Schlosstheater Schwetzingen (Schwetzingen palace theater) is a court theater in

Schwetzingen Schwetzingen (; pfl, Schwetzinge) is a German town in northwest Baden-Württemberg, around southwest of Heidelberg and southeast of Mannheim. Schwetzingen is one of the five biggest cities of the Rhein-Neckar-Kreis district and a medium-sized ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

, Germany. The historic building, opened in 1753, is part of Schloss Schwetzingen and since 1952 the principal venue of the Schwetzingen Festival. It is also called ''Hoftheater'' (court theater), ''Hofoper'' (court opera), and ''Comoedienhaus'' (comedy house). The frequently applied name ''Rokokotheater'' (Rococo theater) is misleading, because it shows also neoclassical elements, added in 1762.

History

Karl Theodor, the Pfalzgraf who resided in

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...

, had the theater built for his summer residence in Schwetzingen in 1752 to the plans of court architect

Nicolas de Pigage Nicolas de Pigage (3 August 1723 – 30 July 1796) was a French builder. Pigage was born in Lunéville. His father was a stonemason. In 1743 he began his studies at the École Militaire, changing to the Académie Royale d'Architecture after ...

. It was opened on 15 June 1753, presenting

Ignaz Holzbauer Ignaz Jakob Holzbauer (18 September 1711 – 7 April 1783) was an Austrian composer of symphonies, concertos, operas, and chamber music, and a member of the Mannheim school. His aesthetic style is in line with that of the ''Sturm und Drang'' "m ...

's opera ''Il figlio delle selve''. The theater could then be considered a

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

creation, but was expanded with early neoclassical tendencies. While it first had no boxes, it was enlarged in 1762, creating a "box-like" impression. It is the oldest surviving Rangtheater (theater with boxless tiers) in Europe. The Mozart family visited the theater in 1763 and saw a play. When Karl Theodor succeeded

Maximilian III Joseph of Bavaria Maximilian III Joseph, "the much beloved", (28 March 1727 – 30 December 1777) was a Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire and Duke of Bavaria from 1745 to 1777. Biography Born in Munich, Maximilian was the eldest son of Holy Roman Empero ...

as Elector of Bavaria in 1777, the court had to move to Munich and the theater lost its importance. Its original stage machinery was preserved into the 20th century, but it was replaced by modern facilities in the 1950s and again in the 1970s. As part of the Residenz in the

Schwetzingen Castle Schwetzingen Palace is a schloss in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Schwetzingen was the summer residence of the Electors Palatine Charles III Philip and Charles IV Theodore (of the House of Wittelsbach). It is situated in Schwetzingen, ...

, it first belonged to the Electors, later to the Land Baden, then the state

Performances

The theater is a fitting location for operas and plays from the Baroque and classical period.

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

's '' L'orphelin de la Chine'' was premiered in 1755, his tragedy ''Olimpie'' was premiered in 1762, staged by

Cosimo Alessandro Collini Cosimo Alessandro Collini (Florence, 14 October 1727-Mannheim, 21 March 1806) was an Italian historian and Voltaire's secretary from 1752 to 1756. Life Collini was born into a noble family and studied law. He met Voltaire in Berlin in 1750 and ...

(1727–1806).

Francesca Lebrun Francesca Lebrun (née Danzi; 24 March 1756 – 14 May 1791) was a noted 18th-century German singer and composer. Her talent extended beyond the stage to music composition and keyboard performance. As a composer, her twelve sonatas, six each in ...

, the sister of

Franz Danzi Franz Ignaz Danzi (15 June 1763 – 13 April 1826) was a German cellist, composer and conductor, the son of the Italian cellist Innocenz Danzi (1730–1798) and brother of the noted singer Franzeska Danzi. Danzi lived at a significant time in t ...

, a leading singer of the Mannheim Opera, performed, for example, the part of Parthenia in

Anton Schweitzer Anton Schweitzer (6 June 1735 in Coburg – 23 November 1787 in Gotha) was a German composer of operas, who was affiliated with Abel Seyler's theatrical company. He was a child prodigy who obtained the patronage of the duke of Saxe-Hildburghause ...

's ''Alceste'' in Schwetzingen in 1775.

Schwetzingen Festival

Since 1952 the theater has been the main venue of the Schwetzinger Festspiele ( Schwetzingen Festival), which also presents contemporary operas. More than 35 operas have been commissioned and premiered, including works by Hans Werner Henze,

Werner Egk Werner Egk (, 17 May 1901 – 10 July 1983), born Werner Joseph Mayer, was a German composer. Early career He was born in the Swabian town of Auchsesheim, today part of Donauwörth, Germany. His family, of Catholic peasant stock, moved to Augs ...

, Udo Zimmermann,

Aribert Reimann Aribert Reimann (born 4 March 1936) is a German composer, pianist and accompanist, known especially for his literary operas. His version of Shakespeare's ''King Lear'', the opera ''Lear (opera), Lear'', was written at the suggestion of Dietrich F ...

Salvatore Sciarrino Salvatore Sciarrino (born 4 April 1947) is an Italian composer of contemporary classical music. Described as "the best-known and most performed Italian composer" of the present day, his works include ''Quaderno di strada'' (2003) and ''La porta d ...

, Adriana Hölszky,

Bernhard Lang Bernhard Lang (born 24 February 1957 Linz, Austria) is an Austrian composer, improviser and programmer of musical patches and applications. His work can be described as contemporary classical, with roots, however, in various genres such as 20th-cen ...

, Wolfgang Rihm,

Michael Jarrell Michael Jarrell (born 8 October 1958) is a Swiss composer and academic teacher, whose operas, such as ''Cassandre'', have been performed internationally. Life Born in Geneva, Jarrell studied at the Geneva Conservatoire, and later with Klaus Hu ...

Georg Friedrich Haas Georg Friedrich Haas (born 16 August 1953 in Graz, Austria) is an Austrian composer. In a 2017 ''Classic Voice'' poll of the greatest works of art music since 2000, pieces by Haas received the most votes (49), and his composition ''in vain'' (20 ...

and

Enno Poppe Enno Poppe (born 30 December 1969 in Hemer, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German composer and conductor of classical music, and an academic teacher. Career Enno Poppe studied composition and conducting at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin with ...

Schwetzingen Schlosstheater Blick zur Bühne 1

Premieres have included * Werner Egk: ''

Der Revisor ' is a comic opera in five acts by Werner Egk, who was also the librettist. It is based on Nikolai Gogol's play ''The Government Inspector''. The premiere on 9 May 1957 at the Schwetzingen Festival was conducted by the composer. Recording * ''Der ...

'' (9 May 1957) *

Gerhard Wimberger Gerhard Wimberger (30 August 1923 – 12 October 2016) was an Austrian composer and conductor. Career Wimberger studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. His teachers were Cesar Bresgen and Johann Nepomuk David for composition, and Clemens Krau ...

: ''La Battaglia'' (12 May 1960) * Hans Werner Henze: ''

Elegie für junge Liebende ''Elegy for Young Lovers'' (German: ') is an opera in three acts by Hans Werner Henze to an English libretto by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman. Background The opera was first performed in a German translation by Louis, Prince of Hesse and by R ...

'' (20 May 1961) * Wolfgang Fortner: '' In seinem Garten liebt Don Perlimplin Belisa'' (10 May 1962) * Boris Blacher: ''Demeter'', ballet (1964) * Bernd Alois Zimmermann: ''Présence'', ballet (1968) * Giselher Klebe: '' Das Märchen von der schönen Lilie'' (15 May 1969) * Aribert Reimann: '' Melusine'' (29 Apr 1971) *

Arne Nordheim Arne Nordheim (20 June 1931 – 5 June 2010) was a Norwegian composer. Nordheim received numerous awards for his compositions, and from 1982 lived in the Norwegian government's honorary residence, Grotten, next to the Royal Palace in Oslo. He ...

: ''The Tempest'', ballet (1979) * Hans Werner Henze: '' Pollicino'' (1981) * Udo Zimmermann: ''

Die wundersame Schustersfrau ''Die wundersame Schustersfrau'' (''The Wondrous Cobbler's Wife'') is an opera in two acts by Udo Zimmermann, with a libretto which he wrote with Eberhard Schmidt based on the 1930 Spanish play ''La zapatera prodigiosa'', a ''farsa violenta'' by ...

'' (1982) * Hans Werner Henze: '' Die englische Katze'' (2 June 1983) *

Rudolf Kelterborn Rudolf Kelterborn (3 September 1931 – 24 March 2021) was a Swiss musician and composer. Life Born in Basel, Kelterborn studied in Basel, Detmold, Salzburg, and Zürich, among other places, with the composers Walther Geiser, Willy Burkhard, Bor ...

: ''Ophelia'' (1984) * Hans-Jürgen von Bose: ''Die Leiden des jungen Werthers'' (1 May 1986) *

Rolf Liebermann Rolf Liebermann (14 September 1910 – 2 January 1999), was a Swiss composer and music administrator. He served as the Artistic Director of the Hamburg State Opera from 1959 to 1973 and again from 1985 to 1988. He was also Artistic Director of ...

: ''Der Wald'' (1988) *

Georg Katzer Georg Katzer (; 10 January 1935 – 7 May 2019) was a German composer and teacher. The last master student of Hanns Eisler, he composed music in many genres, including works for the stage. Katzer was one of the pioneers of electronic new music ...

: ''Gastmahl oder Über die Liebe'' (1988) *

Manfred Trojahn Manfred Trojahn (born 22 October 1949) is a German composer, flautist, conductor and writer. Career Trojahn was born Cremlingen in Lower Saxony and began his musical studies in 1966 in orchestra music at the music school of Braunschweig. After gra ...

: ''Enrico'' (11 Apr 1991) * Helge Jörns: ''Spiel von Liebefall'' (1991) *

Eckehard Mayer Eckehard Mayer (born 1946) is a German composer.Eckhard RoelckeSchwetzingen: "Sansibar" von Eckehard Mayer: Oper, fernsehtauglich''Die Zeit'' 22 April 1994, retrieved 13 May 2019 Career Born in Hainsberg, Mayer was a member of the Dresdner Kre ...

: ''Sansibar'' (1994) * Violeta Dinescu: ''Schachnovelle'' (1994) * Hans Werner Henze: ''Tanzstunden'' (1997) *

Detlef Heusinger Detlef Heusinger (born 1956 in Frankfurt) is a German composer and conductor. Since October 2006 he is head of the and thus the successor of André Richard. For 1996/97, he was awarded a scholarship at the Villa Massimo in Rome. In 2009, Heusin ...

: ''Babylon'' (1997) * Salvatore Sciarrino: ''

Luci mie traditrici ''Luci mie traditrici'' (My Traitorous Eyes) is an opera in two acts by Salvatore Sciarrino, who also wrote the libretto. It was first performed under the German title ''Die tödliche Blume'' (''The Deadly Flower'') on 19 May 1998 in the Schlosst ...

'' (19 May 1998) * Karl Wieland Kurz: ''Gute Miene böses Spiel'' (2000) * : ''Bacon'' (2001) * Salvatore Sciarrino: ''Macbeth'' (6 June 2002), Premiere of the Year * Frederik Zeller: ''Zaubern'' (2005) * Salvatore Sciarrino: ''

Da gelo a gelo ''Da gelo a gelo'' ("From one frost to the next") is an opera in 100 scenes (some lasting as little as 3') by Salvatore Sciarrino. The composer's Italian libretto is based on one year (1002-03) and 65 poems from the journal of Izumi Shikibu encom ...

'' (21 May 2006) *

: ''Der Alte vom Berge'' (2007) * Adriana Hölszky:''Hybris/Niobe, Drama für Stimmen'' (2008) * Wolfgang Rihm: ''Proserpina, Monodram für Sopran, Frauenchor und Orchester'' (2009), *

: ''Le Père, Musiktheater'' (2010) *

: ''Bluthaus'' (2011) *

: ''IQ'' (2012) *

: ''Thomas'' (2013) * Bernhard Lang: ' (2014) *

Hèctor Parra Hèctor Parra i Esteve (born 17 April 1976) is a Spanish composer. Since 2002 he lives in Paris. Life Born in Barcelona, Parra completed his studies with Carles Guivoart, David Padrós and Maria Jesús Crespo at the Municipal Conservatory of B ...

: ''Wilde'' (2015) *

: ''Koma'' (2016), Premiere of the Year *

Annette Schlünz Annette Schlünz (born 23 September 1964) is a German musician and composer. Biography Schlünz was born in Dessau, East Germany. She studied music at the Dresden Music School from 1983 to 1987 with Udo Zimmermann and at the Academy of Arts in Ber ...

: ''Tre Volti – Drei Blicke auf Liebe und Krieg, Musiktheater'' (2017) *

José María Sánchez-Verdú José María Sánchez-Verdú (born 1968 in Algeciras) is a Spanish composer. Sánchez-Verdú graduated in ''Orchestra Conducting, Musicology and Composition'' at Madrid's Royal Conservatory and has a degree in Law from Universidad Complutense ...

: ', ''Dramma in musica'' (2018) * Elena Mendoza: ''Der Fall Babel, Musiktheater'' (2019) Each year the festival has presented the revival of a Baroque or classical opera. Holzbauer's ''Il figlio delle selve'', which had opened the theater in 1753, was performed 250 years later in 2003.

Mozartfest

From 1969 the theater has been a venue of the Mozartfest, an annual festival in fall organized by the association Mozartgesellschaft Schwetzingen.

Literature

Silke Leopold Silke Leopold (born 30 November 1948) is a German musicologist and university lecturer. Life Born in Hamburg, Leopold studied musicology, theatre studies, Romance languages and literature at the University of Hamburg and the University of Rome, ...

, Bärbel Pelker (ed.): ''Hofoper in Schwetzingen. Musik, Bühnenkunst, Architektur.'' Universitätsverlag Winter, Heidelberg 2004, * Rolf Dieter Opel: ''Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Schwetzingen und Mannheim.'' 3rd edition. Universitätsverlag Winter, Heidelberg 2006, * Hans Joachim Scholderer: ''Schlosstheater Ludwigsburg.'' ed. Finanzministerium Baden-Württemberg. Stuttgart 1998

References

External links

Schloss Schwetzingen
schloss-schwetzingen.de (Schlösserverwaltung Baden-Württemberg)

andreas-praefcke.de

Schwetzingen 2011
Acoustics of a selection of famous 18th-century opera houses: Versailles, Markgräfliches Opernhaus, Drottningholm, Schwetzingen
Arup Acoustics 2008 {{Authority control Theatres in Baden-Württemberg Theatres completed in 1752 Buildings and structures in Rhein-Neckar-Kreis