Find events for 12 days from June 20th, 2013

It was a Swedish fellow student at the university of Göttingen who suggested to would-be composer Joseph Martin Kraus trying his luck at Gustav III’s court in Stockholm. In 1772 Gustav founded the royal opera to raise his nation’s cultural prestige and to further the development of its own national culture. Soon the repertoire, which the king managed himself, also contained operas in Swedish. He designed libretti and was always on the lookout for new talents. All in all, there were striking similarities between him and his mother’s brother: famous Uncle Frederic II. Inspired by ancient mythology, the one act piece "Proserpin", which received a preview performance in 1781 at Uriksdal Palace, launched composer Kraus’ distinguished career as royal Swedish conductor at the tender age of 25. His score which is rich in both colours and events he largely leaves the traditional number opera structure and finds his very individual compositional solutions. This is the work of one of the period’s most original and most innovative opera creators. Haydn called him a genius. That is a word he only used for one other man: Mozart.
Tickets € 65,- / 40,- / 27,-* / 16,-* *Some seats with restricted viewing!

Christian IV of Denmark was the most powerful man in the North before his Swedish opponent Gustav Adolf took over. Since the Danish monarch’s sister Anne was married to the future king of England, exquisite English music artists soon found their way to the music-loving king’s court. So Christian’s court orchestra is not only shining in Venetian splendour, the Golden Age of English music also lets its brightest star glitter in Denmark: John Dowland. His "Tear Pavane" alias "Flow my Tears" captured an epoch’s "Weltschmerz", turned it into sounds and was heard all across Europe. In 1604 Dowland put together seven self-made cover versions of his greatest hit with other dances for an instrumental consort and dedicated it to England’s new Queen Ann. Some of this music was created in her hometown of Copenhagen.

Tickets € 35,- / 30,-