When Jacob finds a magical fish that can grant wishes, the demands on the magical animal soon take on threatening proportions...
Music theatre for young audiences
Libretto by Flora Verbrugge after the Brothers Grimm German translation by Barbara Buri
Performed in German
Premiere
17. December 2025
Dates & Cast
- Regie Benedikt Arnold
- Set Design and Costume Design Lex Hymer
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Jacob Annike Debus
- Schlagwerk Johannes Kilian
- Regie Benedikt Arnold
- Set Design and Costume Design Lex Hymer
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Jacob Annike Debus
- Schlagwerk Johannes Kilian
- Regie Benedikt Arnold
- Set Design and Costume Design Lex Hymer
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Jacob Annike Debus
- Schlagwerk Johannes Kilian
- Regie Benedikt Arnold
- Set Design and Costume Design Lex Hymer
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Jacob Annike Debus
- Schlagwerk Johannes Kilian
- Regie Benedikt Arnold
- Set Design and Costume Design Lex Hymer
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Jacob Annike Debus
- Schlagwerk Johannes Kilian
- Regie Benedikt Arnold
- Set Design and Costume Design Lex Hymer
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Jacob Annike Debus
- Schlagwerk Johannes Kilian
- Regie Benedikt Arnold
- Set Design and Costume Design Lex Hymer
- Dramaturgy Martin Lühr
- Jacob Annike Debus
- Schlagwerk Johannes Kilian
In brief
What if even your craziest wishes could come true? Early in the morning, little Jacob and his father leave the shack that serves as their home – the family can’t afford a house – and go to the beach to do some fishing. And sure enough, the boy catches a huge fish. What’s more: it can talk! The fish begs Jacob to let it return to the water. “Throw me back and let me live – whatever you want, I will give!” Jacob agrees, but after oversleeping the next morning, he returns to the beach and wants a wish granted in return: a pair of new shoes. When his parents realise what’s going on, they also have wishes of their own, which only grow more demanding over time. As a result, the fish gets thinner and weaker, while the ocean becomes ever more tempestuous ... How will it all end?
This work is based on the fairy tale The Fisherman and his Wife by the Brothers Grimm, which focuses entirely on the story of the married couple. In their chamber opera Gold!, which premiered in 2012, Leonard Evers and Flora Verbrugge place the spotlight on the son and his world of fantasy: here it’s little Jacob who catches the fish and tells it everyone’s wishes. Gold! appeals to the joy of make-believe and of changing identities: one performer plays all the singing and speaking roles. The sounds of nature and the magical powers of the fish are conjured up by a huge array of percussion instruments, creating a colourful acoustic panorama. Following on from his sci-fi opera humanoid, Ever’s fairytale opera Gold! is now coming to the Semperoper.
Storyline
Jacob lives with his parents beneath the roots of a large tree on the beach. His family is unable to afford a proper apartment. Each morning Jacob goes to the beach with his father to fish. One day he catches a fish that not only can talk, but also possesses magical powers. Jacob releases the fish, who promises to fulfill his wishes in return. At first Jacob just wants a pair of real shoes. However, when his parents learn about the magic fish, they also make their wishes known. It starts with a house, and quickly escalates further and further. Jacob has to run to the beach every day to give the fish the new instructions from his parents. But this becomes more and more difficult since the weather and sea are growing more and more restless, gloomy, and fierce, and the fish weaker and weaker ...
