La Vestale

Julia is ready to break the law imposed on her and lets her beloved Licinius into the place where she must guard a fire at night. The Vestal Virgin, priestess of the goddess Vesta, opposes the “holy law” and the high priest as its guardian. Julia follows her love and therefore human nature. For the Supreme Vestal Lady, on the other hand, love is “a barbaric monster” and enemy of the goddess Vesta, whose incessantly burning flame must protect the chaste Vestals.

La Vestale gave Gaspare Spontini the biggest success up to that point in Napoleonic Paris in 1807. From 1820 to 1841 he conducted the Royal Opera in Berlin as Prussian General Music Director. With its large scenes, La Vestale became one of the most successful operas of the 19th century. The complex choral voices, instrumental effects and ballet music influenced composers such as Richard Wagner and Hector Berlioz. In her production, Lydia Steier, who recently staged Les Contes d'Hoffmann here, explores the merciless mechanisms of an autocratic regime.