Opernhaus Dortmund

Opernhaus Dortmund

Opernhaus Dortmund (Dortmund Opera House) is the opera house of Dortmund, Germany, opened in 1966 and formally operated by the Theater Dortmund.

Architecture

The first opera house of Dortmund of 1904 had been destroyed in World War II. The new opera house was designed by architects Heinrich Rosskotten and Edgar Tritthart.^[1] The design separates the functions stage and technical rooms in the Bühnenhaus (stage house), dominated by straight lines, from the hall for the audience under a thin-shell structure roof.

Opening season

The new stage opened on 3 March 1966 to serve as a venue for operas, ballets, concerts, and for plays which require a big stage. The inaugural performance was of Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier, an opera which had been first performed in 1911, shortly after its premiere; Wilhelm Schüchter conducted the Dortmunder Philharmoniker.^[1] Teresa Żylis-Gara appeared as Octavian, along with guest artist Elisabeth Grümmer as Marschallin and Kurt Böhme as Ochs. In the short remaining part of the season Verdi's Il trovatore, with Fedora Barbieri as Azucena, Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Hindemith's Mathis der Maler, and Der Zigeunerbaron of Johann Strauß were performed.

The first plays staged in the socalled Großes Haus during this period were Brecht's Leben des Galilei and Anouilh's Becket. Unusual for the time of the Iron curtain, the Volkstheater Rostock performed Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgruppe des Hospizes zu Charenton unter Anleitung des Herrn de Sade of Peter Weiss.

World premieres

In 1967 Schüchter conducted the premiere of the opera Eli of Walter Steffens after the drama of Nelly Sachs, a commission of the city of Dortmund.^[2]

In 1992 the opera Sekunden und Jahre des Caspar Hauser by Reinhard Febel was first performed, with Alexander Marco-Buhrmester in the title role.^[3]

The opera Wallenberg of Erkki-Sven Tüür was commissioned by the Oper Dormund and premiered there on 5 May 2001, staged by Philipp Kochheim, conducted by Alexander Rumpf.^[4]

Conductors, directors, performances

Marek Janowski was the Generalmusikdirektor from 1973 to 1979, followed by Moshe Atzmon (1996-2000), Anton Marik, Arthur Fagen, and since 2008 Jac van Steen. The Dortmunder Philharmoniker used the opera house for concerts until 2002.

In 2000 Michael Hofstetter conducted a production of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde.^[5]

Christine Mielitz was Opera Director in Dortmund Theatre since 2002/2003. In 2004, the 100th anniversary of the first opera house, a new production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen was planned.^[6] It started with Das Rheingold on 26 June 2005, directed by Mielitz and conducted by Arthur Fagen.^[7] Siegfried was performed on 2 September 2006.^[8] In April 2007 a complete cycle was performed.^[9] In 2009 she staged Henze's Der junge Lord, conducted by Jac van Steen, related to the project RUHR2010, the whole Ruhr being European Capital of Culture.^[10]

Verdi's Falstaff was performed on 11 April 2010, staged by Beverley Blankenship, conducted by Jac van Steen, with Jacek Strauch in the title role.^[11]

Jens-Daniel Herzog has been Opera Director since August 2011.^[12]

Sources

• Theaterbau Dortmund 1966, Städtische Bühnen Dortmund

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Dortmund Opera House". structurae. http://en.structurae.de/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0017701. Retrieved 28 August 2010. 
2. ^ "Walter Steffens Werke / Works" (in German). Walter Steffens. 2010. http://www.walter-steffens.de/pageID_1400036.html. Retrieved 2 August 2010. 
3. ^ "Reinhard Febel / Werke". Ricordi. 2011. http://www.ricordi.de/febel-werke.0.html. Retrieved 9 November 2011. 
4. ^ "Erkki-Sven Tüür". home.wanadoo.nl. 2007. http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/tuur.htm. Retrieved 20 August 2010. 
5. ^ "Michael Hofstetter" (in German). Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe. 2006. http://www.staatstheater.karlsruhe.de/theater/?act=show_ensemble&id=789. Retrieved 28 August 2010. 
6. ^ "Christine Mielitz" (in German). Lewin Management. 2010. http://www.lewin-management.com/pages/mielitz/untene.html. Retrieved 20 August 2010. 
7. ^ Stefan Schmöe (2005). "Christines kleine Dortmunder Farbenlehre" (in German). Online Music Magazine. http://www.omm.de/veranstaltungen/musiktheater20042005/DO-das-rheingold.html. Retrieved 20 August 2010. 
8. ^ Stefan Schmöe (2006). "Siegfried-Metamorphosen" (in German). Online Music Magazine. http://www.omm.de/veranstaltungen/musiktheater20062007/DO-siegfried.html. Retrieved 20 August 2010. 
9. ^ "Wagner Performance Diary 2007". The Wagner Society. http://www.wagnersociety.org/Aroundtworld.HTM. Retrieved 20 August 2010. 
10. ^ Julia Gaß (18 May 2010). "Henzes "Junger Lord" ist ein operettenhafter Spaß" (in German). Ruhr-Nachrichten. http://www.ruhrnachrichten.de/nachrichten/kultur/kudo/art1541,565085. Retrieved 28 August 2010. 
11. ^ Ursula Decker-Bönniger (2010). "Falstaff" (in German). Online Music Magazine. http://www.omm.de/veranstaltungen/musiktheater20092010/DO-falstaff.html. Retrieved 28 August 2010. 
12. ^ Nadine Albach (14 April 2010). ""Wir sind eine Oper für alle"" (in German). derwesten.de. http://www.derwesten.de/staedte/dortmund/kultur/Wir-sind-eine-Oper-fuer-alle-id2854126.html. Retrieved 7 November 2010. 

External links

• Musiktheater Dortmund on Theater Dortmund
• Opernhaus Dortmund on theoperacritic.com
• Theater Dortmund on theater-tv.com, slideshow (in German)

Coordinates: 51°30′40″N 7°27′42″E / 51.5110°N 7.4616°E / 51.5110; 7.4616