Sylva
/Die Csárdásfürstin/
Composer Emmerich Kálmán
Text by Rasmus Kull and Giorgio Madia, based on Leo Stein’s and Bela Jenbach’s 1915 libretto, songs by Kulno Süvalep
Music Director and Conductor Aleksandr Bražnik
Conductors Martin Sildos, Kasper Joel Nõgene
Director-choreographer Giorgio Madia (Italy)
Set and Costume Designer Domenico Franchi (Italy)
Lighting Designer Giorgio Madia (Italy)
Cast Annely Peebo (Wiener Volksoper) or Karmen Puis, Tamar Nugis (Estonian National Opera) or Rasmus Kull, Simo Breede or Rasmus Kull, Pirjo Jonas or Marta Paklar or Ursula Roomere, Oliver Kuusik or Aare Saal, Väino Puura or Märt Jakobson, Katrin Karisma or Merle Jalakas, Kristjan Häggblom, Jaan Willem Sibul, Tarmo Tagamets or Oliver Timmusk et al.
Vanemuine Opera Chorus, Ballet Company and Symphony Orchestra
The passionate and complicated love story of Count Edwin and the cabaret singer Sylva has captivated many generations. The story centres on two lovers whose marriage is prevented by the pitfalls of social standing. Edwin’s engagement with Countess Stasi is already announced and everything seems lost but then… We love fairytales with happy endings, don’t we?
Beneath the sequins, champagne, and Csárdás rhythms, in Emmerich Kálmán’s enduring operetta Sylva (Die Csárdásfürstin), lies a tale of transformation, exposing themes like class, personal freedom, and societal hypocrisy. Sylva Varescu is no mere cabaret star—she’s a force of nature: independent, dignified, and unapologetically herself.
By evoking the perfume of a past era, I aim to create an homage to a bygone world, poised between East and West, tradition and modernity, illusion and reality. I hope to blur the line between stage and life, inviting audiences into a world where the final note leaves behind an emotional resonance even after the curtain has closed.
– Giorgio Madia, director
Premiere: November 22, 2025 – Grand Building of the Vanemuine Theatre
Language: Estonian
Surtitles: Estonian, English
