The Prinzregententheater, or, as it was called in its first decades, the Prinz-Regenten-Theater, in English the Prince Regent Theatre, is a concert hall and opera house on Prinzregentenplatz in the

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

n capital of

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Building and History

Initiated by Ernst von Possart, the theatre was built in the Prinzregentenstrasse as a festival hall for the operas of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

near an area where a similar project of King Ludwig II had failed some decades before. Named after Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria, the building was designed by Max Littmann and opened 21 August 1901 with a production of ''

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (; "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg"), WWV 96, is a music drama, or opera, in three acts, by Richard Wagner. It is the longest opera commonly performed, taking nearly four and a half hours, not counting two breaks between acts, and is traditio ...

'' by Richard Wagner. Like the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, the auditorium was designed to Wagner’s specifications, but an

amphitheater An amphitheatre ( U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meaning "place for vie ...

has replaced the loges. After the destruction of the Nationaltheater during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Prinzregententheater housed the

Bavarian State Opera The Bavarian State Opera () is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bavarian State Orchestra. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under El ...

from 1944 to 1963 even though it also suffered damage during the war which was not repaired until 1958. Since its renovation in 1988, the Prinzregententheater, with 1122 seats, has served also for the Bavarian Staatsschauspiel and now houses the Bavarian Theatre Academy founded by August Everding. Another theatre in the building, the ''Akademietheater'' or ''Academy Theatre'', seats 300.

Some famous world premieres

* 12 June 1917, '' Palestrina'' by Hans Pfitzner * 27 March 1952, ''Weg zum Licht'' ballet by Victor Gsovsky with music by Georges Auric * 22 July 1952, ballet '' Pas de cœur'' by Victor Gsovsky / Gottfried von Einem * 25 February 1954, new edition of '' Die Bernauerin'', by Carl Orff * 29 March 1956, '' Don Juan de Manara'' by Henri Tomasi * 11 August 1957, '' Die Harmonie der Welt'' by

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advo ...

* 16 February 1960, ballet ''Danza'' by Heinz Rosen /

Werner Egk Werner Egk (, 17 May 1901 – 10 July 1983), born Werner Joseph Mayer, was a German composer. Early career He was born in the Swabian town of Auchsesheim, today part of Donauwörth, Germany. His family, of Catholic peasant stock, moved to Augsb ...

* 1961, ballet ' by Heinz Rosen / Wilhelm Killmayer

References

{{Authority control Art Nouveau architecture in Munich 1901 establishments in Germany Music venues completed in 1901 Theatres completed in 1901 Opera houses in Germany Music venues in Munich Art Nouveau theatres Theatres in Munich Bavarian State Opera Concert halls in Germany Munich Radio Orchestra