Reduta Theatre
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The Reduta Theatre is a theatre in Brno,
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. It was built on the city's oldest square,
Zelný trh Zelný trh (german: Kraut Markt; English: ''Vegetable Market'' or ''Cabbage Market'') is a town square, square and traditional marketplace in Brno, Czech Republic. It is located in the historic centre of Brno on an area of about . The square In t ...
) and began its life in
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
times as the Taverna (Tavern) Theatre. In 1767,
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
performed with his sister in a concert there. It is now part of the National Theatre in Brno. The building, which was first mentioned in 1608, is the oldest theatre building in
Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...
.


History

At the beginning of the 17th century, Brno city council purchased and remodelled a complex of medieval houses located on Zelný trh. One of the houses in the block, the Liechtenstein house, was redesigned as a
tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern t ...
in 1605. The tavern was extended with assembly rooms for holding ceremonies and receptions, and in 1634, another house was integrated into the main building. The new hall served as a place for occasional performances by travelling theatrical companies. In the 1730s, the building was remodelled again with the addition of a new theater and ballroom. Known in the 18th century as the ''Taverna Theatre'' (or ''Theater in der Taffern'' to the German-speaking inhabitants of the city), it served as a venue for theatrical performances presented mainly in German and
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
. In October 1767, a
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
epidemic forced Leopold Mozart and his children Wolfgang and
Nannerl Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart (30 July 1751 – 29 October 1829), called "Marianne" and nicknamed Nannerl, was a musician, the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) and daughter of Leopold (1719–1787) and Anna Maria Moz ...
to escape from Vienna and accept shelter offered by the brother of their patron,
Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
Archbishop
Sigismund von Schrattenbach Sigismund Graf von Schrattenbach (28 February 1698 – 16 December 1771) was Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from 1753 to 1771. Both Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart served under him. Life He was born in Graz, Styria, the son of Count Otto Heinr ...
. Erhartova (2005), p. 21 On 25 October,
Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
František Antonín Schrattenbach met with the
Mozart family The Mozart family were the ancestors, relatives, and descendants of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The earliest documents mentioning the name "Mozart", then spelled "Motzhart" or "Motzhardt", are from the Bavarian part of Swabia (today the ''Regierung ...
in Brno. He immediately began planning a performance for Wolfgang and Nannerl. However, Leopold Mozart decided to continue travelling, and the family went on to
Olomouc Olomouc (, , ; german: Olmütz; pl, Ołomuniec ; la, Olomucium or ''Iuliomontium'') is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 99,000 inhabitants, and its larger urban zone has a population of about 384,000 inhabitants (2019). Located on t ...
. Unfortunately, the epidemic affected young Wolfgang, and they had to stay in Olomouc until his recovery. On 24 December, they came back to Brno and spent Christmas there. On 30 December 1767, the child prodigies performed in the Taverna Theatre. According to a diary entry by Aurelius Augustin, provost of the monastery in
Šternberk Šternberk (; (german: (Mährisch-)Sternberg) is a town in Olomouc District in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 13,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument zo ...
:
"... a Salzburg boy of eleven years and his sister of fifteen years, accompanied on various instruments by inhabitants of Brno, excited everyone's imagination; but he oung Wolfgangcould not endure the
trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
s, because they were incapable of playing in tune with one another."
On the other hand, Vice- Kapellmeister Leopold Mozart was fully satisfied with the orchestra performance. On 9 January 1768, the family headed back to Vienna. After a series of extensive fires in 1785 and 1786, the city council decided to rebuild the theatre in the neoclassical architectural style, with a new two-story main hall. The reconstructed theatre, now named the Reduta Theatre, presented mainly German plays, with performances in Czech held only infrequently. The last devastating fire in 1870 caused the theatre to close again, after which the building was used as the city market hall. In 1918, following the establishment of the new Czechoslovak state, the activities of the theatre were again restored. In the 1950s, the building was redesigned according to the plans of architects
Bohuslav Bohuslav ( uk, Богуслав, yi, באָסלעוו or ''Boslov'') is a city on the Ros River in Obukhiv Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Population: . It hosts the administration of Bohuslav urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Uk ...
and Kamil Fuchs. Up to the 1990s, the theatre served as a stage for Czech operettas. The last reconstruction was completed in 2005. The project was awarded the ''Grand Prix'' in a competition held by the ''Czech Chamber of Architects''. As of 2010, the theatre is a part of the National Theatre in Brno. Reduta has no permanent ensemble. The theatre regularly invites various artists and ensembles from the Czech Republic and
Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
for guest performances.


Notes and references


Sources

* *Warrack, John Hamilton and West, Ewan (eds)
"Brno"
''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera'', 3rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 1996, P. 61. *Zaslaw, Neal
''Mozart's Symphonies: Context, performance practice, reception''
Oxford University Press, 1991.


External links

*

* ttp://www.archiweb.cz/buildings.php?action=show&id=509 Reduta (archiweb.cz) {{authority control Theatres in Brno 1608 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire