Deutsche Oper Berlin
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The Deutsche Oper Berlin is an opera company located in Berlin, Germany, in what was formerly West Berlin. The resident building, also called Deutsche Oper Berlin, also is home to the Staatsballett Berlin.
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[edit] History
The company's history goes back to the Deutsches Opernhaus built by the city of Charlottenburg (Bismarckstraße 34-37) from 1911 and opened on November 7, 1912 with a performance of Beethoven's Fidelio, conducted by Ignatz Waghalter.
After the incorporation of Charlottenburg into Greater Berlin the name of the resident building was changed to Städtische Oper (Municipal Opera House) in 1925. With the Nazi Machtergreifung in 1933, the opera was under control of the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Minister Joseph Goebbels had the name changed back to Deutsches Opernhaus, competing the Berlin State Opera under the control of his rival Minister President Hermann Göring. In 1935, the building was remodeled by Paul Baumgarten and the seating reduced from 2300 to 2098. Carl Ebert, the pre-World War II general manager, chose to emigrate from Germany rather than endorse a Nazi view of music, and went on to co-found the Glyndebourne opera festival in England. The opera house was destroyed on November 23, 1943. Ebert later returned as general manager after the war.
After the war, the company used the building of the Theater des Westens until the new building, designed by Fritz Bornemann, was completed on September 24, 1961. The opening production was Mozart's Don Giovanni. The new building opened with the current name.
Past General Music Directors have included Bruno Walter, Ferenc Fricsay, Lorin Maazel, Gerd Albrecht, Jesús López Cobos, and Christian Thielemann. In October 2005, the Italian conductor Renato Palumbo was appointed Generalmusikdirector as of the 2006-2007 season.[1] In October 2007, the Deutsche Oper announced the appointment of Donald Runnicles as their next Generalmusikdirector, effective August 2009, for an initial contract of 5 years.[2] Simultaneously, Palumbo and the Deutsche Oper mutually agreed to terminate his contract, effective November 2007.
Since 2004, the Deutsche Oper's Intendantin has been Kirsten Harms.
[edit] Controversy
In 1967, the opera house was the scene of the shooting of Benno Ohnesorg, a student taking part in the German student movement. He had been protesting against the visit to Germany by the Shah of Iran.
In April 2001, the Italian conductor Giuseppe Sinopoli died at the podium while conducting Verdi's Aida, at the age of 54.
In September 2006, the opera house drew criticism after it cancelled performances of Mozart's opera Idomeneo because of fears that a scene in it featuring the severed heads of Jesus, Buddha and Muhammad would offend Muslims, and that the opera house's security might become under threat if violent protests took place. Critics of the decision include German Ministers and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.[3] The reaction from Muslims has been mixed — the leader of Germany's Islamic Council welcomed the decision, whilst a leader of Germany's Turkish community, criticising the decision, said:
"This is about art, not about politics ... We should not make art dependent on religion — then we are back in the Middle Ages."[4]
At the end of October 2006 the opera house announced that performances of Mozart's opera Idomeneo would then proceed.[5] On this subject, see also Idomeneo (controversy).
[edit] Intendanten (General Managers)
- Georg Hartmann (1912-1923)
- Wilhelm Holthoff von Faßmann (1923-1925)
- Heinz Tietjen (1925-1931)
- Carl Ebert (1931-1933)
- Max von Schillings (1933)
- Wilhelm Rode (1934–1943)
- Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (1943-1944)
- Michael Bohnen (1945–1947)
- Heinz Tietjen (1948-1954)
- Carl Ebert, again (1954-1961)
- Gustav Rudolf Sellner (1961-1972)
- Egon Seefehlner (1972-1976)
- Siegfried Palm (1976-1981)
- Götz Friedrich (1981-2000)
- André Schmitz (interim, 2000-2001)
- Udo Zimmermann (2001-2003)
- Heinz Dieter Sense / Peter Sauerbaum (interim, 2003-2004)
- Kirsten Harms (2004-present)
[edit] Generalmusikdirektoren (Music Directors)
- Bruno Walter (1925-1929)
- Artur Rother (1935-1943, 1953-1958)
- Karl Dammer (1937-1943)
- Ferenc Fricsay (1949-1952)
- Richard Kraus (1954-1961)
- Heinrich Hollreiser, chief conductor (1961–1964)
- Lorin Maazel (1965-1971)
- Gerd Albrecht, resident conductor (1972–74)
- Jesús López Cobos (1981-1990)
- Giuseppe Sinopoli (1990)
- Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (1992-1997)
- Christian Thielemann (1997-2004)
- Renato Palumbo (2006-2008)
- Donald Runnicles (2009-)
[edit] References
- ^ Ben Mattison (2005-10-07). "Deutsche Oper Berlin Names Music Director". Playbill Arts. http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/3038.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
- ^ Matthew Westphal (2007-10-31). "In Sudden Appointment, Donald Runnicles Named Next Music Director of Deutsche Oper Berlin". Playbill Arts. http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/7298.html. Retrieved on 2007-11-01.
- ^ David Fanning (27 September 2006). "Merkel voices concern over opera cancellation". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/germany/article/0,,1882197,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=1. Retrieved on 2006-09-27.
- ^ "Fear Of Muslim Ire Stops German Opera". CBS News Online. 27 September 2006. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/27/world/main2043282.shtml. Retrieved on 2006-09-27.
- ^ "Shelved Muhammad opera to return". BBC News Online. 27 October 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6091624.stm. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
