Danube FESTIVAL WEEKS: Music Theatre at Greinburg Castle

The central baroque music theater production at Greinburg Castle is taking new paths in 2026 and initiating a "Bach Opera": "Sophia or The Price of Freedom" connects the timeless power of Johann Sebastian Bach's music with the great questions of our present. At Greinburg Castle, a multifaceted sound space opens up for a music theater festival, where the arcade courtyard becomes a lively stage, performed by the Company of Music and the L'Orfeo Baroque Orchestra under the musical direction of Johannes Hiemetsberger. Music theater along the fractures of the present... Although Johann Sebastian Bach himself did not compose an opera, his cantatas and choruses unfold an impressive dramatic power. From this rich variety, Saskia Bladt weaves a delicate musical texture and shapes "Sophia or The Price of Freedom" into a music-theatrical pastiche of our time. With a libretto by Philipp Blom, current social questions are poetically and musically made tangible: How does artificial intelligence influence our thinking, our decisions, and our understanding of humanity?

At the center is the festive launch of the all-knowing AI Sophia. Amidst Bach's music, champagne, and visionary future images, the machine answers the questions of its admirers with impressive clarity. When the waitress Leila asks a very personal question, a space for reflection and dialogue opens up. Thus, the work invites an intense thought experiment about progress, responsibility, and human freedom, offering the audience a multifaceted, touching glimpse into our possible future.