When does the performance take place?

The premiere is on 29.08.2026 at 20:00 at the State Museum of Egyptian Art in Munich.

How long does King Roger last?

The duration is 90 minutes without intermission.

How much does a ticket cost?

Tickets are available from €44; the mentioned price range is from €44 to €63.

Is the venue accessible?

Yes, the museum is accessible. There is a lift for accessibility, no thresholds in the building, and a wheelchair-accessible toilet.

Where is the venue located?

The performance location is the State Museum of Egyptian Art at Gabelsbergerstraße 35, 80333 Munich.

Is there an intermission?

No, the performance takes place without an intermission.

A mysterious opera masterpiece conquers Munich's museum with rare intensity

Name: KING ROGER by Karol Szymanowski
Start: 2026-08-29T22:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-08-29T23:30:00+02:00
Location: Staatliches Museum Ägyptischer Kunst

King Roger at the Museum of Egyptian Art: Opera Ecstasy between Power, Myth, and Seduction

With King Roger, Opera Incognita brings one of the most mysterious music theater works of the 20th century to Munich. The opera by Karol Szymanowski combines historical themes, symbolist imagery, and music that hovers between Impressionism, Expressionism, and oriental vibrant colors.

A rarely performed masterpiece comes to life

Hardly any other work in the operatic literature generates such tension between order and ecstasy. Szymanowski's score weaves sonic opulence with dramatic density; the libretto is based on historical figures yet remains deliberately fictional. In Munich, this cosmos encounters an unusual venue, which lends additional aura to the production.

Myth, Power, and the Pull of the Unknown

At the center is King Roger, a ruler caught between religious discipline and the allure of ecstasy. The opera processes the Sicilian Norman material and Euripides' Bacchae into a musical field of questions about mass, power, seducibility, and the intrusion of the archaic into civilization. It is this openness that makes the work so captivating: Each scene acts as a portal to another level of consciousness.

Opera Incognita focuses on a special theater atmosphere

The free Munich opera collective is known for unusual venues and intense stage experiences. At the State Museum of Egyptian Art, architecture, space, and music merge to create a unique theater atmosphere. The performance promises no museum distance, but an immediate experience where set design, acoustics, and lighting shape the evening.

Karol Szymanowski in a cultural-historical perspective

Szymanowski is regarded as a composer of transitions: his work opens up to both European and non-European influences without ever being able to be pinned down completely. King Roger is thus still read today as an enigmatic masterpiece that touches opera, mystery play, and oratorio simultaneously. It is precisely this complexity that makes the Munich production appealing to opera lovers as well as to those interested in cultural history.

Conclusion: An evening for explorers and opera lovers

King Roger promises an intense, intellectually as well as sensually charged opera experience in Munich. Those who appreciate grand stage art, rarely performed works, and extraordinary performance venues should not miss this event. Experienced live, Szymanowski's music unfolds its full magnetic power.