The New National Theatre in Tokyo presents the world premiere of Natasha, a new opera by Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa, on stage from 11 to 17 August 2025. This opera is the third project commissioned by Artistic Director Kazushi Ono to Japanese composers, after Akira Nishimura’s Asters and Dai Fujikura’s A Dream of Armageddon. Natasha is a one-act opera, lasting approximately two and a half hours, sung in Japanese, German, Ukrainian and other languages, with English and Japanese surtitles. Hosokawa’s music, influenced by the 2011 earthquake, is configured as a prayer or a requiem, reflecting on the relationship between humanity and nature, and the consequences of environmental destruction. The libretto, written by award-winning author Yoko Tawada, narrates the encounter between Natasha, a wandering immigrant, and Arato, a young Japanese man. Led by an enigmatic figure, the “nephew of Mephistopheles,” the two protagonists traverse various contemporary “hells,” exploring themes such as war, migration, and the environmental crisis. The production is directed by Christian Räth, with sets by Daniel Unger and costumes by Mattie Ullrich. The cast includes Ilse Eerens as Natasha, Hiroka Yamashita as Arato, and Christian Miedl as the “nephew of Mephistopheles.” The musical part is entrusted to the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chorus of the New National Theater, under the direction of Kazushi Ono.
With more than 110 works, many on loan from the Gifu Museum of Fine Arts, this exhibition presents a complete picture of the artistic career of the French artist Odilon Redon, one of the major representatives of symbolism in painting.
The exhibition features a selection of ancient bronzes and decorated mirrors from the renowned Sumitomo Collection, one of the most important holdings of Asian art outside China.
An Immersion Into the Surprising Worlds of Tara Donovan
For over twenty years, Donovan has developed a distinctive artistic practice that explores the interaction between material properties, perception and natural phenomena. Her work is characterized by the use of everyday objects assembled in monumental quantities to create structures that recall natural forms.
The Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum in Tokyo is hosting the exhibition on Renoir and Cézanne, the only Japanese stop of an important international project that has already travelled to Milan, Martigny (Switzerland), and Hong Kong.
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