Musical director Thomas Barthel
Stage director Nina Russi
Set and costume design Marianna Helen Meyer
Lighting design Dino Strucken
Dramaturgy Kathrin Brunner

Princess + Goosegirl Dara Savinova / Lin Shi
Mother + Goose herder Kürdchen Irène Friedli / Judith Schmid
Chambermaid Deanna Breiwick/ Estelle Poscio / Claire de Sévigné
King + Horse slaughterer Andri Robertsson  / Bastian Thomas Kohl / Reinhard Mayr
Horse Falada + Prince Christian Sollberger

Philharmonia Zurich
Extras Zurich Opera

Photos © Danielle Liniger
Video recording available on request
Information Opernhaus Zürich

The Goose Girl is one of the most famous and profound fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm: a princess is sent by her mother to a distant kingdom to marry a prince. Armed with a talisman from her mother, she sets out on her journey with her talking horse Falada and her chambermaid. The princess loses three drops of blood and thus the protection of her mother. Thereupon the cunning chambermaid takes away her horse and prince, exchanges the identities, obliges the king's daughter to silence and she also has to tend to the geese. The chambermaid has the horse Falada, in the meantime the only confidant of the rightful princess, killed out of fear and betrayal. But the king's daughter listens to her heart, follows the advice of the king and entrusts her fate to an old stove ... The hero is a heroine! Fairy tales favour no gender: girls have to plunge into soul devouring adventures just as well as boys.

The Berlin composer Iris ter Schiphorst composed this conflict filled story on tonal borders, but through repetition of individual, crooked and lopsided arioso phrases, she ensures catchiness and recognisability. Thus, the magical and mysterious opus also achieves a certain comedy and great poetic images.