by Köln Opera in 1957 and originally premiered by them in 1964, Die Soldaten is one of the key works of the 20th century that, due to its extreme dramatic complexity, poses a challenge for performance on stage. Human beings trapped in a mediocre and marginal social environment, where reason succumbs to circumstance. The corruption that soldiers exert on the population of the opposite sex. Suffering, innocence and the pain of the contemporary human being.

François-Xavier Roth leads this new production celebrating Zimmermann's centenary, directed by Carlus Padrissa of La Fura dels Baus (with whom he previously collaborated on Berlioz' Benvenuto Cellini in 2015). It promises to be a totally immersive 360º imagining. Premiere on 29 April, further performances 3, 11, 13, 17 and 20 May.