Sylva (Die Csárdásfürstin)

Imre Kálmán’s operetta

The passionate and complicated love story of Count Edwin and the cabaret singer Sylva has captivated many generations. The story centres on two lovers whose marriage is prevented by the pitfalls of social standing. Edwin’s engagement with Countess Stasi is already announced and everything seems lost but then… We love fairytales with happy endings, don’t we?

Beneath the sequins, champagne, and Csárdás rhythms, in Imre Kálmán’s enduring operetta Sylva (Die Csárdásfürstin), lies a tale of transformation, exposing themes like class, personal freedom, and societal hypocrisy. Sylva Varescu is no mere cabaret star—she’s a force of nature: independent, dignified, and unapologetically herself.

By evoking the perfume of a past era, I aim to create an homage to a bygone world, poised between East and West, tradition and modernity, illusion and reality. I hope to blur the line between stage and life, inviting audiences into a world where the final note leaves behind an emotional resonance even after the curtain has closed.

– Giorgio Madia, director

Premiere: November 22, 2025 – Grand Building of the Vanemuine Theatre