The Cuvilliés Theatre () 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 monarchs during the history of Bavaria. Bavaria was ruled by several dukes and kings, partitioned and reunited, under several dynasties. Since 1918, Bavaria has been under a republican form of government, and from 19 ...

Maximilian III Joseph (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, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

style. The carving was done under supervision of Johann Baptist Straub. Due to limited space the National Theatre Munich 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'' (, ), 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 premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...

''. 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 world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

, 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 (; 11 December 1724 – 16 February 1799) was a German nobleman of the Palatinate-Sulzbach, Sulzbach branch of the House of Wittelsbach. He became Count Palatine of Sulzbach at the age of six following the death of his father J ...

, the court theatre opened for public performances by 1795. Many operas were staged there by the Bavarian court opera, including the premieres of Mozart's ''

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

'' in 1781 and Weber's '' Abu Hassan'' in 1811. In 1831 Ferdinand Raimund 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 in Breslau, Bern, and Hamburg. Connected with the Munich Court Theatre after 1864, he became the leading dire ...

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's '' Hedda Gabler'' 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 Kent George Nagano (born November 22, 1951) is an American conductor and opera administrator. Since 2015, he has been ''Generalmusikdirektor'' (GMD) of the Hamburg State Opera (until 2025). Early life and education Nagano was born in Berkeley, ...

.Schweitzer, Vivien (21 June 2008)
"An Opera’s Homecoming, in a Newly Restored House"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Retrieved 12 October 2012.

World premieres

* 2 October 1753, ''Catone in Utica'' by

Giovanni Battista Ferrandini Giovanni Battista Ferrandini (c. 1710 – 25 October 1791), an Italian composer of the Baroque and Classical eras, was born in Venice, Italy and died in Munich, at the age of about 81. He was a child prodigy and entered the service of Duke ...

and

Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early life Met ...

(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 composer and teacher of the classical period (music), classical period. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subje ...

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 (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...

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

Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Meyer Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart and Richard Wa ...

and Aloys Schreiber (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 novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...

's novella

The Metamorphosis ''The Metamorphosis'' (), also translated as ''The Transformation'', is a novella by Franz Kafka published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''The Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes to find himself inex ...

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

References

External links

*
Cuvilliés Theatre (Bavarian State Opera)
{{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 Bavarian State Opera