Crazy for Opera: backstage at the Bavarian State Opera

The Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera), with centuries of history behind it, is one of the most beloved opera houses on the planet, showered in international awards, host to sold-out productions with the greatest stars of every era, and home to audiences who live for that charged moment when the curtain rises.

“Whenever life gets complicated,” Crazy for Opera tells us, “we need the opera.” For longtime aficionados and newcomers alike, this first-ever documentary about one of the music world’s most hallowed spaces gives us invaluable insight into a uniquely captivating artform and the people who devote their lives to creating it, from the superstars in the spotlight to the musicians in the orchestra pit and the indefatigable crew backstage.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of three productions: Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Rameau’s Les Indes galantes, and Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera, featuring interviews and performances by Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros, current and former music directors Kirill Petrenko and Zubin Mehta, ballet director Igor Zelensky, and more of the 1,000+ people who work tirelessly to take the opera to stratospheric heights in Munich.