The (DNT), or German National Theater and Weimar State Orchestra, is the most significant arts organization in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

. The institution unites the (German National Theater) with the (Weimar State Orchestra). It plays on a total of six stages across the city. All sections of the theater and orchestra periodically give additional guest performances and appear in electronic media.

Venues

# Main House ('), traditional main stage on Theaterplatz (music and theatre) # Foyer and Studio Stage ('), within the main house on Theaterplatz (music and theatre;

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

) # ''E-Werk Weimar'', a former industrial site with two venues, ' and ' (music and theatre) # ' (concerts by the Staatskapelle Weimar)

The Staatskapelle Weimar

History

The precursor ensemble of Staatskapelle Weimar dates from 1482, with the formation of a musical ensemble in service of the Weimar ''

Fürst ' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German language, German word for a ruler as well as a princely title. ' were, starting in the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ...

en'' (Princes). In 1602, the ensemble attained resident status at the Weimar court, as the ''Herzoglichen Hofkapelle'' (

Ducal Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ...

Court Ensemble). Notable musicians in the early history of the Staatskapelle Weimar included

Johann Hermann Schein Johann Hermann Schein (20 January 1586 – 19 November 1630) was a German composer of the early Baroque era. He was Thomaskantor in Leipzig from 1615 to 1630. He was one of the first to import the early Italian stylistic innovations into German ...

(1615–1616) and

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...

(1705, 1708–1717), both of whom went on to the

St. Thomas Church, Leipzig The St. Thomas Church () is a Lutheran church in Leipzig, Germany, located at the western part of the inner city ring road in Leipzig's central district. Martin Luther preached in the church in 1539. It is associated with several well-known ...

. Bach particularly worked as resident organist and ''

Kapellmeister ( , , ), from German (chapel) and (master), literally "master of the chapel choir", designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term has evolved considerably in i ...

''.

Johann Nepomuk Hummel Johann Nepomuk Hummel (14 November 177817 October 1837) was an Austrian composer and pianist. His music reflects the transition from the Classical to the Romantic musical era. He was a pupil of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri, and ...

served as the ensemble's ''Kapellmeister'' from 1819 to 1837, on the appointment by the Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna.

Franz Liszt Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...

began his tenure as ''Kapellmeister'' in 1842, and championed the music 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 ...

Hector Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...

Peter Cornelius Carl August Peter Cornelius (24 December 1824 – 26 October 1874) was a German composer, writer about music, poet and translator. Life He was born in Mainz to Carl Joseph Gerhard (1793–1843) and Friederike (1789–1867) Cornelius, actors in ...

. Through this and his teaching activities, Liszt enhanced the prestige of Weimar as a musical hub, notably conducting the world premieres of Wagner's ''

Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wo ...

'' in 1850 and Cornelius's ''

Der Barbier von Bagdad ''Der Barbier von Bagdad'' (''The Barber of Baghdad'') is a comic opera in two acts by Peter Cornelius to a German libretto by the composer, based on ''The Tale of the Tailor'' and ''The Barber’s Stories of his Six Brothers'' in '' One Thousa ...

'' in 1858. After Liszt left in 1858, he was succeeded by

Eduard Lassen Eduard Lassen (13 April 183015 January 1904) was a Belgian- Danish composer and conductor. Although of Danish birth, he spent most of his career working as the music director at the court in Weimar. A moderately prolific composer, Lassen produ ...

who remained as director until his retirement in 1895. Lassen conducted several world premieres during his tenure, including the first performance of

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

's ''

Samson et Dalila ''Samson and Delilah'' (), Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four scenes by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. It was first performed in Weimar at the (Grand Ducal) Theater (now the Staatskapelle Weimar) on 2 ...

'' in 1877.

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 ...

served as second ''Kapellmeister'' under Lassen from 1889 to 1894 and led the premieres of his own ''

Guntram Saint Gontrand ( 532 in Soissons – 28 March 592 in Chalon-sur-Saône), also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third-eldest and seco ...

'' and Engelbert Humperdinck's ''

Hänsel und Gretel "Hansel and Gretel" (; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 as part of ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). Hansel and Gretel are siblings who are abandoned in a forest and fall into the hands of a witch ...

''.

Peter Raabe Peter Raabe (27 November 1872 – 12 April 1945) was a German people, German composer and Conductor (music), conductor. Biography Raabe graduated from 3 schools: the Higher Musical School in Berlin; and the universities of Munich University, M ...

became ''Kapellmeister'' in 1907. With the end of World War I and the dismantling of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

, the ensemble was renamed the ''Weimar Staatskapelle''.

Ernst Praetorius Ernst Praetorius (20 September 1880 – 27 March 1946) was a German conductor, General Music Director, university lecturer and music historian. Life Born in Berlin, Praetorius was the son of Orientalist Franz Praetorius and his wife Johanna ...

directed concert and

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

programming from 1924 to 1933. Because his wife was Jewish, Praetorius left the post after the

National Socialists Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

ascended to power in Germany in 1933. directed activities there during the Nazi regime. After

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 ...

and the end of the Nazi regime,

Hermann Abendroth Hermann Paul Maximilian Abendroth (19 January 1883 – 29 May 1956) was a German conductor. Early life Abendroth was born on 19 January 1883, at Frankfurt, the son of a bookseller. Several other members of the family were artists in diverse dis ...

became ''Generalmusikdirektor'' (GMD) and chief conductor of the ensemble, serving from 1945 to 1956. Successive GMD's of the ensemble have included

Gerhard Pflüger Gerhard Friedrich Wilhelm Pflüger (9 April 1907 − 24 October 1991) was a German conductor. Life Born in Dresden, Pflüger attended the citizen school and a grammar school in Dresden from 1913 to 1924. He then studied with Kurt Striegler and Fr ...

(1957–1973), Lothar Seyfarth (1973–1979),

Rolf Reuter Rolf Reuter (7 October 1926 – 10 September 2007) was a German conductor. Life Reuter was born as son of the composer Fritz Reuter in Leipzig. After studying music at the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden he began his caree ...

(1979–1980),

Peter Gülke Peter Ludwig Gülke (born 29 April 1934) is a German conductor and musicologist. Biography Born in Weimar, Gülke studied cello and musicology at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar. He completed his doctorate in philosophy in Leipzig ...

(1981–1982), Hans-Peter Frank (1988–1996),

George Alexander Albrecht George Alexander Albrecht (15 February 1935 – 21 December 2021) was a German conductor and composer, who also worked as a musicologist and academic teacher. A prolific composer at a young age, he was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the Staatsope ...

(1996–2002),

Jac van Steen Jac van Steen (born 1956 in Eindhoven) is a Dutch conductor. He studied music theory, as well as orchestral and choral conducting, at the . In the Netherlands, van Steen was conductor and music director of the Nijmegen Bach Choir from 1986 to 199 ...

(2002–2005) and Carl St.Clair (2005–2008).

Oleg Caetani Oleg Caetani (born 5 October 1956) is an Italian conductor. Life and career Born in Lausanne, Caetani is the son of Igor Markevitch (1912-1983) and Donna Topazia Caetani (1921–1990), Markevitch's second wife and a descendant of a very old aris ...

was principal guest conductor of the ensemble from 1984 to 1987. The ensemble was officially renamed the ''Staatskapelle Weimar'' in 1988. In September 2009, the Swedish conductor Stefan Solyom became GMD of the ensemble, with an initial contract of five years. He concluded his Weimar tenure in July 2016. In July 2015, the ensemble announced the appointment of

Kirill Karabits Kirill Karabits (; born 26 December 1976) is a Ukrainian conductor. Biography Early life The son of the conductor and composer Ivan Karabyts, Karabits was born in Kyiv (then in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union). In his youth, Karabits s ...

as its next GMD and chief conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season, with an initial contract of three years. Karabits concluded his tenure as its GMD in the summer of 2019, following an inability to reach terms on contract negotiations for extending his tenure. In June 2020, the company announced the appointment of Dominik Beykirch as its new chief conductor, effective with the 2020–2021 season. Beykirch had previously served as ''Zweite Kapellmeister'' and ''Erste Koordinierter Kapellmeister'' with the company. The company elevated Beykrich's title to music director as of the 2023–2024 season. In October 2023, the company announced the appointment of as the next chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Weimar, effective with the 2024–2025 season. In August 2024, the company announced that Beykirch is to stand down as music director of the company, per his own request, at the close of the 2024–2025 season. In March 2025, the company announced the appointment of Daniel Carter as its next music director, effective with the 2025–2026 season.

General music directors

(1945–1956) * Gerhard Pflüger (1957–1973) * Lothar Seyfarth (1973–1979) *

(1979–1980) *

(1981–1982) * Hans-Peter Frank (1988–1996) *

(1996–2002) *

(2002–2005) * Carl St.Clair (2005–2008) * Stefan Solyom (2009–2016) *

(2016–2019) * Dominik Beykirch (2023–present) * Daniel Carter (designate, effective autumn 2025)

References

External links

*
Deutsches Nationaltheater und Staatskapelle — Home page
,
English
) {{Authority control German symphony orchestras National theatres Theatres in Germany 1480s establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 1482 establishments in Europe Organizations established in the 1490s Musical groups established in the 15th century Culture in Weimar Friedrich Schiller Buildings and structures in Weimar Tourist attractions in Thuringia Neoclassical architecture in Germany Orchestras in Thuringia