The (DNT) is a German theatre and musical organisation based in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

. It is a twin institution, consisting of the theatrical (German National Theatre, now solely based in Weimar) and the

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, cel ...

known as the . It has a total of six stages across the city and also hosts touring orchestras and theatre companies, as well as making appearances in electronic media.

Venues

# Main House ('), traditional main stage on Theaterplatz (music and theatre) # Foyer and Studio Stage ('), within the main house on Theaterplatz (music and theatre;

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or ...

) # ''E-Werk Weimar'', a former industrial site with two venues, ' and ' (music and theatre) # ' (concerts by the Staatskapelle Weimar)

The Staatskapelle Weimar

History

The precursor ensemble of Staatskapelle Weimar dates from 1482, with the formation of a musical ensemble in service of the Weimar ''

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German word for a ruler and is also a princely title. ' were, since the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ruled over states o ...

en'' (Princes). In 1602, the ensemble attained resident status at the Weimar court, as the ''Herzoglichen Hofkapelle'' (

Ducal Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

Court Ensemble). Notable musicians in the early history of the Staatskapelle Weimar included

Johann Hermann Schein Johann Hermann Schein (20 January 1586 – 19 November 1630) was a German composer of the early Baroque era. He was Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1615 to 1630. He was one of the first to import the early Italian stylistic innovations into German ...

(1615–1616) and

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

(1705, 1708–1717), both of whom went on to the

St. Thomas Church, Leipzig , native_name_lang = , image = Leipzig Thomaskirche.jpg , imagelink = , imagealt = , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt ...

. Bach particularly worked as resident organist and '' Kapellmeister''.

Johann Nepomuk Hummel Johann Nepomuk Hummel (14 November 177817 October 1837) was an Austrian composer and virtuoso pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era. He was a pupil of Mozart, Salieri and Clementi. He als ...

served as the ensemble's ''Kapellmeister'' from 1819 to 1837, on the appointment by the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna.

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...

began his tenure as ''Kapellmeister'' in 1842, and championed the music of

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 ...

Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

Peter Cornelius Carl August Peter Cornelius (24 December 1824 – 26 October 1874) was a German composer, writer about music, poet and translator. Life He was born in Mainz to Carl Joseph Gerhard (1793–1843) and Friederike (1789–1867) Cornelius, actors i ...

. Through this and his teaching activities, Liszt enhanced the prestige of Weimar as a musical hub, notably conducting the world premieres of Wagner's ''

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wol ...

'' in 1850 and Cornelius's ''

Der Barbier von Bagdad ''Der Barbier von Bagdad'' (''The Barber of Baghdad'') is a comic opera in two acts by Peter Cornelius to a German language, German libretto by the composer, based on ''The Tale of the Tailor'' and ''The Barber’s Stories of his Six Brothers'' in ...

'' in 1858. After Liszt left in 1858, he was succeeded by

Eduard Lassen Eduard Lassen (13 April 183015 January 1904) was a Belgian-Danish composer and conductor. Although of Danish birth, he spent most of his career working as the music director at the court in Weimar. A moderately prolific composer, Lassen produce ...

who remained as director until his retirement in 1895. Lassen conducted several world premieres during his tenure, including the first performance of

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Second Piano Concerto ...

's ''

Samson et Dalila ''Samson and Delilah'' (french: Samson et Dalila, links=no), Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four scenes by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. It was first performed in Weimar at the (Grand Ducal) Theater ( ...

'' in 1877.

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 music, Romantic and early Modernism (music), modern eras, he has been descr ...

served as second ''Kapellmeister'' under Lassen from 1889 to 1894 and led the premieres of his own ''

Guntram Saint Gontrand (c. 532 in Soissons – 28 March 592 in Chalon-sur-Saône), also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third eldest and ...

'' and Engelbert Humperdinck's '' Hänsel und Gretel''.

Peter Raabe Peter Raabe (27 November 1872 – 12 April 1945) was a German composer and conductor. Biography Raabe graduated from 3 schools: the Higher Musical School in Berlin; and the universities of Munich; and Jena. In 1894–98 Raabe worked in Kö ...

became ''Kapellmeister'' in 1907. With the end of World War I and the dismantling of the

German Empire The German Empire (), Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditar ...

, the ensemble was renamed the ''Weimar Staatskapelle''. Ernst Praetorius directed concert and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

programming from 1924 to 1933. Because his wife was Jewish, Praetorius left the post after the

National Socialists Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Naz ...

ascended to power in Germany in 1933. directed activities there during the Nazi regime. After World War II and the end of the Nazi regime,

Hermann Abendroth Hermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth (19 January 1883 – 29 May 1956) was a German conductor. Early life Abendroth was born on 19 January 1883, at Frankfurt, the son of a bookseller. Several other members of the family were artists in diverse dis ...

became ''Generalmusikdirektor'' (GMD) and chief conductor of the ensemble, serving from 1945 to 1956. Successive GMD's of the ensemble have included Gerhard Pflüger (1957–1973), Lothar Seyfarth (1973–1979),

Rolf Reuter Rolf Reuter (7 October 1926 – 10 September 2007) was a German conductor. Life Reuter was born as son of the composer Fritz Reuter in Leipzig. After studying music at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden he began his caree ...

(1979–1980), Peter Gülke (1981–1982), Hans-Peter Frank (1988–1996),

George Alexander Albrecht George Alexander Albrecht (15 February 1935 – 21 December 2021) was a German conductor and composer, who also worked as a musicologist and academic teacher. A prolific composer at a young age, he was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the Staatsop ...

(1996–2002), Jac van Steen (2002–2005) and Carl St.Clair (2005–2008). Oleg Caetani was principal guest conductor of the ensemble from 1984 to 1987. The ensemble was officially renamed the ''Staatskapelle Weimar'' in 1988. In September 2009, the Swedish conductor

Stefan Solyom Stefan Solyom (born 26 April 1979, Stockholm) is a Swedish conductor and composer. He is the nephew of the Swedish-Hungarian pianist János Solyom. As a student Solyom attended the Adolf Fredrik's Music School in Stockholm. He studied horn and ...

became GMD of the ensemble, with an initial contract of five years. He concluded his Weimar tenure in July 2016. In July 2015, the ensemble announced the appointment of

Kirill Karabits Kyrylo Karabych ( uk, Кирило Карабиць); born 26 December 1976) is a Ukrainian conductor. Biography Early Life Karabits' father was the conductor and composer Ivan Karabyts. Karabits was born in Kyiv (then in the Ukrainian SSR ...

as its next GMD and chief conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season, with an initial contract of three years. In June 2018, the company announced that Karabits is to conclude his tenure as its GMD in the summer of 2019, following an inability to reach terms on a contract negotiation for extending his tenure. In June 2020, the company announced the appointment of Dominik Beykirch as its new chief conductor, effective with the 2020–2021 season. Beykirch had previously served as ''Zweite Kapellmeister'' and ''Erste Koordinierter Kapellmeister'' with the company.

General music directors

(1945–1956) * Gerhard Pflüger (1957–1973) * Lothar Seyfarth (1973–1979) *

(1979–1980) * Peter Gülke (1981–1982) * Hans-Peter Frank (1988–1996) *

(1996–2002) * Jac van Steen (2002–2005) * Carl St.Clair (2005–2008) *

(2009–2016) *

(2016–2019) * Dominik Beykirch (2020–present)

References

External links

*
Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle — Home page
,
English
{{Authority control German orchestras National theatres Theatres in Germany 1480s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1482 establishments in Europe Organizations established in the 1490s Musical groups established in the 15th century Culture in Weimar Friedrich Schiller Buildings and structures in Weimar Tourist attractions in Thuringia Neoclassical architecture in Germany