Opera at the Teatro Colón: What You Can’t Miss in 2025

The season opened on March 9, with a political love drama that we could classify as a classic; if there’s one opera that combines spectacle, drama, and incredible music, it’s Aida.

The story is set in ancient Egypt and centers around Aida, an Ethiopian princess who is captured and turned into a slave, and Radamès, an Egyptian general. They are madly in love, but their love is impossible: Radamès is chosen to lead the war against Aida’s people. Like in any great tragedy, fate will place them before a heart-wrenching decision: country or love.

This original production by Colón was created in 1996 under the scenic and stage direction of Roberto Oswald, and we’ve seen it performed many times at the theater.

Fun Fact: The interesting thing about this piece is that it includes all three resident bodies: orchestra, ballet, and choir.

When: 11 performances: from March 9 to 22.

An interesting aspect of this opera is that it tells different stories in each of its acts. In other words, three acts, three distinct little operas. This is because its composer, Giacomo Puccini, aimed for each act to represent one of the three parts of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.

The first is Il Tabarro (Hell), which tells the story of a love triangle that triggers jealousy, betrayal, and eventually a murder. The second is Suor Angelica (Purgatory), which centers on a woman forced into a convent after having an illegitimate child, living isolated from the world ever since. Finally, Gianni Schicchi (Paradise), which, with a comedic tone, tells how a bourgeois deceives a greedy family to inherit the fortune of a wealthy deceased relative.

When: 7 performances: from May 2 to 13.

One of the most anticipated operas of the year, with an intense story of the struggle between good and evil, injustice, and remorse.

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Based on the novel of the same name, it follows Billy Budd, a young, good, and innocent sailor, who is falsely accused of treason aboard a British ship during the war between England and France in the late 18th century. The ship's captain, although knowing Billy is innocent, is forced to condemn him by strict military law.

Fun Fact: Directed by American Erik Nielsen and staged by Marcelo Lombardero, this will be the first time this opera is performed on Argentine soil.

When: 8 performances: from July 1 to 12.

Who doesn’t love stories of impossible love? This emblematic opera of French romanticism immerses us in the passion and suffering of its protagonist, Werther, a young poet who falls deeply in love with Charlotte, a woman who has already promised to marry another man at her deceased mother’s request. His unrequited love will ultimately bring despair, melancholy, and tragedy.

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Based on the novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Massenet’s work returns to the legendary Teatro Colón after 10 years, its last performance having been in 2015. With a new production directed by Rubén Szuchmacher, this story promises to take us on an intense and heartbreaking emotional journey.

When: 8 performances: from August 24 to September 3.

Of the seven titles in the season, this will be the only one in concert version, meaning there will be no traditional staging, and the singers will simply be accompanied by the orchestra, conducted by Italian Maurizio Benini.

I Puritani is an opera about a love tested in the midst of the civil war between the Puritans and the Royalists. Its protagonists are Elvira, the daughter of a Puritan leader, and Arturo, a Royalist knight. They are about to marry when Arturo is forced to leave to assist Henrietta of France for political reasons. Meanwhile, Elvira believes she has been abandoned by her almost-husband and goes mad with grief, but Arturo returns to explain himself, only to be captured.

Fun Fact: The roles of Elvira and Arturo will be played by Australian soprano Jessica Pratt and Russian tenor Dmitry Korchak.

When: 4 performances: from September 13 to 21.

The dark and majestic opera by Richard Strauss, based on Oscar Wilde’s novel of the same name, returns to the main hall of Teatro Colón after 26 years of absence.

The story, often described as “sinister” and “scandalous,” centers around a young princess named Salomé, who falls in love with John the Baptist, a prophet who rejects her love. In her jealousy, Salomé agrees to dance for her stepfather, King Herod, who promises to grant her any wish in exchange for her performance. Her request? The head of John the Baptist on a platter.

Madness, obsession, delirium, desire, hysteria—these are just a few words that come to mind to describe this provocative and fascinating classic.

When: 6 performances: from October 28 to November 4.

The 2025 season will close with the classic of classics, and rightly so: La Traviata is the most performed opera worldwide.

The opera, considered by many to be Verdi’s masterpiece, follows the romance between Violetta, a Parisian courtesan who, after a life of luxury and excess, finds love with Alfredo, a young man from a wealthy family. However, their happiness is interrupted by Alfredo’s father, who orders Violetta to leave his son to protect the family’s reputation. Will Violetta accept or resist and fight for her love?

With the cast yet to be defined, we know that the stage direction will be handled by Emilio Sagi and, due to the high demand for tickets, it will be the opera with the most performances of the season. Additionally, this work gives us some of the most unforgettable arias in opera history, such as the drinking song Libiamo ne’ lieti calici and the heartbreaking Sempre libera.

When: 10 performances: from November 18 to 29.