Der rote Wal

The red whale

by Vivan and Ketan Bhatti and Markus Winter
Texts by Markus Winter based on a story by Markus Winter and Martin G. Berger
Music by Vivan and Ketan Bhatti
in German with German and English Surtitles
When the beach lies beneath the pavement, as it was often said in the past, it is not far to the sea. Gladis, the protagonist of this opera, follows the opposite direction, from the sea to the pavement. Gladis is an orca. And she wants to break what she breaks. Cruise ships, superyachts, that sort of thing. On her quest for revenge, she meets Lone, who promises her human form for 24 hours and demands one of her fins as a reward. On the pavement, she meets Abad and Ge, an urban guerrilla, schoolchildren on a museum visit to Stammheim. Gladis gets caught between the fronts and questions arise: Does the end justify the means? What remains when every truth is distorted? And if you can't fight violence peacefully, is militancy the last resort left to us all? But or because this is a fairy tale, the kiss of true love can free Gladis from everything in between. The Red Whale is not a fairy tale to trivialize, but to deal with a Stuttgart material that is charged like a myth. To tell of resistance and the monopoly on violence. The text is written by Markus Winter, who as Maeckes is not only one of the Orsons, but also a son of the mother city known far beyond the borders of the Kesselrand as a solo lyricist, thinker and musician. The score is composed by the brothers Vivan and Ketan Bhatti, who with The Red Whale are writing an opera that is also rap.
Location
Opernhaus
Duration
approx. 1 h 45 min (no interval)

World premiere
June 18, 2025 in Stuttgart

Recommended age
from grade 8
There will be a german introduction 45 minutes before the performance at the Upper Foyer (I. Rang).
Jun 2025
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Wed
18
19:00 – 20:45
Opernhaus
World Premiere, Stuzubis 10 € already on presale!
Cast
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Sun
22
15:00 – 16:45
Opernhaus
Stuzubis 10 € already on presale!, afternoon
Cast
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Sun
29
19:00 – 20:45
Opernhaus
8 / 18,50 / 29 / 43 / 58 / 72 / 90 / 108 / 126 €
Jul 2025
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Thu
17
19:00 – 20:45
Opernhaus
8 / 18,50 / 29 / 43 / 58 / 72 / 90 / 108 / 126 €
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Sun
20
18:00 – 19:45
Opernhaus
Stuzubis 10 € already on presale!
8 / 18,50 / 29 / 43 / 58 / 72 / 90 / 108 / - €
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Tue
22
19:00 – 20:45
Opernhaus
8 / 20,50 / 33 / 49 / 66 / 82 / 99 / 119 / 139 €
Dec 2025
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Wed
17
19:00 – 20:45
Opernhaus
First performance this season
8-115 € / G
Tickets available from presale start
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Mon
22
19:00 – 20:45
Opernhaus
8-115 € / G
Tickets available from presale start
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Mon
29
19:00 – 20:45
Opernhaus
8-115 € / G
Tickets available from presale start
Jan 2026
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Wed
7
19:30 – 21:15
Opernhaus
8-115 € / G
Tickets available from presale start
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Sat
17
19:30 – 21:15
Opernhaus
8-126 € / H
Tickets available from presale start
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Mon
19
19:30 – 21:15
Opernhaus
8-115 € / G
Tickets available from presale start
https://www.staatsoperstuttgart.de Staatsoper Stuttgart Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart

Thu
22
19:30 – 21:15
Opernhaus
Zum letzten Mal in dieser Spielzeit
8-115 € / G
Tickets available from presale start
Synopsis
Isi, a young woman, and her friend Pip are visiting a play with their school class. The production marks an anniversary and explores the history of the RAF terrorist group. On the way to the theatre, Isi is stopped and searched by the police. To calm her nerves, she smokes a joint with Pip. Together, they head inside. The play begins with documentary audio recordings from 1970s West Germany. Isi immerses herself in this world — and the world immerses itself in her.


Act 1
At Whale School, the whale teachers once again tell the story of Leviathan, an ancestor of the whales who, to guarantee peace on Earth, united all power within himself. Gladis Blanca is conspicuous by her absence. On her way to school, she was rammed and injured by a boat, an accident that has happened many times before. Distraught and filled with rage, she swears revenge and vows to sink the largest human ship in history. The underwater tech billionaire Lone offers Gladis his help: 24 hours in human form in exchange for one of her fins. The deadline can only be extended if she succeeds in her revenge or receives the kiss of true love. Gladis agrees. In agony, she begins to transform. In the process, she slips into a space between realities where the documentary recordings reappear. The worlds begin to overlap, and under the sign of the “Red Whale,” Gladis and Isi merge into one.

Act 2
In human form, Isi-Gladis suddenly finds herself in the middle of a demonstration. The police try to restore order with water cannons. Isi- Gladis, however, seeks out the water and in doing so catches the attention of Abad and Ge, who are leading the protest. They pull her out of the water cannon’s spray and take her to their hideout. There, they share their goals. Isi-Gladis, in turn, tells them about her plan to sink the largest human ship.
Abad and Ge take her along on an attack against the giant aquarium of a luxury restaurant. After the explosion, Isi-Gladis tries to save the fish while Abad and Ge attempt to escape. All three are arrested. In the liminal world, Isi-Gladis is interrogated and pressured to confess that she is a wanted terrorist named Ulrike.

Act 3
Isi-Gladis’s time is running out. The Leviathan offers her a return to her old life, but she still wants revenge and chooses to stay with Abad and Ge. She searches for the deadline-extending kiss of true love, but when she tries to kiss Abad, he pushes her away, surrendering to self-pity and resignation.


Act 4
In a confrontation with Ge, Isi-Gladis has a revelation: true love is not for a person, but for an idea. Through her experience of shifting between worlds, Isi-Gladis recognizes the connections and shows Ge that they are all characters in an opera. So why not seize the opportunity and take the audience hostage? When Ge threatens Pip with a gun, the situation escalates. Isi-Gladis stands up to Ge and calls on the Leviathan for help, who restores order and ends the overlap between worlds. Gladis’s time is up. Back underwater, she encounters Lone again, who demands his reward and cuts off one of her fins.

Video-Trailer

All about „Der rote Wal“

Supporting program for the world premiere
Panel Talk
Introductory matinee
Two weeks before the world premiere of Der rote Wal, we invite you to a panel discussion with the director and conductor, offering insights into the piece as well as its musical and theatrical concept.

Sun, June 1, 2025
11 am
5 €
Guided tour by the curator
Stammheim 1975 – The RAF Process
The Haus der Geschichte Baden-Württemberg explores the RAF terror in Germany in its exhibition Stammheim 1975, bringing the first Stammheim trial to life through original audio recordings from the courtroom.

Sun, June 1, 2025; 9:45 am / 1 pm
Sun, June 22, 2025; 1 pm
Sun, July 20, 2025; 4 pm
7 €
Guided city tour
RAF in Stuttgart
Where did Andreas Baader and Gudrun Ensslin hide? Where was the office of RAF defense lawyer Klaus Croissant located? This guided tour through downtown Stuttgart visits several locations and tells stories connected to the RAF.

Wed, June 4, 2025
Thu, July 17, 2025
both at 4 pm
12 €
Literature club
Gladis’ Resistance
A fairy tale, a political thriller, a parable? Der rote Wal is all of that—and more. Written by rapper and singer-songwriter Markus Winter, aka Maeckes, it blends grand opera, musical, and rap into one unique work.

Thu, July 10, 2025
7 pm
Admission free, registration required
Audio drama
Rant against Peymann
A call for donations to support imprisoned RAF members posted at the Staatstheater Stuttgart, a weapon taken from the theatre’s own armory, threatening letters from the public to the artistic director – this evening takes us back to the theatre and city history of the 1970s.

Fri, June 13, 2025
8 pm
Admission free, ticket required
Workshop
How Do I Find My Own Voice?
A Workshop for Young Writers with Rapper Maeckes

In a group with a maximum of 12 participants aged 15–20, the aim is to improve or find your own lyric writing skills.

Sat, July 19, 2025
4–8 pm
Registration required