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The Opéra national du Rhin is an
opera company Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...
which performs in
Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
, eastern France. It includes the Opéras in
Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...
, in
Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning '' mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region, eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. It is the largest city in Haut-Rhin and second largest in Alsace a ...
, where the Ballet de l'Opéra national du Rhin, also known as the Ballet Du Rhin, is based, and in
Colmar Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it i ...
, with its Opéra Studio, a training centre for young singers. Thee organisation has held the status of "national opera" since 1997. The Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg and the
Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse The Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse is a French symphonic orchestra based in Mulhouse, in the Alsace region. Its principal venue is ''La Filature''. History The Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse has its origins in the small municipal orchestra ...
are the usual orchestras of this institution.


History

The first opera house opened in Strasbourg in 1701 in a converted
granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animals ...
. After a fire and temporary locations, a new Théâtre municipal opened in the Place Broglie in 1821. This building was virtually gutted during the German bombardment of 1870, but it was rebuilt in identical style, re-opening in 1873.Pitt, C. "Strasbourg", ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London & New York, 1997. During the German era up to 1919, several eminent conductors held posts at the Strasbourg opera:
Hans Pfitzner Hans Erich Pfitzner (5 May 1869 – 22 May 1949) was a German composer, conductor and polemicist who was a self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera ''Palestrina'' (1917), loosely based on the life of the ...
(1910–19),
Wilhelm Furtwängler Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler ( , , ; 25 January 188630 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. He was a major ...
(1910–11),
Otto Klemperer Otto Nossan Klemperer (14 May 18856 July 1973) was a 20th-century conductor and composer, originally based in Germany, and then the US, Hungary and finally Britain. His early career was in opera houses, but he was later better known as a concer ...
(1914–17) and
George Szell George Szell (; June 7, 1897 – July 30, 1970), originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer. He is widely considered one of the twentieth century's greatest condu ...
(1917–1919). From 1919-38
Paul Bastide Paul Adrien Bastide (6 April 1879 – 18 August 1962) was a French conductor and composer. Career Paul Bastide was born at Quimper and studied at the University of Aix-en-Provence and the Paris Conservatoire (with Pessard and Massenet), winnin ...
was musical director; he returned after the Second World War with notable stagings of ''
Béatrice et Bénédict ''Béatrice et Bénédict'' (''Beatrice and Benedick'') is an ''opéra comique'' in two acts by French composer Hector Berlioz. Berlioz wrote the French libretto himself, based in general outline on a subplot in Shakespeare's ''Much Ado About Noth ...
'' (first French staging), and ''Martine'' by Rabaud (premiere). From 1948-53, under Roger Lalande, the theatre saw the first French productions of '' Peter Grimes'' (1949), ''
Mathis der Maler ''Mathis der Maler'' (''Matthias the Painter'' is an opera by Paul Hindemith. The work's protagonist, Matthias Grünewald, was a historical figure who flourished during the Reformation, and whose art, in particular the Isenheim Altarpiece, i ...
'' (1951), and ''
The Rake's Progress ''The Rake's Progress'' is an English-language opera from 1951 in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings '' A Rake's Prog ...
'' (1952). The spirit of innovation continued under Frédéric Adam, director from 1955-72 - a '' Ring'' with Birgit Nilsson and French premieres of '' Il prigioniero'', ''
Oedipus rex ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...
'', ''
Jenůfa ''Její pastorkyňa'' (''Her Stepdaughter''; commonly known as ''Jenůfa'' ) is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play ''Její pastorkyňa'' by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed ...
'', '' Die Frau ohne Schatten'' and '' Dalibor''; there was also a production of ''
Les Troyens ''Les Troyens'' (; in English: ''The Trojans'') is a French grand opera in five acts by Hector Berlioz. The libretto was written by Berlioz himself from Virgil's epic poem the ''Aeneid''; the score was composed between 1856 and 1858. ''Les T ...
''. The merger to form the Opéra du Rhin took place in 1972 under the conductor
Alain Lombard Alain Lombard (born 4 October 1940, Paris) is a French conductor. Career Lombard attended the Conservatoire de Paris, where his studied violin with Line Talleul and conducting with Gaston Poulet. He subsequently secured an appointment at the ...
, with the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg and the
Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse The Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse is a French symphonic orchestra based in Mulhouse, in the Alsace region. Its principal venue is ''La Filature''. History The Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse has its origins in the small municipal orchestra ...
being the performance orchestras in those locations. In the early years, Lombard attempted to revive the repertoire, as well as attract big names such as
Birgit Nilsson Märta Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 – 25 December 2005) was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano. Although she sang a wide répertoire of operatic and vocal works, Nilsson was best known for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner ...
,
Montserrat Caballé Montserrat Caballé i Folch or Folc (full name: María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch (, , ; (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), known simply as Montserrat Caballé, was a Catalan Spanish operatic soprano. She sang a wide v ...
,
José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras Coll (; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (, ), is a Spanish operatic tenor who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, he made his de ...
,
Régine Crespin Régine Crespin (23 February 1927 – 5 July 2007) was a French singer who had a major international career in opera and on the concert stage between 1950 and 1989. She started her career singing roles in the dramatic soprano and spinto sopran ...
, and
Mirella Freni Mirella Freni, OMRI (, born Mirella Fregni, 27 February 1935 – 9 February 2020) was an Italian operatic soprano who had a career of 50 years and appeared at major international opera houses. She received international attention at the Gl ...
.Tubeuf, A. "Report from Strasbourg", ''
Opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
'', February 1984, pp. 152-3
Since 1985 the Ballet de l'Opéra national du Rhin, or Ballet Du Rhin for short, a national centre for
choreography Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...
has been based at the
Mulhouse Mulhouse (; Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning '' mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region, eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. It is the largest city in Haut-Rhin and second largest in Alsace a ...
Opera. It has held the status of "national opera" since 1997. The Opéra Studio, a training centre for young singers, is based at Colmar.


Management

At the end of the 1970s Lombard was succeeded by René Terrasson, a former singer and architect, who also produced some works himself. Since that time, directors have included Laurent Spielmann (1991–1997), Rudolf Berger (1997–2003), and Nicholas Snowman (2003–2009). Since 2020, the director has been Alain Perroux, taking over from the suddenly deceased Eva Kleinitz. * 1972–1974: Pierre Barrat * 1974–1980:
Alain Lombard Alain Lombard (born 4 October 1940, Paris) is a French conductor. Career Lombard attended the Conservatoire de Paris, where his studied violin with Line Talleul and conducting with Gaston Poulet. He subsequently secured an appointment at the ...
* 1980–1991: René Terrasson * 1991–1997: Laurent Spielmann * 1997–2003: Rudolf Berger * 2003–2009: Nicholas Snowman * 2009–2017: Marc Clémeur * 2017–2019: Eva Kleinitz * 2020– : Alain Perroux


See also

* List of opera houses


References


External links


Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Opera National Du Rhin French opera companies Culture in Strasbourg Mulhouse Tourist attractions in Strasbourg Monuments historiques of Strasbourg Organizations based in Grand Est