The story of the rise and fall of King Richard III., which William Shakespeare tells in his historical drama written in 1593, is a prime example of a despot who pushes his way to the top by force without having any political idea beyond power.

The fact that Shakespeare's drama ‘matches’ perfectly with music by Henry Purcell was impressively demonstrated on Monday evening. Director Kateryna Sokolova and the musical director of the production, Benjamin Bayl, worked together to find key pieces from Shakespeare's masterpiece and Purcell's oeuvre to show Richard III in a completely different light!

In the chamber opera, Richard's art of disguise is at the centre of the production: three performers, a singer (Christoph Filler), an actor (Sören Kneidl) and a dancer (Fabian Tobias Huster) play the multifaceted role of the power-hungry king. The premiere evening was particularly remarkable, as Timothy Connor stepped in at short notice to sing for Christoph Filler, who was ill, while Christoph Filler performed on stage.

Louise Kemény and Johannes Bamberger also performed on stage, as well as Martina Neubauer and Antoine Amariu as part of the CAMPUS cooperation with students from the Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna. The Bach Consort Vienna was playing.

The audience was enthusiastic about this fascinating and extraordinary evening and celebrated all the artists extensively.

Richard III. can be seen at the Kammeroper until 23 June.