Sir Simon Rattle conducts Mozart and Bartók — With Magdalena Kožená and Gerald Finley

Enter into the mysterious world of Bluebeard’s Castle, Bartók’s masterful one-act opera, conducted by the eminent Sir Simon Rattle at the 2026 Verbier Festival! Renowned vocalists Gerald Finley and Magdalena Kožená embody the psychologically complex Duke Bluebeard and his new wife Judith, the latter of whom discovers her spouse’s dark secrets by exploring the rooms of her new home, Bluebeard’s Castle. The chilling tale — recounted in poet Béla Balász’s libretto based on the famous story by Charles Perrault — is brought to life by Bartók’s spectacular score in which the composer blends elements of Hungarian musical folklore with rhythmic and harmonic innovations pioneered by Debussy. The orchestral part, expertly performed by the Verbier Festival Orchestra, portrays the psychological depths of the Duke, a man eternally condemned to a life of solitude. The program opens with Mozart’s refined Symphony No. 38, called the “Prague” Symphony after the city where his Marriage of Figaro had just met with great success.