Native name | Staatsoper Hannover |
---|---|
Niedersächsische Staatstheater Hannover GmbH | |
Key people |
|
Parent | Hanover State Theatre |
Building details | |
Opernhaus Hannover | |
General information | |
Address | Opernplatz 1 |
Town or city | Hanover, Lower Saxony |
Country | Germany |
Coordinates | 52°22′23″N9°44′25″E / 52.373193°N 9.740371°E |
Opened | 1852 |
Renovated |
|
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves |
Website | staatstheater-hannover |
Hanover State Opera (German : Staatsoper Hannover) is a German opera company based in Hanover, the state capital of Lower Saxony. The company is resident in the Hanover Opera House (Opernhaus Hannover), and is part of a publicly-funded umbrella performing arts organisation called Hanover State Theatre of Lower Saxony (Niedersächsisches Staatstheater Hannover), or simply Hanover State Theatre (Staatstheater Hannover).
Hanover State Theatre comprises the following divisions that put on operas, stage productions, and concert programs, [1] in addition to maintaining a theatre museum, with seasons running from September through to June. [2]
Hanover State Opera is resident in the Hanover Opera House, built in classical style between 1845 and 1852 based on a plan by Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves. The building was rebuilt from 1948 after being badly damaged by the aerial bombings of Hanover during World War II. In 1985, the acoustics were improved, and between 1996 and 1998, the stage facilities were renovated.[ citation needed ]
The International Choreographic Competition Hannover has taken place at Hanover Opera House since the early 1980s, and is the longest-running choreography competition in the world. It is organised by the Ballet Association of Hanover (Ballett Gesellschaft Hannover). [3]
The current intendant of the opera company is Laura Berman, [ de ] [4] replacing Michael Klügl in 2019.
The longest-serving general music director (GMD) of the opera company was George Alexander Albrecht, from 1965 until 1993. The first woman, and first American, to hold the post of general music director was Karen Kamensek, from 2011 until 2014. [5] [6] [7] The current GMD of the opera company is Stephan Zilias, named to the post in February 2020 following his debut with the opera company in the 2019–2020 season. [8] In April 2024 the company announced the extension of Zilias' contract as GMD through the 2025–2026 season. [9]
The Hamburg State Opera is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current Intendant of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current Generalmusikdirektor of the company is Kent Nagano.
Der Traumgörge, Op. 11, is an opera in two acts and an epilogue by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky. The libretto was written by Leo Feld based on the fairy tale "Vom unsichtbaren Königreiche" by Richard von Volkmann and the poem "Der arme Peter" by Heinrich Heine. After the prepared premiere at the Vienna State Opera in 1907 did not happen, the work was finally first performed by the Staatstheater Nürnberg in 1980.
The Staatsoper Stuttgart is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Staatsorchester Stuttgart serves as its resident orchestra.
Ernst August, Hereditary Prince of Hanover is the eldest child of Ernst August, Prince of Hanover, and his first wife Chantal Hochuli. Due to his father's second marriage, he is also the stepson of Caroline, Princess of Hanover, a Monegasque Princess and the sister of Albert II of Monaco.
George Alexander Albrecht 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 Staatsoper Hannover from 1965 for 30 years, where he led not only the major operas by Mozart and stageworks by Wagner, but contemporary composers, such as Aribert Reimann's Troades in 1987. He was GMD of the Nationaltheater Weimar from 1996, and taught at the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar. Albrecht promoted the works of neglected composers such as Wilhelm Furtwängler, Hans Pfitzner, and Erwin Schulhoff.
The Staatstheater Kassel is a state-owned and operated German theater in Kassel, Germany. The theatre employs around 500 people. The opera house has 953 seats, the Playhouse Theatre 540 seats and the Fridericianum 99 seats. With its total number of 1,592 seats, the theater recorded around 227,000 attendances in the 2008/09 season.
The Staatstheater Nürnberg is a German theatre company in Nuremberg, Bavaria. The theatre is one of four Bavarian state theatres and shows operas, plays, ballets and concerts.
Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media is a university of performing arts and media in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. Dating to 1897, it has reorganised and changed names as it developed over the years, most recently in 2010 when it changed from State College of Music and Drama Hanover. From 2010 until March 2024, its president was Susanne Rode-Breymann. As of 2023, the university has 1,447 students, and as of 2021 a total of 477 staff.
The Hölty Prize, established in 2007, is a lifetime achievement award given every two years to honor a German-language poet. The full name of the prize is the Hölty-Preis für Lyrik der Landeshauptstadt und der Sparkasse Hannover. With a purse of €20,000, it is one of the most generous literary prizes in Germany. The prize is named for Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty (1748–1776), a German poet closely associated with the region of Hanover.
Michael Leinert is a stage director, dramaturg, editor and author. His father, Friedrich Leinert was a composer, conductor and professor of music in Hannover. Leinert's mother was an operatic and concert singer.
Marie-Louise Gilles is a German mezzo-soprano in opera and concert, a professor of voice, and an opera stage director.
Karen Kamensek is an American orchestral and opera conductor.
Hans-Dieter Bader was a German operatic tenor. He performed for decades in leading roles as both a dramatic and a lyrical tenor at the Staatsoper Hannover. He appeared in around 90 operatic roles, as well as in concerts and oratorios. His recordings include the operas Feuersnot by Richard Strauss and Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari's Sly, and the concert premiere of Max Reger's unfinished Dies irae.
Hanover Drama is a theatre company in Hanover, the state capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. The company is resident at the Hanover Playhouse situated approximately 200 metres (660 ft) east of Hanover Opera House, and the Ballyard situated approximately 530 metres (1,740 ft) west-southwest of the opera house in the old town. Collectively these venues have five stages:
Heinz Kruse was a German opera singer (tenor).
Hans-Peter Lehmann is a German opera and artistic director.
Anja Bihlmaier is a German conductor.
The Hanover State Symphony Orchestra is based in Hanover, the state capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. It serves as the orchestra of the Hanover State Opera, and primarily performs its symphony concerts at Hanover Opera House.
The Theater am Aegi is an event venue on Aegidientorplatz square in Hannover, the capital of Lower Saxony, Germany. Like the square, it is often referred to as Aegi. The building was opened in 1953 mainly as a cinema, with a versatile stage also for other performances. It has been a Gastspieltheater for local and touring companies, without its own personnel. After a fire, it was rebuilt as a theatre only, opened in 1967, and then mainly as a venue for drama performances of the state-run Staatstheater Hannover. After a new theatre was built for that company in 1992, Theater am Aegi returned to its traditional role of a venue for various events, including congress, private functions and representation of the city.
Wilma Schmidt, also known as Wilma Schmidt-Liebethal, was a German operatic soprano. She performed for five decades in leading roles at the Staatsoper Hannover, and appeared as a guest at other opera houses and the Bayreuth Festival. Her broad repertoire included the Countess in Mozart's Figaro, Agathe in Weber's Der Freischütz, Elisabetta in Verdi's Don Carlo alongside Hans-Dieter Bader, Elisabeth in Wagner's Tannhäuser, and her favourite role, the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss.