BarokOpera Amsterdam, founded in 2000 by flutist and conductor Frédérique Chauvet, creates contemporary musical theater. The ensemble introduces you to popular operas from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries that have gloriously stood the test of time, such as this time Mozart’s magnificent Die Entführung aus dem Serail from 1782.

The Spanish nobleman Belmonte frees his beloved Konstanze from the Turkish palace of the pasha Bassa Selim. But they are caught and brought before the pasha, who initially wants to put them on trial. Despite his feelings for Konstanze, Bassa Selim, as an enlightened ruler, lets the lovers and their servants go free.

The youthful Mozart and his contemporaries were fascinated by the Ottoman Empire, but had little real knowledge about this culturally highly developed area. BarokOpera Amsterdam therefore joined forces with makers with a Turkish background and commissioned composer and music theater maker Selim Doğru to create new music to accompany the opera. Thus, The Abduction from the Harem becomes a dialogue between Western and Eastern culture.