Es war einmal..... Märchen & Balladen

Cast:

contributors: Nicholas Ofczarek / Georg Nigl
pianist: Olga Pashchenko

At the now traditional recitals, you will experience internationally renowned singers not in the usual opera productions, but with specially compiled song and aria programs.


KSch. Nicholas Ofczarek, born in Vienna and raised in Switzerland and Austria, completed his training at the Conservatory of the City of Vienna and has been a member of the Burgtheater for 30 years.

In 1991, his teacher Elfriede Ott engaged him for the Maria Enzersdorf Festival, where he portrayed August Sonders in Nestroy’s He Wants to Have a Joke. In the following years, he appeared on small and medium-sized Viennese stages and at the Porcia Comedy Plays in Spittal an der Drau, before Claus Peymann brought him to the Burgtheater in 1994. Since then, he has played leading roles in both the classical and modern repertoires.

In 2005, he made his Salzburg Festival debut in Grillparzer’s King Ottokar’s Fortune and End, and from 2010 to 2012 he was the fifteenth Everyman of the Salzburg Festival.

The highly acclaimed actor, a two-time recipient of the Nestroy Award and of the Grimme Award, also holds the Gertrud Eysoldt Ring, the Nestroy Ring, the Vienna Actors’ Ring, and the Josef Kainz Medal. In 2017, he was awarded the title of Kammerschauspieler.

Nicholas Ofczarek has also achieved success in film and television, receiving the German Television Academy Award in 2016 for “Best Actor.”

In the 2006 Mozart Year co-production between the Vienna State Opera and the Burgtheater, he performed the role of Selim Bassa in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail.


He interprets – and invites interpretation. Austrian-born baritone Georg Nigl, with his extensive network of musicians and composers, is a central figure in European musical life. Not only with his close friends Wolfgang Rihm and Pascal Dusapin does he maintain a long-standing collaboration; Friedrich Cerha, Georg Friedrich Haas, Wolfgang Mitterer, Olga Neuwirth, and Mathias Pintscher have also written works for him, which he premiered.

A former soprano soloist of the Vienna Boys’ Choir, he quickly rose to become one of the most sought-after singers on Europe’s opera and theatre stages following his studies at the Musikhochschule and the Conservatory in Vienna, where his last teacher was Hilde Zadek. He has appeared at major houses such as the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow (Russia), the Berlin, Bavarian, Hamburg and Vienna State Operas, the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, Zurich Opera House (Switzerland), Teatro La Fenice Venice (Italy), La Scala Milan (Italy), Teatro Real Madrid (Spain), and Théâtre de la Monnaie Brussels (Belgium), as well as at leading festivals such as the Salzburg Festival, the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence (France), and the Vienna and Berlin Festivals.

His concert and recital repertoire spans a wide range from Baroque and Viennese Classicism to contemporary music. His recordings and DVDs for Alpha Classics – Outhere Music have received numerous awards. Recital tours have taken him to the most prestigious concert halls across Europe and overseas. He is a regular guest with Europe’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin and Munich Philharmonic Orchestras, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, and the Orchestre de Paris.

Until 2017, he taught as professor at the State University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart (Germany). Recent highlights include the world premiere of Beat Furrer’s Violetter Schnee at the Berlin State Opera, and his widely acclaimed portrayal of Jakob Lenz, which he brought to the stage in concert at the Salzburg Festival in 2022. At the Vienna State Opera he was recently celebrated as Eisenstein, in the title role of Monteverdi’s Orfeo, as Ulisse (Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria), as Nekrotzar in Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre, and as Clov in Kurtág’s Fin de partie.

He has also demonstrated his versatility as Alberich (Das Rheingold) under Sir Simon Rattle and as Eisenstein at the Bavarian State Opera. At the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in 2023, Nigl appeared as Don Alfonso in a new production of Così fan tutte, a role he reprised in 2024 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris (France).

In Easter 2025, he sang for the first time as Klingsor in a new production of Parsifal at the Tirol Festival Erl (Austria), and performed Henze’s Das Floß der Medusa at the Salzburg Festival 2025. With his self-conceived serenade cycle Nachtmusiken, Georg Nigl has created highlights of the Salzburg Festival since 2023.

The 2025/26 season will include, among others, his return as Clov and Nekrotzar, as well as his first portrayal of Alberich in Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen at the Vienna State Opera. He will also appear in the world premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s Monster’s Paradise at the Hamburg State Opera and at Zurich Opera House.

Georg Nigl was named “Singer of the Year 2015” and has most recently been awarded the “German Record Critics’ Award 2021” and the “Austrian Music Theater Award 2025.”

Place

Vienna State Opera – World-Renowned Stage for Opera and Ballet in the Heart of Vienna

The Vienna State Opera is one of the world's leading opera houses and a cultural landmark of Austria. Located prominently in the heart of Vienna, along the famous Ringstrasse, it offers outstanding opera productions featuring international stars and a renowned ballet ensemble.

Since its grand opening in 1869, the Vienna State Opera has been synonymous with musical excellence, artistic perfection, and an extensive repertoire ranging from operatic classics to contemporary works. Each season, it stages more than 300 performances, including world-famous operas such as Mozart’s "The Magic Flute", Verdi’s "La Traviata", and Puccini’s "Tosca".

Alongside its acclaimed opera productions, the Vienna State Opera is also home to the celebrated Vienna State Ballet, renowned for both classical and contemporary dance performances. The annual Vienna Opera Ball is a prestigious social event with international prominence.

Getting There by Public Transport

Subway:

• Lines U1, U2, U4 – Karlsplatz station, direct access

Tram:

• Lines 1, 2, D, 62, 71 – Oper/Karlsplatz stop

Bus:

• Line 59A – Oper stop

Its central location on Vienna’s Ringstrasse ensures convenient and easy access.

Vienna State Opera – A Symbol of Viennese Culture and Musical Excellence

As one of the world's premier opera houses, the Vienna State Opera is an essential destination for opera enthusiasts, music lovers, and visitors seeking to experience the cultural heart of Vienna.