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Ankara State Opera and Ballet will open its 2026-2027 season on Oct. 3 with a new production of Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro," condensing the 240-year-old comedy from four acts into two to sharpen its pace and humor.
The production will be staged at the Opera Stage in Ankara under Serbian director Aleksandar Nikolic, an artist with the National Opera in Novi Sad, who said the work has appeared increasingly modern to him the more closely he has worked with it.
Rather than treating "The Marriage of Figaro" simply as a cornerstone of the classical repertoire, the Ankara production sets out to bring forward the emotional and psychological conflicts that still shape relationships today.
Nikolic said Mozart went beyond portraying people from a particular historical period and instead captured universal patterns in human relationships.
"Mozart was a genius of psychology, not only a genius of music," he said, arguing that the emotional values explored in the opera continue to hold up centuries later.
Set over the course of a single day at Count Almaviva's palace in Spain, the opera brings together characters from different social positions while playing out competing views of love, marriage, power and loyalty.
According to Nikolic, its mix of anger, affection, hatred, friendship and family tension remains particularly recognizable for audiences in Mediterranean and Balkan societies, where family relationships and generational conflicts continue to play a strong role in everyday life.
"This is our story. I think we understand Mozart better today. The reason the work remains relevant centuries later is that Mozart did not merely describe people from a particular era, but captured the universal sides of human relationships," he said.
The original four-act opera, first staged in 1786, will be presented in two acts under the new direction, with the production emphasizing speed, movement and comedy.
Nikolic said the interpretation took shape after roughly one and a half months of rehearsals with Ankara State Opera and Ballet performers.
"Very dynamic, fast, funny. I think the audience will never get bored," he said.
He also praised the Ankara company after having worked with opera ensembles in several countries, particularly across Europe.
"I have worked in many opera houses around the world, especially in Europe, but I really liked the strength of Ankara Opera. The artists of Ankara State Opera and Ballet are very intelligent, very good singers and at a European level. You definitely have very good actors," Nikolic said.
Alessandro Cedrone and Rustam Rahmedov will conduct the production, while Gokce Sener is responsible for set and costume design, Deniz Alp for choreography, Ivan Pekhov for chorus direction and Ali Gokdemir for lighting.
Arda Aktar, Kamil Kaplan and Erencan Karadi will rotate in the role of Count Almaviva, while Ayse Beril El, Tugba Mankal and Arsen Tekinmiraz will appear as the Countess.
Esra Cetiner, Gorkem Ezgi Yildirim and Beste Sahin will share the role of Susanna, with Umut Tarik Akca, Ozgur Savas Gencturk and Umut Kosman alternating as Figaro.
Ezgi Karakaya, Ozge Turkoglu and Melis Saglam will take on Cherubino, while Sibel Kizilates and Zeliha Tuncyurek will appear as Marcellina.
Mithat Karakelle and Yigitcan Tatlioglu will rotate as Bartolo, Huseyin Duranoz and Mehmet Kavil as Basilio, Ali Ulvi Karaca and Dincer Keser as Don Curzio, and Arzu Gok, Ayten Hanalioglu and Merve Emir as Barbarina.
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