Lars von Triers film adapted for the stage – world premiere of MELANCHOLIA  at the Royal Swedish Opera

At her wedding reception, the beautiful but depressed Justine spots a red star in the sky. It is the planet Melancholia, which is on a collision course with Earth. The bridegroom Michael tries to calm her down with his love, her mother Gaby poisons her with her darkness, and her sister Claire attempts to rescue her with her solicitude. But no-one can stop the mysterious forces ignited within Justine. And Melancholia gets closer and closer… 

The iconic director Lars von Trier’s apocalyptic Melancholia took the world by storm in 2011. The composer Mikael Karlsson – known to the Royal Swedish Opera’s audiences for his music to Alexander Ekman ballets such as Midsummer Night’s Dream and Escapist – has now made a full-length opera based on the fascinating film. The librettist is Royce Vavrek, who also wrote the libretto for the operatic version of von Trier’s Breaking the Waves. The soloists include the soprano Lauren Snouffer – a virtuoso performer of both baroque opera and contemporary music – as Justine, Metropolitan Opera’s young rising star Rihab Chaieb as Claire, and Anne Sofie von Otter as the ice-cold mother Gaby.

World premiere live radio broadcast

The world premiere of Melancholia will be live broadcast on Swedish National Radio (Sveriges Radio P2) Saturday October 7 at 7 p.m.

Premiere Talk

Deepen your understanding of the work - meet the team behind the performance and cast in our popular premiere talks!

OCTOBER 7 2023 in the Golden Foyer at 6 p.m., free entrance.