この機会を逃すと、生涯に悔いを残す!!と。。。

Column|2025.7.24

Text_ Kotaro Sakata


They say you’ll regret missing this for life…

This October, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan hosts its final—and grandest—overseas opera before renovation.The two pillars of the opera world
are Milan’s Teatro alla Scala and Vienna’s Staatsoper.
La Scala’s Japan tour was canceled during the pandemic. Since then, a weak yen, soaring costs, and logistical challenges from the war
in Ukraine have hindered overseas productions. Yet from Vienna— the city of music—the Staatsoper will arrive, bringing with it two
extraordinary operas.
Under the Habsburgs, Vienna flourished as a center of imperial grandeur and culture, and its artistic legacy lives on. For musicians, Vienna holds a singular place of reverence—and at its heart stands the Vienna State Opera. Home to legends like Karl Böhm, Herbert von Karajan, and Seiji Ozawa, it is revered—but Vienna’s audiences are famously uncompromising. I’ve heard booing in Vienna more times than I can count. The jeers aimed at Ozawa remain a particularly bitter memory. It’s as if Vienna itself proclaims: “Mozart and R. Strauss belong to us—no matter who’s conducting or performing!” Every other music director—save Ozawa—passed away not long after stepping down, possibly the toll exacted by performing under such relentless scrutiny. This October, the Vienna State Opera brings to Japan two masterpieces: Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and R. Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier, his radiant homage to Mozart. The production of Der Rosenkavalier is none other than Otto Schenk’s
legendary staging—recalling the unforgettable 1994 Japan tour under Carlos Kleiber. Now, that same staging and set design return in the Reiwa era. On the podium will be two Vienna-endorsed maestros: Bertrand de Billy, recently named Honorary Member of the Staatsoper, and Philippe Jordan, renowned for his Strauss interpretations.
The official NBS flyer boldly declares: “Miss this chance, and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!” At first, I thought that line was a bit much—but as the ticket frenzy unfolded, it began to feel prophetic. There is no doubt—this will be the most monumental opera event of the 2020s.

ウィーン国立歌劇場(外観) photo: Wiener Staatsoper / Michael Poehn

オペラの殿堂、ウィーン国立歌劇場内観。演奏の水準も観客の水準も最高峰である。

「ばらの騎士」 photo: Wiener Staatsoper / Michael Poehn

オットー・シェンク演出のオペラ《ばらの騎士》の舞台。
今年1月に他界した彼の金字塔ともいうべき舞台。

「フィガロの結婚」 photo: Wiener Staatsoper / Michael Poehn

ロココ時代の様式と現代のテイストが見事に融合したコスキー演出の
《フィガロの結婚》は、是非、《ばらの騎士》の前に観たい。

ウィーン国立歌劇場来日公演HP  
https://www.nbs.or.jp/stages/2025/wien/

●お問い合わせ:NBS 03-3791-8888
●公演日程:10月5日~26日
●場所:東京文化会館