Estonian National Opera

Estonian National Opera is the national opera company of Estonia. The company is based at the Estonia Theatre in Tallinn.

History

The song and drama society "Estonia" was founded in 1865. This was the beginning of what has become the current-day Estonian National Opera ( _et. Rahvusooper Estonia).

Play-acting was taken up in 1871, although theatre as a tradition did not really come into being until 1895, when the society began to direct song plays, folk plays and comedies, usually with singing and dancing. By the start of the 20th century more serious drama was being staged.

In 1906, the society became the basis for the professional theatre called "Estonia" founded by the directors and actors Paul Pinna and Theodor Altermann. This remained tied to the "Estonia" society and the Estonian Theatre "Estonia" Limited Liability Company, founded in 1908, until 1940, at which time they were disbanded under the Soviet rule in Estonia as part of "the bourgeois remnant" and the theatre was nationalized.

*1907 – first operetta staged, Hervé's "Mam'zelle Nitouche"
*1908 – first opera staged, Kreutzer's "Das Nachtlager in Granada"
*1911 – the first Estonian operetta staged, Adalbert Wirkhaus's "St John's Night"
*1922 – the first full evening ballet performance, Léo Delibes's "Coppélia"
*1928 – the first Estonian opera, Evald Aav's "Vikerlased" (The Estonian Vikings)
*1944 – the first Estonian ballet, Eduard Tubin's "Kratt"

The opera company is also known as the Estonia Theatre after the building it occupies in downtown Tallinn. This was built as a national effort under the leadership of the "Estonia" society in 1913 and was opened to the public on 24 August that year.

The opera house itself was bombed and razed to the ground by the Soviet air raids on 9 March 1944. It was reopened after the war in 1947.

Plays were staged in "Estonia" until 1949 when the drama troupe was disbanded, after which "Estonia" continued purely as a musical theatre.

The opera celebrated its centenary in 2006. The celebration was carried out in a newly renovated opera house.

The theatre has had several names throughout its existence. The latest one is "The Estonian National Opera", which was adopted in 1998.

Genres

*Opera
*Ballet
*Operetta/Musical

People

There are over 500 employees currently working at the Estonian National Opera.

Chief conductors:
* Otto Hermann (1906-1908)
* Adalbert Wirkhaus (1908-1912)
* Raimund Kull (1912-1942)
* Juhan Aavik (1925-1933)
* Verner Nerep (1942-1944)
* Priit Nigula (1942-1951)
* Kirill Raudsepp (1951-1963)
* Neeme Järvi (1963-1975)
* Eri Klas (1975-1994)
* Paul Mägi (1995-2002)
* Jüri Alperten (2002-2004)
* Arvo Volmer (2004-)

See also

*List of concert halls

External links

*http://www.opera.ee