The Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden ('Hessian State Theatre Wiesbaden') is a German theatre located in Wiesbaden, in the German state Hesse. The company produces operas, plays, ballets,

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

s and concerts on four stages. Known also as the Staatstheater Wiesbaden or ''Theater Wiesbaden'', its orchestra is the Hessisches Staatsorchester. The building was inaugurated in 1894. The theatre is the host for the annual festival Internationale Maifestspiele Wiesbaden, established in 1896 after the

Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival (german: link=no, Bayreuther Festspiele) is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived ...

History

The building of the theatre was initiated and substantially supported by the German emperor William II who regularly visited the

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

in Wiesbaden. A team of architects from Vienna, Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer, won the competition. They constructed the building from 1892 to 1894 in Baroque Revival style, following models in Prague and Zurich. The inauguration was on 16 October 1894 in the presence of the emperor. The Foyer was built in 1902 by architect . It serves three stages. After World War I, the theatre was renamed "Preußisches Staatstheater" (Prussian State Theatre). Since 1932, the city of Wiesbaden was responsible for the theatre; therefore it was renamed "Nassauisches Landestheater" (Theater of the Province

Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...

The building was seriously damaged in World War II by a bomb on 3 February 1945. The front was partially restored and the ceiling of the hall was decorated with a contemporary painting. In 1946, the State of Hesse took over the operation of the theatre. In 1947, it was re-opened as the "Großhessisches Staatstheater" (State Theater of Great Hesse), later "Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden". From 1975 to 1978, the auditorium was restored according to the historic model. The technical equipment was modernized. A new tract was built, designed by Hardt-Waltherr Hämer, for rehearsal rooms, workshops and administration.

Performance facilities

The theatre has four stages, three of them in the historic house: * Großes Haus (Great House) with 1,041 seats. * Kleines Haus (Small House) with 328 seats. * Studio with 89 seats. * Wartburg, from 2003, is an additional small separate stage. The staff consist of about 600 people. Annually more than 25 new operas, plays and ballets have been produced. The theatre is especially dedicated to a young audience, collaborating with schools for "Schultheatertage". A professional ensemble, "Junges Staatstheater" (Young State Theater) is dedicated to children's and youth theater. In addition to the annual

Internationale Maifestspiele The Internationale Maifestspiele Wiesbaden (International May Festival, IMF) is a theater festival in Wiesbaden, Germany. Established in the late 19th century after the Bayreuth Festival, the festival is one of the most distinguished internation ...

in May, since 2004 a biennial festival "Neue Stücke aus Europa" (New European Plays) is organized in collaboration with the

Staatstheater Mainz The Staatstheater Mainz (Mainz State Theatre) is a theatre in Mainz, Germany, which is owned and operated by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Situated on the Gutenbergplatz, the complex comprises two theatres which are connected by an undergrou ...

, presenting in ten days new plays in the original language with simultaneous translation. The current ''Intendant'' of the company is Uwe-Eric Laufenberg, since 2014. He is scheduled to stand down from the post at the end of the 2023–2024 season. The most recent ''Generalmusikdirektor'' of the company is

Patrick Lange Patrick Lange (; 25 August 1986) is a professional duathlete and triathlete from Germany. He is the 2017 Ironman World Champion and the 2018 Ironman World Champion both times breaking the course record. Lange is also the 2010-2013 German champ ...

, who had begun in the post in 2017. In September 2021, Lange requested to be released from his Wiesbaden contract, ahead of the originally scheduled 2022–2023 season conclusion.

Artistic directors

* Georg von Hülsen-Haeseler (1893–1903) * Kurt von Munzenbechers (1903–1918) *

Carl Hagemann Carl Hagemann (April 9, 1867, in Essen – November 20, 1940, in Frankfurt am Main) was a German chemist, industrial manager and one of the most important German art collectors and patrons in the first half of the 20th century. Life Hagemann ...

(1920–1927 *

Paul Bekker Max Paul Eugen Bekker (11 September 1882 – 7 March 1937) was a German music critic and author. Described as having "brilliant style and ..extensive theoretical and practical knowledge," Bekker was chief music critic for both the ''Frankfurt ...

(1927–1932 ) * Friedrich Schramm (1953–1962) *

Claus Helmut Drese Claus Helmut Drese (25 December 1922, in Aachen – 10 February 2011, in Horgen, Switzerland) was a German opera and theatre administrator, and author. Early career Drese began his career as a dramaturg at the ''Marburger Schauspielhaus'' in 1 ...

(1962–1968) * (1968–1975) *

Peter Ebert Peter Ebert (6 April 1918, Frankfurt am Main, Germany – 25 December 2012, Sussex, England) was a German opera director. Son of noted German director Carl Ebert who left Nazi Germany in 1934 with his son and moved to England, he was best known ...

(1975–1078) * Christoph Groszer (1978–1986) *

Claus Leininger Claus Leininger (17 January 1931 – 22 February 2005) was a German stage director in theatre and opera, and an intendant (general manager). He shaped the artistic profile of the Musiktheater im Revier in Gelsenkirchen, nicknamed the Ruhr- Scala du ...

(1986–1994) * (1994–1996) * Achim Thorwald (1996–2002) * (2002–2014) *

Uwe Eric Laufenberg Uwe Eric Laufenberg (born 11 December 1960) is a German actor, stage director for play and opera, and theatre manager who has directed at international opera houses and festivals, such as '' Elektra'' at the Vienna State Opera and '' Parsifal'' at ...

(2014–present)

Orchestras and conductors

Städtisches Cur- und Sinfonieorchester

Wiesbaden's first major orchestra was in 1873 the "Städtisches Cur- und Sinfonieorchester" (Communal Spa and Symphony Orchestra). Its conductor from 1874 to 1905, Louis Lüstner, established besides entertaining music for the spa audience twelve symphony concerts a year. During this period

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

, Clara Schumann, Joseph Joachim,

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

and

Pablo de Sarasate Pablo Martín Melitón de Sarasate y Navascués (; 10 March 1844 – 20 September 1908), commonly known as Pablo de Sarasate, was a Spanish (Navarrese) violin virtuoso, composer and conductor of the Romantic period. His best known works include ...

appeared in concert, among others.

Felix Mottl right Felix Josef von Mottl (between 29 July/29 August 1856 – 2 July 1911) was an Austrian conductor and composer. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant conductors of his day. He composed three operas, of which ''Agnes Bernauer'' (Weima ...

was a regular guest conductor from 1894. The number of players was raised from 56 to 65 in 1905 to 1911. From 1912 Carl Schuricht was the conductor, appointed

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) 1921. Regular guest conductors during his era, which lasted until 1944, included

Fritz Busch Fritz Busch (13 March 1890 – 14 September 1951) was a German conductor. Busch was born in Siegen, Westphalia, to a musical family, and studied at the Cologne Conservatory. After army service in the First World War, he was appointed to senior p ...

, Felix Weingartner, Bruno Walter 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 ...

Staatskapelle

The second orchestra "Staatskapelle", was founded in 1894, with the new opera house, to play exclusively opera and ballet. Conductors included: * 1906–

Artur Rother Artur Martin Rother (12 October 188522 September 1972) was a German conductor who worked mainly in the opera house. He was born in Stettin, Pomerania (now Szczecin, Poland). His father was an organist and music teacher. He studied under Hugo Kau ...

* 1924–1927 Otto Klemperer * 1932–

Heinrich Hollreiser Heinrich Hollreiser (24 June 191324 July 2006) was a German conductor. Born in Munich, he attended the State Academy of Music there and went on to serve as the conductor at the opera houses in Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Mannheim, and Duisburg. From ...

* 1933–1936

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'' ; ...

Guest conductors included Thomas Beecham, Leo Blech and Fritz Busch. Richard Strauss conducted opera almost annually.

Hessisches Staatsorchester

After the war, a fusion of the two orchestras under the new name ''Hessisches Staatsorchester'' was initiated and finalized by Wolfgang Sawallisch at the end of the 1950s. * Franz-Paul Decker (1950–1956) * Wolfgang Sawallisch (1958–1960) * Siegfried Köhler (1973–1988) * Ulf Schirmer (1988–1991) * Oleg Caetani (1992–1995) *

Jonathan Nott Jonathan Nott (born 25 December 1962, in Solihull, England) is an English conductor. Biography The son of a priest at Worcester Cathedral, Nott was a music student and choral scholar at St John's College, Cambridge, and also studied singing a ...

(1995–1996) * Joachim Arnold (1996–1997) * Toshiyuki Kamioka (1996–2004) *

Marc Piollet Marc Piollet (born 1962) is a French conductor. After positions at the Staatstheater Kassel and Volksoper in Vienna, he was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden from 2004 to 2012. Career Born in Paris, Piollet st ...

(2004–2012) *

Zsolt Hamar Zsolt Hamar (born 1968 in Budapest) is a Hungarian conductor. History Hamar started to play the piano at the age of six and later studied composition at the Béla Bartók Conservatoire. He followed university studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of ...

(2012–2017) *

(2017–present)

References

Other sources

* Rudolf Cyperrek, Otto Laux, Hans-Peter Scholz: ''Geschichte eines Theatergebäudes 1860–1978''. Hessisches Staatstheater, Wiesbaden 1978. * Peter Schabe: ''Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden''. Verlag Schnell & Steiner, München 1988 (Kunstführer; Bd. 1712). * ''Das neue kgl. Theater in Wiesbaden''. In: ''Zeitschrift des österreichischen Ingenieur- und Architekten-Vereins''. Jg. 51 (1899), Nr. 1, , S. 1–4.

External links

Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden
Official website
Jugendclubtheater
website {{Authority control German opera companies Theatre companies in Germany Buildings and structures in Wiesbaden Culture in Wiesbaden Ballet venues Tourist attractions in Wiesbaden Music venues completed in 1894 Theatres completed in 1894 Fellner & Helmer buildings 1894 establishments in Germany