From Berlin to Paris: first reactions to Das kalte Herz, soon to be followed by Nuit sans aube at the Opéra-Comique

In Berlin, the production struck audiences with its ability to let the meaning breathe. More than just an opera with a message, Das kalte Herz progresses through tableaux, images and moods, as if the forest became an interior space where fear, the desire for peace and the loss of human warmth are replayed.

In Berlin, the performance also provoked very direct reactions from the audience [‘greeted with laughter from the audience’ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Clemens Haustein, 13 January 2026 | Read the article (in german)].

Musically, the writing strives for a tension between breadth and finesse: a hypnotic flow, interspersed with micro-details, where timbre and percussion sculpt the listening experience.

‘Director James Darrah embraces this dialogue with the image: “I had enough film experience to steer the opera towards film”.’ [Süddeutsche Zeitung, Wolfgang Schreiber, 12 January 2026 | Read the article (in german)]

On stage, critics highlighted the visual power of a world in metamorphosis: changing skies, moving trees, apparitions, signs.

This aesthetic of turmoil, on the borderline between dream and nightmare, opens up a space for interpretation for the viewer, where each person completes what they see and hear with their own sensations.