The Semperoper () is the

opera house An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and the

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

of the Staatskapelle Dresden (Saxon State Orchestra). It is also home to the Semperoper Ballett. The building is located on the Theaterplatz near the

Elbe The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...

River in the historic centre of

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, Germany. The opera house was originally built by the architect

Gottfried Semper Gottfried Semper (; 29 November 1803 – 15 May 1879) was a German architect, art critic, and professor of architecture who designed and built the Semper Opera House in Dresden between 1838 and 1841. In 1849 he took part in the May Uprising in ...

in 1841. After a devastating fire in 1869, the opera house was rebuilt, partly again by Semper, and completed in 1878. The opera house has a long history of premieres, including major works by

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 ...

and

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

History

The first opera house at the location of today's Semperoper was built by the architect

. It opened on 13 April 1841 with an opera 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 ...

. The building style itself is debated among many, as it has features that appear in three styles: early

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

, with Corinthian style pillars typical of Greek

classical revival Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassic ...

. Perhaps the most suitable label for this style would be

eclecticism Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories i ...

, where influences from many styles are used, a practice most common during this period.Fritz Löffler: ''Das alte Dresden – Geschichte seiner Bauten''. 16th ed. Leipzig: Seemann, 2006, . The opera building, Semper's first, was regarded as one of the most beautiful European opera houses. Following a devastating fire in 1869, the citizens of Dresden immediately set about rebuilding their opera house. They demanded that Gottfried Semper do the reconstruction, even though he was then in exile because of his involvement in the May 1849 uprising in Dresden. The architect had his son, Manfred Semper, build the second opera house using his plans. Completed in 1878, it was built in

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

style. During construction, performances were held at the ''Gewerbehaussaal'', which opened in 1870. The building is considered a prime example of

Baroque Revival architecture The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term is used to describe architecture and architectu ...

. It is situated on the Theatre Square in central Dresden on the bank of the Elbe River. On top of the portal there is a Panther

quadriga A quadriga is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast and favoured for chariot racing in classical antiquity and the Roman Empire. The word derives from the Latin , a contraction of , from ': four, and ': yoke. In Latin the word is almos ...

with a statue of Dionysos. The interior was created by architects of the time, such as Johannes Schilling. Monuments on the portal depict artists, such as

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

Friedrich Schiller Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (, short: ; 10 November 17599 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered by most Germans to be Germany's most important classical playwright. He was born i ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Sophocles Sophocles ( 497/496 – winter 406/405 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. was an ancient Greek tragedian known as one of three from whom at least two plays have survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or contemporary with, those ...

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

and

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

. The building also features work by Ernst Rietschel and Ernst Julius Hähnel. In the pre-war years, the Semperoper premiered many of the works of

In 1945, during the last months of World War II, the building was largely destroyed again, this time by the bombing of Dresden and subsequent

firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

, leaving only the exterior shell standing. Exactly 40 years later, on 13 February 1985, the opera's reconstruction was completed. It was rebuilt almost identically to its appearance before the war, but with the benefit of new stage machinery and an accompanying modern rear service building. The Semperoper reopened with the opera that was performed just before the building's destruction in 1945, Carl Maria von Weber's ''

Der Freischütz ' (Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns, J. 277, Opus number, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Johann Fried ...

''. When the Elbe flooded in 2002, the building suffered heavy water damage. With substantial help from around the world, it reopened in December of that year.

Present-day administration and operations

Today, the orchestra for most operas is the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. The

Generalmusikdirektor A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

(GMD) of the Semperoper is normally a different conductor from that of the Staatskapelle when it presents concerts. Exceptions have been

Karl Böhm Karl August Leopold Böhm (28 August 1894 – 14 August 1981) was an Austrian conductor. He was best known for his performances of the music of Mozart, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Life and career Education Karl Böhm was born in Graz, St ...

, Hans Vonk, and Fabio Luisi who have held both positions. Whilst the Semperoper does not have a GMD as of 2015, the chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden was

Christian Thielemann Christian Thielemann (born 1 April 1959) is a German conductor. He is Generalmusikdirektor of the Berlin State Opera (''Staatsoper Unter den Linden'') and chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Berlin. Biography and career Born in West Berlin, ...

, as of the 2012/13 season. The current ''Intendant'' (General Manager) of the company is Wolfgang Rothe. Since the 2018–2019 season, the ''Intendant'' of the Semperoper is Peter Theiler. In May 2021, his initial contract as ''Intendant'' was extended through the 2023–2024 season, at which time Theiler is scheduled to conclude his tenure in the post. In June 2021, the Semperoper announced the appointment of Nora Schmid as the incoming ''Intendantin'' of the company (the second woman to hold the post, after Ulrike Hessler), effective with the 2024–2025 season.

Associated artists

Conductors

* Carl Gottlieb Reißiger *

* Ernst von Schuch (1889–1914) *

Fritz Reiner Frederick Martin Reiner (; December 19, 1888 – November 15, 1963) was an American conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to promine ...

(1914–1921) *

Fritz Busch Fritz Busch (13 March 1890 – 14 September 1951) was a German conductor. Busch was born in Siegen to a musical family and studied at the Cologne Conservatory. After army service in the First World War, he was appointed to senior posts in two G ...

(1922–1933) *

(1934–1942) * Karl Elmendorff (1943–1944) *

Joseph Keilberth Joseph Keilberth (19 April 1908 – 20 July 1968) was a German conductor who specialised in opera. Career Keilberth began his career in the State Theatre of his native city, Karlsruhe, joining as a répétiteur in 1925 and conducting from 193 ...

(1945–1951) *

Rudolf Kempe Rudolf Kempe (14 June 1910 – 12 May 1976) was a German conductor. Biography Kempe was born in Dresden, where from the age of fourteen he studied at the Dresden State Opera School. He played oboe in the opera orchestra of Dortmund and ...

(1949–1952) * Otmar Suitner (1960–1964) * Kurt Sanderling (1964–1967) * Herbert Blomstedt (1975–1985) * Hans Vonk (1985–1990) * Giuseppe Sinopoli (1992–2001) * Semyon Bychkov (2001–2002) *

Bernard Haitink Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to Lond ...

(2002–2004) * Fabio Luisi (2007–2010) *

(2012–2024)

Singers

* Bernd Aldenhoff * Helena Forti * Elisabeth Höngen * Friedrich Plaschke * Elisabeth Rethberg * Karl Scheidemantel * Ernestine Schumann-Heink * Erna Sack *

Richard Tauber Richard Tauber (16 May 1891, Linz – 8 January 1948, London) was an Austrian lyric tenor and film actor. He performed the tenor role in numerous operas, including ''Don Giovanni'' by Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte. Early life Richard Tauber was b ...

Tino Pattiera Tino Pattiera (27 June 1890 – 24 April 1966) was a Dalmatian Italian Croatian tenor, born in Cavtat, near Dubrovnik. Prior to taking up the repertory for which he became famous, he was notable in operetta. Cervenka, Gottfried (18 April 2006) ...

* Annie Krull * Riza Eibenschütz * Irma Tervani * Meta Seinemeyer *

Margarethe Siems Margarethe Siems (20 December 1879 – 13 April 1952) was a German operatic dramatic coloratura soprano and voice teacher. A Kammersängerin of the Dresden State Opera, between 1909 and 1912 Siems created leading roles in three operas by Ric ...

Therese Malten Therese Malten was the stage name of Therese Müller (21 June 1855 – 2 January 1930), a well-known German dramatic soprano. She was born at Insterburg, Province of Prussia, studied with in Berlin, and made her début in 1873 in Dresden ...

* Edda Moser * Minnie Nast * Eva von der Osten * Karl Perron * Hermann Wedekind * Marie Wittich

Operas premiered

*1842:

– '' Rienzi'', 20 October *1843: Richard Wagner – '' The Flying ''Dutchman'', 2 January *1845: Richard Wagner – '' Tannhäuser'', 19 October *1895: Eugen d'Albert: ''Ghismonda'', 28 November *1901:

– '' Feuersnot'', 22 November *1905: Richard Strauss – ''

Salome Salome (; , related to , "peace"; ), also known as Salome III, was a Jews, Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II and princess Herodias. She was granddaughter of Herod the Great and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. She is known from the New T ...

'', 9 December *1909: Richard Strauss – '' Elektra'', 25 January *1911: Richard Strauss – ''

Der Rosenkavalier (''The Knight of the Rose'' or ''The Rose-Bearer''), Op. 59, is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from Louvet de Couvrai's novel ''Les amours du cheva ...

'', 26 January *1913:

Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (born Ermanno Wolf) (January 12, 1876 – January 21, 1948) was an Italian composer and teacher. He is best known for his comic operas such as ''Il segreto di Susanna'' (1909). A number of his works were based on plays by ...

– ''

L'amore medico ''L'amore medico'' (''Doctor Cupid'', also known as ''The Love Doctor'') is an opera in two acts by composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari. Based on Molière's comedy ''L'Amour médecin'', the work uses an Italian language libretto by Enrico Golisciani. It ...

'', 4 December *1916: Eugen d'Albert – '' Die toten Augen'', 5 March *1917:

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 ...

– '' Das Christ-Elflein'' (2nd version), 11 December *1924: Richard Strauss – ''

Intermezzo In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...

'', 4 November *1925:

Ferruccio Busoni Ferruccio Busoni (1 April 1866 – 27 July 1924) was an Italian composer, pianist, conductor, editor, writer, and teacher. His international career and reputation led him to work closely with many of the leading musicians, artists and literary ...

– '' Doktor Faust'', 21 May *1926:

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (; ; March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for hi ...

– '' Der Protagonist'', 27 March *1926:

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 ...

– '' Cardillac'', 9 November *1927: Emil von Reznicek – ''Spiel oder Ernst'' *1927:

Othmar Schoeck Othmar Schoeck (1 September 1886 – 8 March 1957) was a Swiss List of Romantic-era composers, Romantic classical composer, opera composer, musician, and Conductor (music), conductor. He was known mainly for his considerable output of lied, art ...

– ''

Penthesilea Penthesilea () was an Amazonian queen in Greek mythology, the daughter of Ares and Otrera and the sister of Hippolyta, Antiope, and Melanippe. She assisted Troy in the Trojan War, during which she was killed by Achilles or Neoptolemus. The ...

'', 8 January *1928: Richard Strauss – ''

Die ägyptische Helena ''Die ägyptische Helena'' (''The Egyptian Helen''), Op. 75, is an opera in two acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It premiered at the Dresden Semperoper on 6 June 1928. Strauss had written the title role with ...

'', 6 June *1930: Othmar Schoeck – ''Vom Fischer and syner Fru'', 3 October *1932: Eugen d'Albert – ''Mr Wu'' *1933: Richard Strauss – ''

Arabella ''Arabella'', Op. 79, is a lyric comedy, or opera, in three acts by Richard Strauss to a German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last operatic collaboration. Performance history It was first performed on 1 July 1933 at the D ...

'', 1 July *1935: Richard Strauss – '' Die schweigsame Frau'', 24 June *1935: Rudolf Wagner-Régeny – ''Der Günstling'', 20 February *1937: Othmar Schoeck – ''Massimilla Doni'', 2 March *1938: Richard Strauss – ''

Daphne Daphne (; ; , , ), a figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in which she appears, but t ...

'', 15 October *1940: Heinrich Sutermeister – ''Romeo und Julia'', 13 April *1942: Heinrich Sutermeister – ''Die Zauberinsel'', 31 October *1944:

Gottfried von Einem Gottfried von Einem (24 January 1918 – 12 July 1996) was an Austrian composer. He is known chiefly for his operas influenced by the music of Stravinsky and Prokofiev, as well as by jazz. He also composed pieces for piano, violin and organ. Bio ...

– ''Prinzessin Turandot'', 5 February *1944: Joseph Haas – ''Die Hochzeit des Jobs'', 2 July *1985: Siegfried Matthus – ''Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke'', 16 February *1989: Eckehard Meyer – ''Der goldene Topf'', 1989 *1998: Matthias Pintscher – ''Thomas Chatterton'', 25 May *2001: Peter Ruzicka – ''Celan'', 25 March *2008: Manfred Trojahn – ''La grande magia'', 10 May *2010:

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large List of compositions by Hans Werner Henze, oeuvre is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky, Mu ...

– ''Gisela'' (Dresden version), 20 November *2011: Miroslav Srnka – ''Jakub Flügelbunt '', 15 December *2012: Johannes Wulff-Woesten – ''Die Konferenz der Tiere'', 8 July *2013: Johannes Wulff-Woesten – ''Prinz Bussel'', 27 April

References

External links

* {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Dresden Concert halls in Germany Opera houses in Germany Performing arts venues in Germany Music venues completed in 1841 Theatres completed in 1841 Music venues completed in 1878 Rebuilt buildings and structures in Dresden Theatres completed in 1878 Tourist attractions in Dresden Baroque Revival architecture in Germany Staatskapelle Dresden