The Snow Queen - Schedule, Program & Tickets
The Snow Queen
Opera in three acts
Libretto by Hans Abrahamsen and Henrik Engelbrecht based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Translated into English by Amanda Holden
In English with German and English surtitles
Premiere
December 7, 2025
Recommended age
15 years and up
Kay and Gerda's journey to the Snow Queen and into the depths of the human soul.
What kind of story is it when two children embark on an adventure in which they encounter fairytale characters and return changed as adults?
Hans Abrahamsen's (*1952) three-act opera The Snow Queen – premiered in 2019 in Copenhagen – based on the fairy tale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen explores the coming-of-age story of Kay and Gerda. The neighborhood children are close, but when Kay is injured in the eye and heart by a splinter of ice, they become estranged. Gerda embarks on an extraordinary journey to mysterious places.
The Snow Queen is a magnificent and multifaceted opera that casts the underlying fairy tale in a completely new light. The Danish composer's highly complex score, structured down to the smallest detail, sounds emotional, sensitive, and liberating. He portrays the characters' individual emotional states in a colorful and impressive way. Abrahamsen's predilection for snow, ice, and cold is particularly audible; the natural elements are meant to be understood as a metaphor for people who have lost touch with one another. But in the end, warmth returns to the hearts – Kay and Gerda reaffirm their deep inner connection: "It is summer, warm and blessed summer." This journey into the innermost depths of the human soul features a top-class cast with Georg Zeppenfeld as the Snow Queen, Christa Mayer as the Grandmother, and Vera-Lotte Boecker and Valerie Eickhoff as Gerda and Kay.
Subject to change.
Libretto by Hans Abrahamsen and Henrik Engelbrecht based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Translated into English by Amanda Holden
In English with German and English surtitles
Premiere
December 7, 2025
Recommended age
15 years and up
Kay and Gerda's journey to the Snow Queen and into the depths of the human soul.
What kind of story is it when two children embark on an adventure in which they encounter fairytale characters and return changed as adults?
Hans Abrahamsen's (*1952) three-act opera The Snow Queen – premiered in 2019 in Copenhagen – based on the fairy tale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen explores the coming-of-age story of Kay and Gerda. The neighborhood children are close, but when Kay is injured in the eye and heart by a splinter of ice, they become estranged. Gerda embarks on an extraordinary journey to mysterious places.
The Snow Queen is a magnificent and multifaceted opera that casts the underlying fairy tale in a completely new light. The Danish composer's highly complex score, structured down to the smallest detail, sounds emotional, sensitive, and liberating. He portrays the characters' individual emotional states in a colorful and impressive way. Abrahamsen's predilection for snow, ice, and cold is particularly audible; the natural elements are meant to be understood as a metaphor for people who have lost touch with one another. But in the end, warmth returns to the hearts – Kay and Gerda reaffirm their deep inner connection: "It is summer, warm and blessed summer." This journey into the innermost depths of the human soul features a top-class cast with Georg Zeppenfeld as the Snow Queen, Christa Mayer as the Grandmother, and Vera-Lotte Boecker and Valerie Eickhoff as Gerda and Kay.
Subject to change.