Café Europa – Chamber Opera

Café Europa is a bold new opera that reimagines Europe’s story through the lens of myth, memory, and meaning. Blending the voices of ancient legends with the timeless insights of Europe’s greatest poets and philosophers, this powerful work offers a poetic journey through the continent’s past, present, and future.

At the heart of the EU-supported Sounds of Change project – part of the Creative Europe programme – Café Europa stands as a centerpiece of artistic collaboration. The world premiere of this chamber opera marks the culmination of an ambitious partnership with acclaimed Austrian composer Christoph Renhart, whose evocative score brings to life the rich, resonant libretto Between Memories by Alexandre Honrado.
For this premiere, a vibrant ensemble of emerging young artists coming from all over Europe—driven by curiosity, passion, and exceptional talent—will take the stage. Their performance invites audiences into a deeply moving but also a humorous reflection on Europe’s shared cultural soul and evolving identity.
 
World Premiere
25. 6. 2025
19:30
Tickets 30 Euro
Alban Berg Concert hall, Ossiach

A production by:
Cultural Institution BSA (Slovenia)
Serbian National Theatre (Serbia)
EU-Project: Sounds of Change
 
Production team of the opera
Composer Christoph Renhart
Conductor Živa Ploj Peršuh
Librettist Alexandre Honrado
Director Aleksandar Nikolić
Dramaturg Tibor Hrs Pandur
Scenographer Atej Tutta
Costume designer Senka Ranisavljević
 
Cast
Europa: Mae Heydorn / mezzo-soprano
Philosopher, guests: Antoin Herrera-López Kessel / bass baritone
Zeus: Harald Hieronymus Hein / bass baritone
Demon I: Antonio Signorello / tenor
Demon II: Chloé Leruth / soprano

Chamber orchestra: Ljubljana International Orchestra
Conductor: Živa Ploj Peršuh

Description
Europa owns a small café frequented by famous and infamous guests. While all good and famous characters are recognised by their names (Fernando Pessoa, Søren Kierkegaard, and George Steiner), the evil demons remain anonymous.
Alongside them, two mythological figures from ancient Europa appear: Orpheus, who is tired of performing in an ever-new opera, and Zeus, the “god of the gods”, whose purpose remains unclear and who seems to enjoy only having power to create or destroy “his” continent. He is proud of his ‘own’ work and sees Europa as his property. At the same time, he joins the demons in their intermezzo with Fontane’s famous song: “When do we three meet again?” (“Wann treffen wir drei wieder zusamm’?”) and is ready to conspire with them to create a new wasteland. Europa tries to be a force for good. While the demons succeed in destroying the protagonists, Europa fails to poison one of the demons. Europa confronts Zeus (“You never told your story well”). Finally, Europa tries to get rid of the evil with the help of music – she summons Orpheus and urges him to play his lyre to make everything good, but he is only partially successful: Orpheus sets about tuning Marinetti’s futuristic words “We want to sing the love of danger”, which turns out to be quite Arcadian. At the same time, he is unable to dilute the meaning of the lyrics on which his music is based, and so only one demon collapses and the other begins to sing quietly but happily along with his music.
 
Partners of the EU-Project