The Cuvilliés Theatre (german: link=no, Cuvilliés-Theater) or Old Residence Theatre (''Altes Residenztheater'') is the former court theatre of the Residenz in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

History

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 ...

Maximilian III Joseph 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 ...

(reg. 1745–1777) commissioned the construction of a new theatre outside the palace after a fire in the St. George's Hall of the Residence which had served previously as a theatre room. The Residence Theatre was built from 1751 to 1753 by François de Cuvilliés in

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, ...

style. The carving was done under supervision of

Johann Baptist Straub Johann Baptist Straub (1 June 1704 (baptism) – 15 July 1784) was a German Rococo sculptor. Biography Straub was born in Wiesensteig, into a family of sculptors. His father Johann George Straub and his brothers Philipp Jakob, Joseph, and ...

. Due to limited space the

National Theatre Munich The National Theatre (german: link=no, Nationaltheater) on Max-Joseph-Platz in Munich, Germany, is a historic opera house, home of the Bavarian State Opera, Bavarian State Orchestra and the Bavarian State Ballet. Building First theatre ...

was built next to the Residence Theatre from 1811. The interior decoration was then removed under King Ludwig I (reg. 1825–1848) when the building became a depot for the National Theatre, but the Residence Theatre was already restored and re-opened in 1857 under King Maximilian II (reg. 1848–1864). Originally the theatre was located where the present (New) Residence Theatre stands; after its destruction in World War II, the theatre was rebuilt in a wing of the Residence. Though the theatre was bombed during World War II, the carved and gilded boxes could be reused for they had been dismantled before and stored for security. Afterwards the ''Residenztheater'' was meticulously recreated in the 1950s and re-opened in 1958 under the name Cuvilliés Theatre with a performance of Mozart's ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premi ...

''. The theatre was again renovated and technically modernised from 2004 to 2008.

Architecture

The theatre space is decorated in red and gold. The four floors, each with 14 loges enclose the ground floor in the shape of a horseshoe. Particularly noteworthy is the Electoral loge opposite the stage that extends from the second to third tier. It is supported by two figures of

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geogra ...

, which form the entrance. Above them are caryatids supporting the next level. Contemporary society division is reflected in the different features of different ranks: The Electoral loge is the artistic center of the room. The adjoining boxes in the first place, which was to be followed by the nobility, after and are richly decorated. This ornament is the second and third rank reduced gradually, where the gentry and the court officials took place. The relatively simply furnished ground floor was reserved for the urban aristocracy.

Theatrical performances

The theatre was inaugurated on 12 October 1753 with Ferrandini's opera ''Catone in Utica''.Zeitz, Karyl (1999)
''Opera Companies and Houses of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand''
p. 215. McFarland, . Under

Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria Charles Theodore (german: link=no, Karl Theodor; 11 December 1724 – 16 February 1799) reigned as Prince-elector and Count Palatine from 1742, as Duke of Jülich and Berg from 1742 and also as prince-elector and Duke of Bavaria from 1777 to h ...

, the court theatre opened for public performances by 1795. Many operas were staged there by the

Bavarian State Opera The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...

, including the premieres of Mozart's ''

Idomeneo ' (Italian for '' Idomeneus, King of Crete, or, Ilia and Idamante''; usually referred to simply as ''Idomeneo'', K. 366) is an Italian language opera seria by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The libretto was adapted by Giambattista Varesco from a Frenc ...

'' in 1781 and Carl Maria von Weber's '' Abu Hassan'' in 1811. In 1831

Ferdinand Raimund Ferdinand Raimund (born Ferdinand Jakob Raimann; 1 June 1790 – 5 September 1836, Pottenstein, Lower Austria) was an Austrian actor and dramatist. Life and work He was born in Vienna as a son of Bohemian woodturning master craftsman Jako ...

gave a guest performance.

Ernst von Possart Ernst von Possart (11 May 18418 April 1921) was a German actor and theatre director. Possart was born in Berlin and was early an actor at Breslau, Bern, and Hamburg. Connected with the Munich Court Theatre after 1864, he became the oberregis ...

staged several Mozart operas in original version during the 1890s. The Residence Theatre has been also a stage for plays. It saw the first performance of

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

's ''

Hedda Gabler ''Hedda Gabler'' () is a play written by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The world premiere was staged on 31 January 1891 at the Residenztheater in Munich. Ibsen himself was in attendance, although he remained back-stage. The play has been ca ...

'' in 1891. On 14 June 2008, the Cuvilliés Theatre re-opened with the premiere performance of a new production of Mozart's ''Idomeneo'', staged by Dieter Dorn, conducted by Kent Nagano.Schweitzer, Vivien (21 June 2008)
"An Opera’s Homecoming, in a Newly Restored House"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Retrieved 12 October 2012.

World premieres

* 2 October 1753, ''Catone in Utica'' by Giovanni Battista Ferrandini and Metastasio (Residence Theatre) * 29 January 1781, ''

'' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giambattista Varesco (Residence Theatre) * 1 February 1782, ''Semiramide'' by

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subject of the Habsburg monarchy ...

and Metastasio (Residence Theatre) * 27 January 1807, ''Iphigenie in Aulis'' by Franz Danzi and Karl Reger (Residence Theatre) * 4 June 1811, '' Abu Hassan'' by

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 operas, ...

and Franz Carl Hiemer (Residence Theatre) * 23 December 1812, '' Jephtas Gelübde'' by

Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Mozart and Wagner". With his 1831 opera '' Robert le ...

and

Aloys Schreiber Alois ( Latinized ''Aloysius'') is an Old Occitan form of the name Louis. Modern variants include ''Aloïs'' (French), ''Aloys'' (German), ''Alois'' (Czech), '' Alojz'' ( Slovak, Slovenian), ''Alojzy'' ( Polish), ''Aloísio'' (Portuguese, Spani ...

(Residence Theatre) * 9 November 1817, ''Teolinde'' by Giacomo Meyerbeer (Residence Theatre) * 28 June 2000, ''KANON für geschlossene Gesellschaft'' by Ruedi Häusermann (Cuvilliés Theatre) * 27 June 2002, ''K-projekt 12/14'' by Hans-Jürgen von Bose (after

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It typ ...

's novella

The Metamorphosis ''Metamorphosis'' (german: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himsel ...

) (Cuvilliés Theatre) * 17 July 2003, '' Das Gesicht im Spiegel'' by Jörg Widmann and

Roland Schimmelpfennig Roland Schimmelpfennig (born 19 September 1967) is a German theatre director and playwright. His plays are performed in more than 40 countries. Biography Schimmelpfennig was born in Gottingen. He began his career as a journalist in Istanbul, b ...

(Cuvilliés Theatre)

References

External links

Cuvilliés Theatre (web page of the Munich Residence)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuvillies Theatre Theatres completed in 1753 Rococo architecture in Germany Opera houses in Germany Buildings and structures in Munich Tourist attractions in Munich Baroque architecture in Munich Music venues completed in 1753 Theatres completed in 1958 Music venues completed in 1958 Munich Residenz Theatres in Munich