Philipp Maintz: Thérèse

Killing your own husband in order to start a new life with his best friend – can that ever end well? In his 1867 novel »Thérèse Raquin«, French author Émile Zola tells the story of an unhappy woman who suffers within the cage of an arranged marriage and experiences, during an affair, a happiness she has never felt before. Blinded by passion, the illicit couple do away with the inconvenient husband. But as soon as he is taken care of, the relationship between the two lovers begins to crumble. Guilt crushes any sense of lightness until, in the end, there is no other way out. Philipp Maintz has used this classic material to create a new chamber opera in German, which is now performed by an outstanding cast as part of the Hamburg International Music Festival.