When a self-righteous young man ascends the throne of Thebes, he outlaws worship of the god of wine. But a stranger is set on subverting his authority with unruly rituals where anything goes.​ Hans Werner Henze’s musical drama in one act is a blood-soaked tragedy about political demagoguery and the seduction of the masses. In Barry Kosky’s production, the orchestra becomes the battle scene for the antagonistic principles, breaking the physical boundaries of the orchestra pit and pressing onto the stage, where it becomes both witness and accomplice in the unfolding events.