15.11.2025-02.01.2026 / Ballet
Dornröschen
Sat 20.12.2025
Opernhaus Düsseldorf
19:30 - 21:45
Ballet
Dates
11:00 - 13:15
Audiodescription Ballet
14:00 - 16:15
Audiodescription Ballet
18:30 - 20:45
Ballet
Afterwards: Nachgefragt
19:30 - 21:45
Ballet
18:30 - 20:45
Ballet
19:30 - 21:45
Ballet
19:30 - 21:45
For the last time this season Ballet
Content
A new look for a ballet classic
A young princess, cursed to a hundred years of sleep, surrounded by thorns and roses: the fairy tale of the Sleeping Beauty has been told in many different versions over the centuries, from Charles Perrault to the Brothers Grimm and Disney. To this day, it is one of the best-known and most popular fairy tales.
In the ballet world, “Sleeping Beauty” alongside “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker” is considered a landmark in the dance history of the successful duo Marius Petipa and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Since its premiere in 1890, it has been performed around the world in reconstructed or entirely new versions. Certainly, a reason for this is Tchaikovsky's emotional, colorful score, which the composer himself considered to be one of his finest.
Bridget Breiner now tackles this masterpiece of the ballet repertoire. Focusing on the Grimm original and the psychology of the characters, the result is a piece that fuses contemporary storytelling with the magic of ballet in all its sophistication.
In the ballet world, “Sleeping Beauty” alongside “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker” is considered a landmark in the dance history of the successful duo Marius Petipa and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Since its premiere in 1890, it has been performed around the world in reconstructed or entirely new versions. Certainly, a reason for this is Tchaikovsky's emotional, colorful score, which the composer himself considered to be one of his finest.
Bridget Breiner now tackles this masterpiece of the ballet repertoire. Focusing on the Grimm original and the psychology of the characters, the result is a piece that fuses contemporary storytelling with the magic of ballet in all its sophistication.
Musikalische Leitung
Wolfram-Maria Märtig
Musik
Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowsky
Neukomposition
Choreographie
Bühne / Kostüme
Licht
Dramaturgie
Cast
Aurora
Désiré
Erzähler
König
Königin
Weise Frauen
Fliederchen, 12. Weise Frau
Carabosse, 13. Weise Frau
Kurz
Rund
Lang
6 Männer
Junge
Valentino Busse
Junge Aurora
Charlie Bernard Siboni
Orchester
Plot
PROLOGUE
The narrator introduces a young boy to the world of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. The King and Queen have long wished for a child and the doctors confirm: they have remained childless because of the Queen. While bathing, a frog prophesies to the Queen that she will soon give birth. And indeed – before long, Aurora is born.
The narrator introduces a young boy to the world of the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. The King and Queen have long wished for a child and the doctors confirm: they have remained childless because of the Queen. While bathing, a frog prophesies to the Queen that she will soon give birth. And indeed – before long, Aurora is born.
ACT I
At court, the christening of the young princess Aurora is being celebrated. The table is splendidly laid: twelve golden plates await the twelve wise women who will bestow their gifts upon the child. But suddenly, the thirteenth wise woman, who was not invited, appears: Carabosse. She was the one who, in the guise of a frog, had foretold and enabled the Queen’s pregnancy. Furious at being excluded, she curses the child: on her fifteenth birthday, Aurora will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The crowd is horrified. The youngest of the twelve wise women, Fliederchen, still has her blessing to give. She cannot undo the curse, but she can soften it: Aurora will not die and instead fall into a sleep of one hundred years, from which she can be awakened by a kiss.
At court, the christening of the young princess Aurora is being celebrated. The table is splendidly laid: twelve golden plates await the twelve wise women who will bestow their gifts upon the child. But suddenly, the thirteenth wise woman, who was not invited, appears: Carabosse. She was the one who, in the guise of a frog, had foretold and enabled the Queen’s pregnancy. Furious at being excluded, she curses the child: on her fifteenth birthday, Aurora will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The crowd is horrified. The youngest of the twelve wise women, Fliederchen, still has her blessing to give. She cannot undo the curse, but she can soften it: Aurora will not die and instead fall into a sleep of one hundred years, from which she can be awakened by a kiss.
© Altin Kaftira
© Altin Kaftira
The young boy follows the story and wonders whether Carabosse herself might once have been a mother. The narrator allows him to enter the fairy tale – as Désiré, Carabosse’s son.
The years pass. Désiré grows up outside of the palace, while Aurora, protected by her parents, the court, and the wise women, blossoms into a young woman. On her fifteenth birthday, a grand celebration is held. Three suitors vie for her favor, but her father cannot let her go. Aurora slips away from the festivities and meets Désiré – and a deep bond instantly forms between them. Suddenly, Aurora encounters an old woman at a spinning wheel. As foretold, she pricks her finger. Carabosse reveals her identity. Désiré recognizes her as his mother and is horrified by her deeds. Fliederchen and the wise women cast Désiré and the entire court into a long sleep.
The years pass. Désiré grows up outside of the palace, while Aurora, protected by her parents, the court, and the wise women, blossoms into a young woman. On her fifteenth birthday, a grand celebration is held. Three suitors vie for her favor, but her father cannot let her go. Aurora slips away from the festivities and meets Désiré – and a deep bond instantly forms between them. Suddenly, Aurora encounters an old woman at a spinning wheel. As foretold, she pricks her finger. Carabosse reveals her identity. Désiré recognizes her as his mother and is horrified by her deeds. Fliederchen and the wise women cast Désiré and the entire court into a long sleep.
ACT I I
The Narrator and Fliederchen search for the hero who can awaken Aurora and complete the fairy tale – but all attempts fail. Meanwhile, Carabosse keeps vigil beside the sleeping Désiré. The narrator intervenes and awakens him. A confrontation between mother and son ensues. Appalled by her actions, Désiré turns away from her and leaves her behind. Fliederchen realizes that Désiré must be the one to break the spell.
© Altin Kaftira
She and the narrator prepare him for his task, and indeed he manages to reach the sleeping Aurora. Yet he hesitates – can he, and does he want to, fulfill the expectations placed upon him? At last, one hundred years have passed. Aurora awakens – but instead of accepting the expected happy ending, she flees. Between dreams and nightmares, images from fairy tales intertwine before her mind’s eye. She faces her parents, Carabosse, and finally Désiré once more. Beyond the expectations of family and court, Aurora and Désiré ultimately find their own path to one another. //
Impressions from the rehearsals
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Alejandro Azorín (Erzähler).
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Sophie Martin (dreizehnte weise Frau Carabosse), Balkiya Zhanburchinova (Königin)
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Balkiya Zhanburchinova (Königin), Sophie Martin (dreizehnte weise Frau Carabosse)
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Balkiya Zhanburchinova (Königin), zwölf weise Frauen
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Orazio Di Bella (König), Sophie Martin (dreizehnte weise Frau Carabosse), Balkiya Zhanburchinova (Königin), Hofherren, zwölf weise Frauen.
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Alejandro Azorín (Erzähler), Jonas Klöcker (Junge), Ensemble Ballett am Rhein
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Yoav Bosidan (Kurz), Skyler Maxey-Wert (Rund), Dukin Seo (Lang)
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Chiara Scarrone (Aurora), Lucas Erni (Désiré).
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Orazio Di Bella (König), Chiara Scarrone (Aurora), Ensemble Ballett am Rhein
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Orazio Di Bella (König), Ensemble Ballett am Rhein
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Chiara Scarrone (Aurora), Sophie Martin (dreizehnte weise Frau Carabosse).
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Sophie Martin (dreizehnte weise Frau Carabosse), Chiara Scarrone (Aurora).
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Niklas Jendrics, Joan Ivars Ribes, Vinícius Vieira (Helden).
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Alejandro Azorín (Erzähler), Lucas Erni (Désiré), Sophie Martin (dreizehnte weise Frau Carabosse)
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Sophie Martin (dreizehnte weise Frau Carabosse), Lucas Erni (Désiré).
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Chiara Scarrone (Aurora).
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Chiara Scarrone (Aurora), weise Frauen.
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Lucas Erni (Désiré), Chiara Scarrone (Aurora).
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Chiara Scarrone (Aurora)
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Lucas Erni (Désiré), Chiara Scarrone (Aurora)
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Lucas Erni (Désiré), Chiara Scarrone (Aurora)
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Chiara Scarrone (Aurora)
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Orazio Di Bella (König), Balkiya Zhanburchinova (Königin)
© Altin Kaftira
Bridget Breiner „Dornröschen“: Orazio Di Bella (König), Balkiya Zhanburchinova (Königin), Chiara Scarrone (Aurora)
© Altin Kaftira
Opernführer Audio
