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Opera

Mefistofele

Arrigo Boito
The State Opera

Choose date

  • January 2024
  • February 2024
  • March 2024
    January 2024

    Sunday 14. 1.
    18:00

    Tickets available

    Wednesday 17. 1.
    19:00

    Tickets available

    Saturday 27. 1.
    19:00

    Tickets available

    February 2024

    Saturday 3. 2.
    19:00

    Tickets available

    Thursday 8. 2.
    19:00

    Tickets available

    March 2024

    Saturday 2. 3.
    18:00

    Booking not started yet

    Basic information

    Venue

    The State Opera

    Approximate running time

    2 hours 45 minutes, no intermission

    Cast

    • 2023-2024

    Creatives

    Stage director
    Ivan Krejčí
    Light design
    Daniel Tesař
    Motion cooperation
    Igor Vejsada
    Chorus master
    Adolf Melichar
    Chorus master of Pueri gaudentes
    Libor Slád

    About

    State Opera Chorus
    State Opera Orchestra
    National Theatre Opera Ballet
    Pueri gaudentes boys’ choir

    For a long time, Arrigo Boito (1842-1918) was more acclaimed as a writer and translator than as a composer. He supplied a number of Italian opera creators with librettos and there is no doubt that his excellent texts played a role in the success of Verdi’s final works Otello and Falstaff. In Mefistofele, his one and only complete opera, Boito turned to the Faust theme. He considered the previous, extremely popular setting of Goethe’s Faust by Charles Gounod a superficial intellectual treatment of the multilayered drama. Boito himself made use of the celebrated German poet’s text almost literally, including the far less frequently staged second part. The premiere of Mefistofele at Milan’s La Scala on 5 March 1868 was a flop. Even though the Prologue in Heaven, one of the most amazing opera scenes there is, enraptured the audience, their enthusiasm gradually ebbed away, to be ultimately replaced by booing, hissing and misunderstanding. Seven years later, Boito thoroughly revised and radically shortened the score. The first performance of the opera’s new version, on 4 October 1875 at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna, was an unqualified success. Boito continued to make changes to Mefistofele until the definitive version was presented in 1881 at La Scala to great acclaim. 

     

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    Practical information

    Where to buy tickets

    The National Theatre sells tickets up to 6 months in advance. On 1 September at 9am we selling tickets for performances of Drama, Ballet, Opera and Laterna magika until the end of February 2024.


    When purchasing online, you can get an e-ticket. You can pick up printed tickets in person at the box offices of the National Theatre.

    What to wear?

    By their appearance, attire and behaviour, the audience is obliged to adhere to the accustomed practice expected from them when attending a theatre performance.

    Parking at the State opera

    While visiting the State Opera, you can take the slip road on Wilsonova street from the left lane close to the State Opera building to the Parking Centrum above-ground garage. The parking fee is 40 CZK/h.

    Buffets at the State Opera

    No waiting. For your benefit, please pre-order your food and beverages at the bar to minimize waiting in the queue!

    Menu (PDF, 60 kB)