The Vienna State Opera offers a free livestream of Eine florentinische Tragödie and Bluebeard’s Castle, conducted by Alain Altinoglu, on 10 October. Registration is required.
Streaming details
Programme: Alexander von Zemlinsky — Eine florentinische Tragödie (A Florentine Tragedy); Béla Bartók — Bluebeard’s Castle
Venue: Vienna State Opera, Vienna, Austria
Livestream: Saturday 10 October 2026, 19:00 CEST (Vienna) / 17:00 GMT
Duration: Approximately 2 hours 30 minutes, including one interval
Conductor: Alain Altinoglu
Director: Vasily Barkhatov
Cast — Eine florentinische Tragödie: Dmitry Golovnin (Guido Bardi), Christopher Maltman (Simone), Asmik Grigorian (Bianca)
Cast — Bluebeard’s Castle: Florian Boesch (Bluebeard), Asmik Grigorian (Judith)
Languages: German / Hungarian
Access: Free; registration required
Availability: Live, followed by catch-up for up to 72 hours after the performance
Watch: Staatsoper Play
Two operas about the disturbing discoveries at the heart of intimate relationships share the stage in this week’s Moto Plays selection. The Vienna State Opera streams Zemlinsky’s Eine florentinische Tragödie and Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, with Asmik Grigorian taking the central female role in both works.
Alain Altinoglu conducts the double bill, staged by Vasily Barkhatov. Grigorian appears alongside Christopher Maltman and Dmitry Golovnin in Zemlinsky’s opera, before joining Florian Boesch for Bartók’s unsettling encounter between Judith and Bluebeard.
Based on Oscar Wilde’s unfinished play, Eine florentinische Tragödie centres on a merchant, his wife and her aristocratic lover. Jealousy and violence lead to an unexpected transformation in the married couple’s perception of one another.
In Bluebeard’s Castle, a libretto by Béla Balázs turns a succession of locked doors into a journey through concealed emotions and memories. Judith’s determination to discover what lies behind them draws her deeper into Bluebeard’s world, towards an ending marked by darkness and solitude.
The pairing offers two contrasting visions of what happens when lovers confront the unfamiliar within someone they thought they knew. Grigorian’s appearance in both operas provides an additional reason to explore this evening from Vienna.
The stream is free to watch through Staatsoper Play, but viewers must create an account or sign in. It begins on 10 October at 19:00 Vienna time (17:00 GMT), with catch-up available for up to 72 hours after the performance.
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