The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that may ...

of the

Staatskapelle Dresden The Staatskapelle Dresden (known formally as the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden) is a German orchestra based in Dresden, the capital of Saxony. Founded in 1548 by Maurice, Elector of Saxony, it is one of the world's oldest and most highly re ...

(Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the Theaterplatz near the Elbe River in the historic centre of Dresden, Germany. The opera house was originally built by the architect

Gottfried Semper Gottfried Semper (; 29 November 1803 – 15 May 1879) was a German architect, art critic, and professor of architecture who designed and built the Semper Opera House in Dresden between 1838 and 1841. In 1849 he took part in the May Uprising in ...

in 1841. After a devastating fire in 1869, the opera house was rebuilt, partly again by Semper, and completed in 1878. The opera house has a long history of premieres, including major works by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

and

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

History

The first opera house at the location of today's Semperoper was built by the architect

. It opened on 13 April 1841 with an opera by Carl Maria von Weber. The building style itself is debated among many, as it has features that appear in three styles: early Renaissance and

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

, with Corinthian style pillars typical of Greek classical revival. Perhaps the most suitable label for this style would be eclecticism, where influences from many styles are used, a practice most common during this period.Fritz Löffler: ''Das alte Dresden – Geschichte seiner Bauten''. 16th ed. Leipzig: Seemann, 2006, . Nevertheless, the opera building, Semper's first, was regarded as one of the most beautiful European opera houses. Dresden hausmannsturm theaterplatz

Following a devastating fire in 1869, the citizens of Dresden immediately set about rebuilding their opera house. They demanded that Gottfried Semper do the reconstruction, even though he was then in exile because of his involvement in the May 1849 uprising in Dresden. The architect had his son, Manfred Semper, build the second opera house using his plans. Completed in 1878, it was built in Neo-Renaissance style. During the construction period, performances were held at the ''Gewerbehaussaal'', which opened in 1870. The building is considered to be a prime example of "Dresden

" architecture. It is situated on the Theatre Square in central Dresden on the bank of the Elbe River. On top of the portal there is a Panther quadriga with a statue of Dionysos. The interior was created by architects of the time, such as Johannes Schilling. Monuments on the portal depict artists, such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, and philosopher. During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friends ...

, William Shakespeare, Sophocles, Molière and Euripides. The building also features work by

Ernst Rietschel Ernst Friedrich August Rietschel (15 December 180421 January 1861) was a German sculptor. Life Rietschel was born in Pulsnitz in Saxony the third child of Friedrich Ehrgott Rietschel and his wife Caroline. From the age of 20 he became an art ...

and Ernst Julius Hähnel. In the pre-war years, the Semperoper premiered many of the works of

In 1945, during the last months of World War II, the building was largely destroyed again, this time by the bombing of Dresden and subsequent firestorm, leaving only the exterior shell standing. Exactly 40 years later, on 13 February 1985, the opera's reconstruction was completed. It was rebuilt to be almost identical to its appearance before the war, but with the benefit of new stage machinery and an accompanying modern rear service building. The Semperoper reopened with the opera that was performed just before the building's destruction in 1945, Carl Maria von Weber's '' Der Freischütz''. When the Elbe flooded in 2002, the building suffered heavy water damage. With substantial help from around the world, it reopened in December of that year.

Present-day administration and operations

Today, the orchestra for most operas is the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. The

Generalmusikdirektor A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

(GMD) of the Semperoper is normally a different conductor from that of the Staatskapelle when it presents concerts. Exceptions have been Karl Böhm, Hans Vonk, and Fabio Luisi who have held both positions. Whilst the Semperoper does not have a GMD as of 2015, the current chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden is Christian Thielemann, as of the 2012/13 season. The current ''Intendant'' (General Manager) of the company is Wolfgang Rothe. Since the 2018–2019 season, the ''Intendant'' of the Semperoper is Peter Theiler. In May 2021, his initial contract as ''Intendant'' was extended through the 2023–2024 season, at which time Theiler is scheduled to conclude his tenure in the post. In June 2021, the Semperoper announced the appointment of Nora Schmid as the incoming ''Intendantin'' of the company (the second woman to hold the post, after Ulrike Hessler), effective with the 2024–2025 season.

Artists associated with the Semperoper

Conductors

* Carl Gottlieb Reißiger *

* Ernst von Schuch (1889–1914) * Fritz Reiner (1914–1921) * Fritz Busch (1922–1933) * Karl Böhm (1934–1942) *

Karl Elmendorff Karl Eduard Maria Elmendorff (October 25, 1891 – October 21, 1962) was a German opera conductor. Born in Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; ...

(1943–1944) * Joseph Keilberth (1945–1951) * Rudolf Kempe (1949–1952) * Otmar Suitner (1960–1964) * Kurt Sanderling (1964–1967) * Herbert Blomstedt (1975–1985) * Hans Vonk (1985–1990) * Giuseppe Sinopoli (1992–2001) * Semyon Bychkov (2001–2002) * Bernard Haitink (2002–2004) * Fabio Luisi (2007–2010) * Christian Thielemann (2012–present)

Singers

* Bernd Aldenhoff * Helena Forti * Elisabeth Höngen *

Friedrich Plaschke Friedrich Plaschke (7 January 1875 – 4 February 1952) was a Czech operatic bass-baritone. From 1900 to 1937 he was a member of the Dresden Hofoper. He also appeared as a guest artist with companies in the United States, the Bayreuth Festival, ...

* Elisabeth Rethberg * Karl Scheidemantel * Ernestine Schumann-Heink *

Erna Sack Erna Dorothea Luise Sack (née Weber; 6 February 18982 March 1972) was a German coloratura soprano, known as the German Nightingale for her high vocal range. Biography Erna Weber was born in Spandau, Berlin. As a child, her voice attracted attent ...

* Richard Tauber * Tino Pattiera *

Annie Krull Anna Maria Krull (12 January 1876 – 14 June 1947) was a German operatic soprano. She is most remembered today for having created the title role in Richard Strauss' opera '' Elektra''. Biography Annie Krull was born in Rostock, studied in Ber ...

* Riza Eibenschütz *

Irma Tervani Irma Tervani, stage name of Irma Achté, (1887–1936) was a Finnish contralto opera singer who performed at the Finnish Opera in Helsinki and at the Dresden Royal Opera. She is remembered for her interpretation of ''Carmen'' and for her Wagneria ...

Meta Seinemeyer Meta Seinemeyer (September 5, 1895 – August 19, 1929) was a German opera singer with a spinto soprano voice. Seinemeyer was born in Berlin, where she studied at the Stern Conservatory with Ernst Grenzebach. She made her debut at the Deutsche Op ...

Margarethe Siems Margarethe Siems (20 December 1879 – 13 April 1952) was a German operatic dramatic coloratura soprano and voice teacher. A Kammersängerin of the Dresden State Opera, between 1909 and 1912 Siems created leading roles in three operas by Richa ...

* Therese Malten * Edda Moser * Minnie Nast * Eva von der Osten * Karl Perron *

Hermann Wedekind Hermann Wedekind (18 November 1910, in Coesfeld, Westphalia – 16 January 1998, in Wadern) was an artistic director at Festspiele Balver Höhle from 1983 to 1996. Vita After his first engagements in Hagen and Bielefeld, Wedekind was brought to ...

* Marie Wittich

Operas premiered

*1842:

– '' Rienzi'', 20 October *1843: Richard Wagner – '' The Flying ''Dutchman'', 2 January *1845: Richard Wagner – '' Tannhäuser'', 19 October *1895: Eugen d'Albert: ''Ghismonda'', 28 November *1901:

– '' Feuersnot'', 22 November *1905: Richard Strauss – ''

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

'', 9 December *1909: Richard Strauss – ''

Elektra Electra was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra in Greek mythology. Electra or Elektra may also refer to: Greek mythology *Electra (Pleiad), one of the Pleiades * Electra, one of the Danaids, daughter of Danaus and Polyxo * Electra (Oc ...

'', 25 January *1911: Richard Strauss – '' Der Rosenkavalier'', 26 January *1913: Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari – '' L'amore medico'', 4 December *1916: Eugen d'Albert – ''

Die toten Augen ''Die toten Augen'' (''The Dead Eyes'') is an opera (called a or 'stage poem' by the composer) with a prologue and one act by Eugen d'Albert to a libretto in German by Hanns Heinz Ewers and (Achille Georges d'Ailly-Vaucheret) after Henry's own ...

'', 5 March *1917: Hans Pfitzner – ''

Das Christ-Elflein ''Das Christ-Elflein'' (''The Little Elf of Christ'') is an opera in two acts by Hans Pfitzner to a German-language libretto by Pfitzner and Ilse von Stach. The work was originally premiered in 1906 as a Christmas play by von Stach with incidenta ...

'' (2nd version), 11 December *1924: Richard Strauss – '' Intermezzo'', 4 November *1925:

Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...

– '' Doktor Faust'', 21 May *1926:

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for his fru ...

– ''

Der Protagonist ''Der Protagonist'' (''The Protagonist'') is an opera in one act by Kurt Weill, his Op. 15. The German libretto was written by Georg Kaiser based on his own play of the same name of (1920). Weill's first surviving opera has been described as ''L ...

'', 27 March *1926: Paul Hindemith – '' Cardillac'', 9 November *1927:

Emil von Reznicek Emil Nikolaus Joseph, Freiherr von Reznicek (4 May 1860, in Vienna – 2 August 1945, in Berlin) was an Austrian composer of Romanian-Czech ancestry. Life Reznicek's grandfather, Josef Resnitschek (1787–1848), was a trumpet virtuoso and b ...

– ''Spiel oder Ernst'' *1927:

Othmar Schoeck Othmar Schoeck (1 September 1886 – 8 March 1957) was a Swiss Romantic classical composer, opera composer, musician, and conductor. He was known mainly for his considerable output of art songs and song cycles, though he also wrote a number ...

– '' Penthesilea'', 8 January *1928: Richard Strauss – '' Die ägyptische Helena'', 6 June *1930: Othmar Schoeck – ''Vom Fischer and syner Fru'', 3 October *1932: Eugen d'Albert – ''Mr Wu'' *1933: Richard Strauss – ''

Arabella ''Arabella'', Op. 79, is a lyric comedy, or opera, in three acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration. Performance history It was first performed on 1 July 1933 at the Dr ...

'', 1 July *1935: Richard Strauss – '' Die schweigsame Frau'', 24 June *1935: Rudolf Wagner-Régeny – ''Der Günstling'', 20 February *1937: Othmar Schoeck – ''Massimilla Doni'', 2 March *1938: Richard Strauss – '' Daphne'', 15 October *1940: Heinrich Sutermeister – ''Romeo und Julia'', 13 April *1942: Heinrich Sutermeister – ''Die Zauberinsel'', 31 October *1944: Gottfried von Einem – ''Prinzessin Turandot'', 5 February *1944: Joseph Haas – ''Die Hochzeit des Jobs'', 2 July *1985: Siegfried Matthus – ''Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke'', 16 February *1989: Eckehard Meyer – ''Der goldene Topf'', 1989 *1998: Matthias Pintscher – ''Thomas Chatterton'', 25 May *2001:

Peter Ruzicka Peter Ruzicka (born 3 July 1948) is a German composer and conductor of classical music. He was director of the Hamburg State Opera, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Hamburg and the Salzburg Festival. Ruzicka was managing director and Intendant of ...

– ''Celan'', 25 March *2008: Manfred Trojahn – ''La grande magia'', 10 May *2010: Hans Werner Henze – ''Gisela'' (Dresden version), 20 November *2011:

Miroslav Srnka Miroslav Srnka (born 23 March 1975 in Prague) is a Czech composer. Early life Srnka studied musicology at Charles University Prague from 1993 to 1999 and composition with Milan Slavický at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague from 1998 to 20 ...

– ''Jakub Flügelbunt '', 15 December *2012: Johannes Wulff-Woesten – ''Die Konferenz der Tiere'', 8 July *2013: Johannes Wulff-Woesten – ''Prinz Bussel'', 27 April

References

External links

* {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Dresden Concert halls in Germany Opera houses in Germany Performing arts venues in Germany Music venues completed in 1841 Theatres completed in 1841 Music venues completed in 1878 Rebuilt buildings and structures in Dresden Theatres completed in 1878 Tourist attractions in Dresden Baroque Revival architecture in Germany