"Under the direction of Christian Räth, the staging is as refined as it is haunting."
—Music Press Asia
"Dancers choreographed by Catherine Galasso added to the magical atmosphere."
—The Japan Times
New National Theater Tokyo
2.5 hours
Choreography by Catherine Galasso
The story focuses on an encounter between Natasha, a wandering immigrant driven out of her hometown, and a young man named Arato, as well as a Mephistopheles-like figure who shows and leads the pair through various scenes of human hells. Multilingual with Japanese, German and Ukrainian languages, the opera depicts destruction and hope with multiculturalism as the key to finding a path forward.
Galasso choreographed several dances for the production with eight dancers appearing as refugees, elements of a storm, mad scientists, fire demons, and plastic ballroom faeries.
Natasha is not simply an opera; it’s a cultural reckoning. [...] In its multilingual dialogue, ritualistic score, and stark aesthetics, it champions a truly global outlook rooted in Asian tradition and sensitivity.
Music Press Asia
NATASHA
World Premiere
Commissioned by New National Theatre Tokyo
Composer
Hosokawa Toshio
Libretto
Yoko Tawada
Conductor
Kazushi Ono
Stage Director
Christian Räth
Choreography
Catherine Galasso
Assistant Choreographer
Mei Yamanaka
Set Design
Christian Räth and Daniel Unger
Costume Design
Mattie Ullrich
Lighting Design
Rick Fisher
Video Design
Clemens Walter
Sound Design
Sumihisa Arima
Principals
Natasha: Ilse EERENS
Arato: YAMASHITA Hiroka
Mephistos Enkel: Christian MIEDL
Frau A: MORIYA Mari
Frau B: TOMIHIRA Akiko
Businessman A: TANG Jun Bo
Businessman B: Timothy HARRIS
Dancers
Asahi AMANO, Kei ASANUMA, Mizuki GUNJI, Azusa HOSHINO, Takeo ISHII, Jun MORII, Maika UEDA, Mei YAMANAKA
Production premiere
August 11-17 2025
Support
Commissioned by New National Theatre Tokyo with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, and endorsed by the Goethe Institute