Nuit sans aube

Once upon a time, there was a young man, Peter, consumed by an indescribable torment. His mother, steeped in superstitions, raised him in a world of rituals, yet one that remains unfathomable. Peter finds no comfort with his friend Clara. Perhaps the spirits of the forest and night will offer him solace...

Inspired by a romantic tale by Wilhelm Hauff, chosen by Matthias Pintscher, the libretto by poet and pianist Daniel Arkadij Gerzenberg unfolds like a fable. Laden with the mysterious atmosphere of the Black Forest, it flows like a dream. Suggestive in nature, as only opera can be, it delves into the place of trauma and belief in life, and our relationship with nature. Between alienation and mysticism.

A composer, conductor, and pedagogue, Matthias Pintscher was the musical director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain until 2023. A major figure in contemporary music, he here conducts the enchanting score of his fourth lyrical work - a double premiere: in French at the Opéra-Comique and in German at the Staatsoper in Berlin, with scenic enchantments directed by James Darrah.

Opera in twelve scenes | French translation by Catherine Fourcassié | World Premiere on 11th January 2026 at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin
Under the original title Das kalte Herz | French creation