![Zwinger dresden 1809 - d](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Zwinger_dresden_1809_-_d.jpg)
The Morettische Opernhaus (also Moretti-Theater) was the most frequently performed opera house in
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
from the end of the 18th century, in the era of
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his opera ...
and until the construction of the first
Königliches Hoftheater Dresden
The Königliches Hoftheater (Royal Court Theatre) in Dresden, Saxony, was a theatre for opera and drama in the royal seat of the Kingdom of Saxony from 1841 and 1869, designed by Gottfried Semper. It was the predecessor of today's Semperoper, ...
.
History
From 1664 to 1667 a first opera house had been built in Dresden near the
castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
(
Opernhaus am Taschenberg
The (Opera house at the Taschenberg) was a theatre in Dresden, Saxony, Germany, built from 1664 to 1667 by Wolf Caspar von Klengel. It was the first opera house of the capital of Saxony, Residenz of the Elector of Saxony. Seating up to 2000 people ...
near the
Zwingers). In 1719 the
Opernhaus am Zwinger
The (Opera house at the Zwinger) was a theatre in Dresden, Saxony, Germany, opened in 1719. The architect of the Zwinger, Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, was also responsible for the opera house situated next to its south-western pavilion. The build ...
followed. In the middle of the 18th century, the impresario Pietro Moretti, who was a guest in Dresden, was granted the privilege of building a "standing theatre" here. This was then built in 1754/55, initially by
Julius Heinrich Schwarze and court room, mechanical engineering and theatre builder Christian Gottlieb Reuß, of half-timbering and wood on the site of the (where the north-east side of the
Theaterplatz at the
Semper Opera
The Semperoper () is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the concert hall of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the ...
is today). In 1761, after Moretti had made an interim guest appearance in
Margravial Opera House
The Margravial Opera House (german: Markgräfliches Opernhaus) is a Baroque opera house in the town of Bayreuth, Germany. Built between 1745 and 1750, it is one of Europe's few surviving theatres of the period and has been extensively restored. On ...
in Bayreuth, it was rebuilt in stone.
In 1780, it was designated a court theatre, but only as the small court theatre, as the existing theatre at the Zwinger was significantly larger.
The Moretti Theatre had a floor plan of about 40×17 metres and had three tiers with initially 350 seats; in 1783 it was expanded to accommodate an audience of about 800.
The troupes of
Joseph Seconda,
Johann Gottlieb Naumann
Johann Gottlieb Naumann (17 April 1741 – 23 October 1801) was a German composer, conductor, and Kapellmeister.
Life
Johann Gottlieb Naumann was born in Blasewitz and received his musical training from the teachers at his town school, where he ...
and later also
Ferdinando Paër
Ferdinando Paer (1 July 1771 – 3 May 1839) was an Italian composer known for his operas. He was of Austrian descent and used the German spelling Pär in application for printing in Venice, and later in France the spelling Paër.
Life and career ...
,
Francesco Morlacchi
Francesco Giuseppe Baldassare Morlacchi (14 June 1784 – 28 October 1841) was an Italian composer of more than twenty operas. During the many years he spent as the royal Royal Kapellmeister in Dresden, he was instrumental in popularizing the Ita ...
and finally Weber and
Carl Gottlieb Reissiger
Carl Gottlieb Reißiger (also ''Karl Reissiger'', ''Carl Reissiger'', ''Karl Reißiger'') (31 January 1798 – 7 November 1859) was a German Kapellmeister and composer.
Biography
Born in Belzig, Reissiger attended the Thomasschule zu Leipzig and ...
worked in this theatre and the one on the
Lincke’sches Bad. In 1829, the violin virtuoso
Paganini made a guest appearance at the Moretti Opera House.
After the new
Königliches Hoftheater Dresden
The Königliches Hoftheater (Royal Court Theatre) in Dresden, Saxony, was a theatre for opera and drama in the royal seat of the Kingdom of Saxony from 1841 and 1869, designed by Gottfried Semper. It was the predecessor of today's Semperoper, ...
was opened on 13 April 1841, after only three years of construction, Weber's ''Jubel-Ouvertüre'' and Goethe's play ''
Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...
'' had been inaugurated, the Morettisches Opernhaus was demolished.
Premiere
*
Francesco Morlacchi
Francesco Giuseppe Baldassare Morlacchi (14 June 1784 – 28 October 1841) was an Italian composer of more than twenty operas. During the many years he spent as the royal Royal Kapellmeister in Dresden, he was instrumental in popularizing the Ita ...
: ''Il barbiere di Siviglia'', April 1816.
[''Franz Loebel.'' In ]Karl-Josef Kutsch
Karl-Josef Kutsch, also known as K. J. Kutsch, (born 11 May 1924) is a German physician and co-author with Leo Riemens of the ''Großes Sängerlexikon'', the standard reference for opera singers.
Life and work
Born in Gangelt, Kutsch studied me ...
, Leo Riemens
Leonardus Antony Marinus Riemens (3 December 1910 – 3 April 1985) was a Dutch musicologist and cultural journalist. He wrote a book about Maria Callas, and together with Karl-Josef Kutsch began a reference book about opera singers in 1962, which ...
: ''Großes Sängerlexikon
''Großes Sängerlexikon'' (''Biographical Dictionary of Singers'', literally: Large singers' lexicon) is a single-field dictionary of singers in classical music, edited by Karl-Josef Kutsch and Leo Riemens and first published in 1987. The first ...
.'' Vol. 3: ''Hirata – Möwes.'' 3rd, expanded edition. Saur, Bern among others 1999, , .
Hofkapellmeister
Important composers worked as conductors at the Dresden Court Opera of that time:
*
Johann Gottlieb Naumann
Johann Gottlieb Naumann (17 April 1741 – 23 October 1801) was a German composer, conductor, and Kapellmeister.
Life
Johann Gottlieb Naumann was born in Blasewitz and received his musical training from the teachers at his town school, where he ...
(1741–1801)
*
Ferdinando Paër
Ferdinando Paer (1 July 1771 – 3 May 1839) was an Italian composer known for his operas. He was of Austrian descent and used the German spelling Pär in application for printing in Venice, and later in France the spelling Paër.
Life and career ...
(1771–1839, 1802–1806)
*
Francesco Morlacchi
Francesco Giuseppe Baldassare Morlacchi (14 June 1784 – 28 October 1841) was an Italian composer of more than twenty operas. During the many years he spent as the royal Royal Kapellmeister in Dresden, he was instrumental in popularizing the Ita ...
(1784–1841, ''italienisches Operndepartement'' 1811–1841)
*
Carl Maria von Weber
Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his opera ...
(1786–1826, ''deutsches Operndepartement'' 1817–1826)
*
Carl Gottlieb Reissiger
Carl Gottlieb Reißiger (also ''Karl Reissiger'', ''Carl Reissiger'', ''Karl Reißiger'') (31 January 1798 – 7 November 1859) was a German Kapellmeister and composer.
Biography
Born in Belzig, Reissiger attended the Thomasschule zu Leipzig and ...
(1798–1859, 1826–1859)
Singers
*
Friederike Funk
*
Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient
Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient, born Wilhelmine Schröder (6 December 180426 January 1860), was a German operatic soprano. As a singer, she combined a rare quality of tone with dramatic intensity of expression, which was as remarkable on the conce ...
References
External links
Morettisches Opernhaus (Dresden)* Ulrich Rosseaux
''Freiräume: Unterhaltung, Vergnügen und Erholung in Dresden 1694–1830''* H. J. Haupt
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Opera houses in Germany
1750s architecture
Buildings and structures demolished in the 1840s
Culture in Dresden
Demolished buildings and structures in Germany