A truly powerful musical experience affects me as if every time were the first, in ways I can't always explain. Am I dazed? Am I enraptured? I want to remain in this transformative state so much that it becomes almost surreal to step out of the fantasy and return to reality. It’s the feeling I seek every time. Every performance is an attempt to evoke that mysticism.
Musical drama can convey deep emotions that go straight to the heart, and therein lies its secret. It can touch us on so many levels, and what emerges is greater than the sum of its parts. Familiarising yourself with the piece in advance will enrich your experience, but true transformation occurs only as the art emerges in real-time – a gift to all of us. Sometimes the audience doesn’t applaud immediately after the last note has sounded, because everyone is so moved. A few seconds of absolute silence pass before applause breaks out – a silence that is charged with emotion. It is magical.
The opera house is my place of work, and yet I still look forward to each and every performance. When I sit in the auditorium, I open myself up to the moment. The darkness welcomes, demands nothing, just lets me be present with feelings that move or stimulate, that surprise or challenge. Even before the first note, the atmosphere in the auditorium vibrates with anticipation. And then I remember: this is exactly why we do this work.
Let us share these unforgettable moments together.
This is what you can experience at the Göteborg Opera during 2025/2026 – a season imbued with the complexities beyond good and evil, as well as deeply moving experiences.
