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-si ...

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 The Schwetzingen Festival (German: Schwetzinger Festspiele, now Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele) is an early summer festival of opera and other classical music presented each year from May to early June in Schwetzingen, Germany. In 1952, the broadc ...

. 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 A count palatine (Latin ''comes palatinus''), also count of the palace or palsgrave (from German ''Pfalzgraf''), was originally an official attached to a royal or imperial palace or household and later a nobleman of a rank above that of an ord ...

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 ...

, 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'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 ...

Elector of Bavaria The following is a list of rulers during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1949, Bavaria has been a democratic state in the Federal Republic of Germ ...

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 Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his '' nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—e ...

's '' L'orphelin de la Chine'' was premiered in 1755, his tragedy ''Olimpie'' was premiered in 1762, staged by Cosimo Alessandro Collini (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, 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-Hildburghausen ...

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

Schwetzingen Festival

Since 1952 the theater has been the main venue of the Schwetzinger Festspiele (

), which also presents contemporary operas. More than 35 operas have been commissioned and premiered, including works by

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large oeuvre of works is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Stravinsky, Italian music, Arabic music and jazz, as well as ...

, Werner Egk,

Udo Zimmermann Udo Zimmermann (6 October 1943 – 22 October 2021) was a German composer, musicologist, opera director, and conductor. He worked as a professor of composition, founded a centre for contemporary music in Dresden, and was director of the Leipzig ...

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'', was written at the suggestion of Dietrich Fischer-Dieska ...

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 Wolfgang Rihm (born 13 March 1952) is a German composer and academic teacher. He is musical director of the Institute of New Music and Media at the University of Music Karlsruhe and has been composer in residence at the Lucerne Festival and the Sa ...

, Michael Jarrell,

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'' (2 ...

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'' (9 May 1957) *

Gerhard Wimberger Gerhard Wimberger (30 August 1923 – 12 October 2016) was an Austrian composer and Conducting, conductor. Career Wimberger studied at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg, Mozarteum in Salzburg. His teachers were Cesar Bresgen and Johann Ne ...

: ''La Battaglia'' (12 May 1960) * Hans Werner Henze: '' Elegie für junge Liebende'' (20 May 1961) * Wolfgang Fortner: ''

In seinem Garten liebt Don Perlimplin Belisa ' (In his garden Don Perlimplín loves Belisa) is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Fortner. The libretto, also by Fortner, is based on Federico García Lorca's play '' Amor de don Perlimplín con Belisa en su jardín''. It premiered at the opening ...

'' (10 May 1962) *

Boris Blacher Boris Blacher (30 January 1975) was a German composer and librettist. Life Blacher was born when his parents (of German-Estonian and Russian backgrounds) were living within a Russian-speaking community in the Manchurian town of Niuzhuang () (h ...

: ''Demeter'', ballet (1964) * Bernd Alois Zimmermann: ''Présence'', ballet (1968) * Giselher Klebe: '' Das Märchen von der schönen Lilie'' (15 May 1969) * Aribert Reimann: ''

Melusine Mélusine () or Melusina is a figure of European folklore, a female spirit of fresh water in a holy well or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish from the waist down (much like a lamia or a mermaid). She is als ...

'' (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. ...

: ''The Tempest'', ballet (1979) * Hans Werner Henze: '' Pollicino'' (1981) * Udo Zimmermann: '' Die wundersame Schustersfrau'' (1982) * Hans Werner Henze: '' Die englische Katze'' (2 June 1983) *

Rudolf Kelterborn Rudolf Kelterborn (3 September 1931 – 24 March 2021) was a Switzerland, 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 B ...

: ''Ophelia'' (1984) *

Hans-Jürgen von Bose Hans-Jürgen von Bose (born 24 December 1953 in Munich) is a German composer. Life After an unsettled adolescence, Bose entered the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt in 1969, where he received instruction in piano and music theory. Upon graduati ...

: ''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 grad ...

: ''Enrico'' (11 Apr 1991) * Helge Jörns: ''Spiel von Liebefall'' (1991) * Eckehard Mayer: ''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, Heusi ...

: ''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 encomp ...

'' (21 May 2006) *

: ''Der Alte vom Berge'' (2007) * Adriana Hölszky:''Hybris/Niobe, Drama für Stimmen'' (2008) *

: ''Proserpina, Monodram für Sopran, Frauenchor und Orchester'' (2009), * Michael Jarrell: ''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 o ...

: ''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 Be ...

: ''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) *

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: ''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