The Dresden Music Festival ( German : Dresdner Musikfestspiele ) is an annual music festival which takes place in Dresden , Germany in May and June. Although classical music, including contemporary classical music , forms the core of its performances, world music , jazz, and dance are also presented. One of its hallmarks is that the choice of repertoire is built on a specific theme which changes each year. The festival was established by government decree in 1978 when Dresden was still part of the German Democratic Republic . The German cellist Jan Vogler has been its Artistic Director since 2009.
17-662: The performances are held at a variety of venues in the city, including many baroque buildings destroyed in the bombing of World War II and since rebuilt, including the Semperoper opera house, the Dresden Frauenkirche , and the summer palace and grounds of the Großer Garten . Among the opera rarities presented at the festival have been Richard Strauss's Feuersnot , a co-production with the Dresden Semperoper nominated for
34-480: A long history of premieres, including major works by Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss . The first opera house at the location of today's Semperoper was built by the architect Gottfried Semper . It opened on 13 April 1841 with an opera by Carl Maria von Weber . The building style itself is debated among many, as it has features that appear in three styles: early Renaissance and Baroque , with Corinthian style pillars typical of Greek classical revival . Perhaps
51-602: 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 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 , Friedrich Schiller , William Shakespeare , Sophocles , Molière and Euripides . The building also features work by Ernst Rietschel and Ernst Julius Hähnel . In
68-638: The British / Americans . After his death, as a part of his legacy, the city of Mittweida was directed to build a private museum, but these plans had not been realized by 1914 and were put on hold at the outbreak of World War I. His legacy was not fulfilled until 2005, when the Schilling House was established. Among Schilling's sculptures there are Emperor William's monument in Hamburg , the sculpture series The Four Times of Day (Schilling) [ it ] , and
85-675: The concert hall 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 River in the historic centre of Dresden , Germany. The opera house was originally built by the architect Gottfried Semper 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
102-599: The 2015 International Opera Awards , and Princess Amalie of Saxony 's La casa disabitata , which received its first performance in the 177 years following its premiere during the 2012 festival. Since 2009 is Jan Vogler artistic director of the Dresden Music Festival. Before it was Hartmut Haenchen (2002–2008), Torsten Mosgraber (interim/2001-2002), Michael Hampe (1993–2000), Mattis Dänhardt (1991–1992) and Winfried Höntsch (1977-1991). From 1994 to 2012, Kim Ry Andersen , who studied law and business administration,
119-496: The age of six, he was sent to a private school and, at fourteen, attended the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts where he was taught drawing by Karl Gottlieb Peschel . After graduating in 1845, he became one of the master pupils in the studio of sculptor Ernst Rietschel . In 1851 and 1852, he went to Berlin to continue his studies with Christian Daniel Rauch and Friedrich Drake . In 1852, he returned to Dresden, where he worked in
136-557: 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. Johannes Schilling Johannes Schilling (23 June 1828 in Mittweida – 21 March 1910 in Klotzsche near Dresden ) was a German sculptor. Johannes Schilling was the youngest of five children. A year after his birth, his family moved to Dresden , where he grew up. At
153-406: The most suitable label for this style would be eclecticism , where influences from many styles are used, a practice most common during this period. 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
170-661: The orchestra for most operas is the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden . The Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the Semperoper is normally a different conductor from that of the Staatskapelle when it presents concerts. Exceptions have been Karl Böhm , 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
187-430: The pre-war years, the Semperoper premiered many of the works of Richard Strauss . 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 , 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
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#1732868603990204-652: 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 style. During construction, performances were held at the Gewerbehaussaal , which opened in 1870. The building is considered a prime example of Baroque Revival architecture . It
221-413: The studios of Ernst Julius Hähnel . From 1854 to 1856, he took a study trip to Rome. Finally, in 1857, he established his own studio. That same year, he married Louise Arnold, daughter of the late publisher Ernst Sigismund Arnold (1792-1840). Among their children were Rudolf Schilling , an architect and co-owner of the construction firm Schilling & Graebner , and Katharina Susanna Schilling, who became
238-516: 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 . 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. Today,
255-480: The wife of chemist Arthur Hantzsch . The writer and historian Heinar Schilling was a child of his second marriage to Minna Neubert. In 1868, he became a Professor at the Academy, a position he held until his death. By 1888, he was sufficiently famous to establish a museum (designed by his son, Rudolf) to display his models and designs. It was destroyed in 1945, as was most of Dresden by the fire bombing of Dresden by
272-468: Was Christian Thielemann , 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
289-648: Was Deputy Director and Managing Director, wo came from the Danish Ministry of Culture and the Royal Theater in Copenhagen. This music festival-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Semperoper The Semperoper ( German pronunciation: [ˈzɛmpɐˌʔoːpɐ] ) is the opera house of the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden (Saxon State Opera) and
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