Petrit Halilaj: Syrigana

Concert Version of the Opera

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  Syrigana: An Opera in Five Acts, Performance-Ansicht

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  Ausstellungsansicht „Petrit Halilaj. An Opera Out of Time“, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, 11.9.2025 – 31.5.2026

At the end of his exhibition "Petrit Halilaj. An Opera Out of Time" (until May 31, 2026), the artist will present a concert version of his opera "Syrigana" together with the Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra at Hamburger Bahnhof. The piece was first performed outdoors in the landscape of Kosovo in June 2025 and will now take place in the museum as a performative concert with eleven musicians, two sopranos and the wedding band Don't Listen to Your Neighbors under the direction of Marco Crispo in the middle of the exhibition.
The mythical site of Syrigana, a 3,000-year-old village near Halilaj's hometown of Runik, forms the conceptual starting point for the opera. The archaeological site and scene of local myths becomes the setting for an epic, queer love story: In five acts, the opera tells the arrival of Fox and Rooster, who have been cast out of paradise and reach the site in a helicopter of the NATO peacekeeping mission KFOR.
The installative version of the opera, which has been on display in Halilaj's solo exhibition at Hamburger Bahnhof since September 2025, will now be activated in a new, dream-like form at the end of the exhibition. While the original opera was realized as a stage production, here it unfolds as an interplay of different elements: The Kosovo Philharmonic interprets the score composed by Lugh O'Neill, sopranos Nina Guo and Urta Haziraj lend their voices to the narrative and puppets bring the plot to life in miniature format, played by Keumbyul Lim, Hanik Soleimani and Carlo Silvester Duer.
Duration: approx. one hour
Access to the concerts is via door 3 of the Rieckhallen, not via the main entrance of Hamburg station. The Rieckhallen are located behind the historic building to the north (see map).
The exhibition "Petrit Halilaj. An Opera Out of Time"
The museum version of his first opera work "Syrigana" is the central chapter of the solo exhibition "Petrit Halilaj. An Opera Out of Time" (until Sunday, May 31, 2026). In addition to the site-specific work, the presentation in the spacious Rieckhallen will show sculptures and installations from various creative phases that deal with the lived experience of war, flight and exile as well as queerness and cultural oppression. The exhibition will be open until 6 pm for the performances.

The event is part of the anniversary program 30 Years Hamburger Bahnhof. in 2026, Hamburger Bahnhof will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a program that spans the history of the site into the future: Eight special exhibitions, a new collection presentation as well as performances and concerts will take the museum far out into the urban space. The highlight is the anniversary weekend from November 13 to 15, 2026, when an international conference on the future of contemporary collection museums will take place and the museum will be open for 30 hours straight.
The event is curated by Catherine Nichols, curator at Hamburger Bahnhof - Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart.
The event is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport of the Republic of Kosovo, Hamburger Bahnhof International Companions e. V., Ambasciata d'Italia Berlino and the Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo, Berlin.Translated with DeepL

Price info: Advance sales at: reservix.de

Price: €25.00

Next date:

• Date Friday, 29/May/2026 18:30 bis 20:00 (3 more dates)
• Venue Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart
• Address Invalidenstraße 51, 10557 Berlin-Tiergarten