An opera house such as the Semperoper is in the unique position of combining old and new, tradition and transformation, the national and the international, and in so doing is able to strengthen Saxony’s innovative capacity. To this end the Semperoper Dresden is offering for the 2011/12 season more new productions than ever before: no fewer than 19 premieres will take to the stage, including eight operas, five ballet productions, two gala evenings and four productions of our youth programme Junge Szene. As General Manager Dr. Ulrike Hessler points out: »Saxony’s cultural heritage is not an oppressive burden but rather a unique selling point. Music theatre is not a luxury but a necessity, something which nourishes the soul and is one of society’s last great emotional rituals in our emotionally-repressed, individualised world.«
In 2011/12 the Semperoper will continue to pursue a programme distinctive to the city, as initiated last year under the new management. Thus the folk opera »Švanda dudák/Schwanda, the Bagpiper« by Czech composer Jaromír Weinberger will continue our Slavic theme, with one further highlight being the premiere of the fairy-tale opera »Jakub Flügelbunt« by fellow Czech composer Miroslav Srnka, commissioned specially for Semperoper Junge Szene. Our youthful audiences can also look forward to a premiere of Sergei Prokofiev’s »Peter and the Wolf«. The Semperoper will once again celebrate the music of the baroque age in the form of Handel’s magical »Alcina« as well as Giovanni Battista Martini’s Intermezzo »La Dirindina/The Amateur Diva«.
The great Italian repertoire is represented by Verdi’s »A Masked Ball« and Donizetti’s melodrama »L’elisir d’amore/The Elixir of Love«. A re-examination of the great Mozartian operas begins with »La clemenza di Tito/Titus«. And the music of the 20th century is not forgotten, with performances of Karl Amadeus Hartmann’s »Simplicius Simplicissimus« as well as Alban Berg’s »Lulu«. This latter work will be the second opera directed in Dresden by Stefan Herheim, who, following his brilliant interpretation of »Rusalka« last year, is continuing this collaboration with the Semperoper for the next four seasons.
Our now well-established youth programme Semperoper Junge Szene will maintain its efforts to reach out across the generations with the premiere of a work by composer Johannes Wulff-Woesten which transforms the »Conference of the Animals« by Dresden writer Erich Kästner into an opera.
»The Princess on the Pea« will return to the stage in the guise of a musical fairy-tale by Ernst Toch, while the Junge Szene is also presenting the theatre project »Zangesi« based on the writings of the Russian futurist Velimir Chlebnikov, in a co-production with students of the city’s Carl Maria von Weber College of Music.
In the meantime our Semper Soirées and Matinées have developed into much loved concert series, in which audiences can themselves confirm the Semperoper’s commitment to a strong and flourishing ensemble of soloists.
The highlight of the new dance season will certainly be Aaron S. Watkin’s fresh take on Tchaikovsky’s »The Nutcracker«, for which Semperoper Ballett will collaborate with the Palucca School of Dance. Balanchine’s »Jewels« as performed within the »Colours« series of previous seasons will now be presented in its entirety. Five works by William Forsythe, including a new work specially created for the Semperoper, are united in »Kraftwerk Tanz«, while the »Ballets Russes – Reloaded« will pay homage to that illustrious institution.
The magnificent Semperoper dominates the Theaterplatz on the river Elbe, forming the centrepiece of the historic old city. The original building opened its doors in 1841, constructed to a design by Gottfried Semper which combined a late Classical style with Renaissance elements. Following a devastating fire in 1869, the citizens of Dresden immediately set about rebuilding their beloved opera house. This was completed in 1878, also to a design by Semper. In 1945, during the final months of World War II, the Semperoper was once again razed to the ground. After a second reconstruction was successfully completed in 1985, the reopening of one of Europe’s most beautiful opera houses was celebrated with a performance of Carl Maria von Weber’s »Freischütz«. The 25th anniversary of this third opera house was on 13 February 2010.
The dazzling interiors were painstakingly reconstructed by local craftsmen and artists according to original plans, whilst the stage machinery and technical fittings in the auditorium are state-of-the-art. A modern annex was added to house the administrative offices and rehearsal rooms. Internationally renowned for its brilliant acoustics and incomparable performances, audiences from around the world continue to flock here to enjoy a unique evening in the Semperoper Dresden.
Not only one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world, the Semperoper is renowned both here and abroad for the brilliant star-studded performances by Saxon State Opera as well as numerous international guest artists. This is the home of the Staatskapelle Dresden, an orchestra which looks back on 460 years of uninterrupted music-making. The State Opera Chorus was founded by Carl Maria von Weber in 1817. Operatic history has been written here, with the Semperoper playing host to numerous important premieres, such as Richard Wagner’s »Rienzi«, »Der fliegende Holländer« and »Tannhäuser «. The house is inextricably linked to the name of Richard Strauss, 21 of whose stage works were premiered in Dresden, including »Salome«, »Der Rosenkavalier« and »Elektra«.
Over the centuries the Semperoper has sought to balance tradition with innovation, with each successive general manager placing their own personal stamp on this fascinating blend of old and new. Now Dr. Ulrike Hessler, general manager of the Semperoper Dresden since the 2010/11 season, has introduced a fourth programme of events for children and young people to complement the traditional focus on opera, concerts and ballet: Semperoper Junge Szene.
The calling card of the world-famous orchestra of the Semperoper Dresden is its inimitable sound, which has been maintained throughout its long history. Founded in 1548 by Prince Moritz von Sachsen as a court ensemble, the Staatskapelle Dresden is one of the oldest orchestras in the world, enjoying a wealth of tradition. Over various musical epochs up to the present day it has retained its position as one of the classical world’s leading orchestras.
This former court ensemble has been shaped over the years – and into the 21st century – by prominent conductors and internationally esteemed instrumentalists, such as composers Heinrich Schütz, Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner, and conductors Ernst von Schuch, Fritz Busch and Giuseppe Sinopoli. Christian Thielemann, the principal conductor designate, will continue this tradition from the 2012 season. Numerous recordings
from the beginning of the 1920s document the Staatskapelle’s astonishing sound, which audiences in the world’s great centres of classical music can regularly enjoy during the ensemble’s extensive schedule of tours.
The baroque city has always been a centre of dance, with a permanent ballet company existing since the time of Carl Maria von Weber. After an early artistic blossoming in the 1920s, many great choreographies have subsequently been performed on the Semperoper stage under ballet directors Tom Schilling, Harald Wandtke and Vladimir Derevianko. The Canadian Aaron S. Watkin, ballet director since 2006, has brought a unique artistic vision to Semperoper Ballett. His aim is to dissolve of borders between classical and contemporary styles of dance, thereby realising highly imaginative and innovative choreographies. With a new and exciting repertoire based on traditional narrative ballets, modern dance and with first-class soloists from around the world, Aaron S. Watkin is also making waves on the international ballet scene.
From the 2010/11 season the Semperoper’s new youth programme, entitled Semperoper Junge Szene, will explore fresh material and forms of presentation while at the same time developing new works of music theatre. This will stimulate the interest of audiences both young and old, helping to build an audience for Junge Szene events. With this new venture, the Semperoper Dresden hopes to reveal the inherent joy in that most sensual of all art-forms: opera. The aim is to convey the joy of performance and to help visitors discover the delights of creativity: »That which we do not know, we do not miss.« (Zoltán Kodály).
