Buy online tickets Königskinder Amsterdam| Nationale Opera & Ballet

A heartbreaking fairy-tale opera

In this fairy tale, the villain is not a witch, but mankind. Engelbert Humperdinck’s Königskinder is a tragic story about a goose girl and a prince who fall in love. Together, they overcome magical obstacles and their own prejudices, but are misunderstood and rejected by the harsh society they live in.

A heartbreaking fairy-tale opera

Composer Engelbert Humperdinck is best known for his much-loved Hänsel und Gretel: a fairy-tale opera with a classic happily-ever-after ending, which stands in sharp contrast to Königskinder (1910). In Königskinder, the goose girl and the prince discover that a person’s true worth is measured by how they treat others and the world in general – that what truly matters is on the inside. This insight makes them ideal leaders, especially for one particular village that is desperately seeking a new ruler. The villagers, however, fail to see this potential in the young couple. Only in death do the two ‘royal children’ eventually find their kingdom.

Marc Albrecht returns to Dutch National Opera

This production sees Marc Albrecht, chief conductor of Dutch National Opera from 2011 to 2020 and winner of the Opera Award for ‘Best Conductor’ in 2019, return to Amsterdam. His past collaboration with the orchestra gave rise to countless legendary interpretations of operas by Wagner, Strauss, Zemlinsky and Schreker. Königskinder, a rich, multifaceted opera from the late Romantic era, gives both Albrecht and the orchestra an additional opportunity to showcase their wide-ranging grasp of this repertoire.

After collaborating on a highly acclaimed Tannhäuser at DNO, Albrecht once again joins forces with director Christof Loy. With his ability to dig deep and strong musical directing style, Loy is an audience favourite in Amsterdam – as well as a two-time winner of the Prix d’Amis, awarded by the Friends of Dutch National Opera. For this production, Loy draws inspiration from Michael Haneke’s film The White Ribbon, creating a dark and ominous setting for a story that never gets old: the inherent cruelty of mankind at the expense of the individual.

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Scène uit Königskinder | Foto: Monika Rittershaus

Scene from Königskinder | Photo: Monika Rittershaus

Online programme

Along with the printed programme book, we also offer online programme information for this performance. The online programme will take you behind the scenes with in-depth stories, articles, and interviews with the creators and cast.

Check out the online programme

7 October

BRILLIANTLY BRIGHT PERFORMANCE OF HUMPERDINCK'S FAIRY TALE OPERA’’

‘‘Olga Kulchynska (soprano) and Daniel Behle (tenor) in the title roles perform their characters with intensity and glow.

7 October

FORGOTTEN OPERA 'KÖNIGSKINDER' IS A TREAT FOR THE EYE AND EAR’’

‘‘With Humperdinck's 'forgotten' opera Königskinder, conductor Marc Albrecht made an ideal comeback at DNO, with a delightfully playing Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and a terrific cast.

9 October

A STAGING THAT SHINES WITH POIGNANT BEAUTY’’

‘‘An evening not to be lightly forgotten, an opera like few others with music of impeccable quality.

7 October

HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL KÖNIGSKINDER AT DNO’’

‘‘This series of performances offers an excellent opportunity to experience this rarely played masterpiece by Humperdinck for once.

9 October

Königskinder is most moving when Humperdinck shows himself to be a true fairy tale storyteller who can evoke the bygone love dream of a dying person with a simple vocal line and a lone violin.

Marc Albrecht

Conductor

Christof Loy

Director and choreographer

Barbara Drosihn

Costume Designer

Olaf Winter

Lighting Designer

Klaus Bertisch

Dramaturge

Edward Ananian-Cooper

Chorus master

Josef Wagner

Der Spielmann

Doris Soffel

Die Hexe

Sam Carl

Der Holzhacker

Henk Poort

Der Ratsälteste

Kai Rüütel

Die Wirtstochter

Lucas van Lierop

Der Schneider

Eva Kroon

Die Stallmagd

Daniel Behle

Der Königssohn

Michael Pflumm

Der Besenbinder

Isabel Houtmortels

die Tochter des Besenbinders

Anna Kemper

die Tochter des Besenbinders

Olga Kulchynska

Die Gänsemagd

Roger Smeets

Der Wirt

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

Dutch National Opera has a long-standing and proud history with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra | the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, which has been its main orchestra partner for the past 30 years. It is widely considered to be one of the best opera orchestras in the world.

Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra

Naturally, it also performs in concerts of its own and then its go-to venue is the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In addition to its collaboration with chief conductor Lorenzo Viotti and music director of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra Gordan Nikolić, the orchestra regularly works with internationally renowned guest conductors and soloists, as well as a whole new generation of excellent musicians. It has played on countless stages, using music to connect people by giving exceptional performances that inspire both connoisseurs and novices alike. The orchestra's base is in the warm and welcoming NedPhO-Dome in the ‘lndische Buurt’ in Amsterdam, ensuring it is at the heart of the community. In this way, the orchestra hopes to make classical music more approachable to a wider audience.

Season 2022/23 will see the Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra join us for our season-opener Carmen, as well as for Königskinder, Turandot and Der Rosenkavalier. The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra will provide the orchestral accompaniment for Animal Farm and Maria Stuarda.

Königskinder - podcast

In this (Dutch) podcast, you will hear a brief introduction to the music of Königskinder performed by repetitor Ernst Munneke behind the piano. Together with dramaturge Laura Roling, they explore Wagner’s influence on this opera, the musical characterisation of the various main characters, and a few fun facts, such as the sound of the animal world.