Wim Wenders’s landmark 1987 film Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire) is set to become an opera. Oper Dortmund has announced a new stage work based on the celebrated film, with music by Elena Kats-Chernin and a central role for tenor Rolando Villazón.
The world premiere is scheduled for 14 May 2028 at the Dortmund Opera House as part of the company’s 60th anniversary celebrations. The opera will be presented in two acts and is being developed with a libretto and staging by German director and playwright Martin G. Berger, who will also direct the production.
According to the company, Villazón will appear in all six performances of the premiere run.
Originally released in 1987, Der Himmel über Berlin is widely regarded as one of the defining works of European cinema. The film, directed by Wenders, follows angels observing life in a divided Berlin and reflects on themes including loneliness, desire, humanity, and transcendence. It received major international recognition, including the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival.
In announcing the project, Dortmund Opera Intendant Heribert Germeshausen described the adaptation as “an epochal work” and acknowledged the unusual scale of the undertaking for a regional opera house.
“Such a project would normally be expected from a state opera company,” Germeshausen said in a statement, while also highlighting the support of the Wilo-Foundation and the Fonds Neues Musiktheater of the NRW KULTURsekretariat, which are supporting the commission and production costs.
The new opera adds another major project to the catalogue of Elena Kats-Chernin, whose works have been performed internationally across opera, orchestral, chamber, and ballet repertoire. The adaptation also marks a notable crossover between European arthouse cinema and contemporary opera.
The production will be created by Dortmund Opera and supported by the Wilo-Foundation together with the Fonds Neues Musiktheater of the NRW KULTURsekretariat.
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