Die Passagierin

Grand and moving 

In the 1930s, the Polish composer Weinberg fled the Nazi regime and settled in Russia, where, as a Jew, he once again faced fierce antisemitism. His opera Die Passagierin (1968) was praised by his close friend Dmitri Shostakovich for its “beauty and grandeur”, but was not performed until 2006. Since then, it has steadily gained recognition. Weinberg’s music is now considered one of the hidden gems of the twentieth century.

Weinberg based Die Passagierin on the eponymous work of Zofia Posmysz, an Auschwitz survivor. Her autobiographical novel was one of the first to also explore the Holocaust from the perpetrators' perspective. The opera is not so much about the horrors humans are capable of, but rather about guilt, complicity, and the question of whether we can truly confront our past. 

A remarkable cast and conductor 

The up-and-coming young conductor Adam Hickox will take the Netherlands Philharmonic through Weinberg’s haunting score. Mezzo-soprano Jenny Carlstedt, who previously made a strong impression in Innocence by Kaija Saariaho, takes on the role of Lisa. Lyric soprano Sylvia D’Eramo portrays the poignant role of Marta.