A complicated web of intrigue, a jealous princess, a poisoned bouquet of violets and an exceptionally gifted artist whose death is shrouded in dismal myth: these are the themes woven by Eugène Scribe into his play about Adrienne Lecouvreur, the most important actress of the early 18th century. A good 50 years later Francesco Cilea turned his dramatic study of the infamous, art-loving Ancien Régime from 1849 into what is certainly his most famous opera, ADRIANA LECOUVREUR. In the breathtakingly confusing plot of intrigue, Adriana and her rival, the jealous Princess Bouillon, fight for the love of Count Maurizio, the historical Count Maurice de Saxe. At the premiere in 1902 critics were already chiding the actress's demise by a poisoned bouquet of violets, an unlikely end by verismo standards. Yet the lyrical, virtuosic singing parts have made the piece an uncontested classic of opera literature to this day. Adriana's title role is especially considered a masterpiece for every great soprano.

Anna Netrebko's moving interpretation of Adriana is legendary on the big stages of the world, from Vienna to New York. Beside her husband Yusif Eyvazov as Count Maurizio, she is now performing one of her most celebrated roles at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Michelangelo Mazza will conduct the concert evening at the orchestra conductor's stand of the Deutsche Oper Berlin.