Rich Opera Repertoire

The series of opera premieres planned for this season at the Croatian National Theater will kick off with Georges Bizet's Carmen, an opera considered to be the centerpiece in the repertoire of every opera house. Carmen opens on 7 December.

The Croatian National Theater has once again prepared a rich opera repertoire for this season. The first in the series will be the premiere of an opera considered to be the centerpiece in the repertoire of every opera house - Bizet’s Carmen, which opens on 7 December. The Zagreb premiere will be directed by Philipp Himmelmann, one of the most sought after directors on German stages. In the first premiere of the season, the opera ensemble will be conducted by Johannes Wildner, who was first introduced to Zagreb’s opera audiences last year.

From the moment the Croatian National Theater opened its doors to audiences on 14 October 1895, its repertoire has been very rich and varied. In addition to works by the world’s classics, the theater has also fostered national music, both traditional as well as contemporary. It has opened its doors and stage to all forms of theater happenings and it has paved the way for our performing artists who have appeared on stages around the world.

The Croatian National Theater was designed by Viennese architects Ferdinand Fellner and Herman Heler. Its construction lasted 16 and a half months as planned. The Austro-Hungarian emperor Franz Joseph I opened the theater by symbolically striking the balcony fence with a silver hammer designed and crafted by Croatian sculptor Robert Frangeš Mihanović. The neo-baroque building of the Croatian National Theater is located in one of the most beautiful squares of Zagreb’s Lower Town and is surrounded by a number of other representative grade zero listed buildings.