Opéra national du Rhin
Encyclopedia
L'Opéra national du Rhin is an opera company which performs in Alsace
, eastern France, and which includes the Opéra in Strasbourg
, the company's ballet
in Mulhouse
(a national centre for choreography since 1985), and the "Opéra Studio" (formerly the "Jeunes Voix du Rhin"), a training centre for young singers, in Colmar
. A reflection of its importance is the status of “national opera” which it has held since 1997. Performances of seven or eight operas per season are given in Strasburg, Mulhouse and Colmar.
During the Prussian occupation up to 1919, several eminent conductors held posts at the Strasbourg opera: Hans Pfitzner
(1910–19), Wilhelm Furtwängler
(1910–11), Otto Klemperer
(1914–17) and George Szell
(1917–1919). From 1919-38 Paul Bastide
was musical director; he returned after the Second World War with notable stagings of Béatrice et Bénédict
(first French staging), and Martine by Rabaud (premiere).
From 1948-53, under Roger Lalande, the theatre saw the first French productions of Peter Grimes
(1949), Mathis der Maler (1951), and The Rake's Progress
(1952). The spirit of innovation continued under Frédéric Adam
, director from 1955-72 - a Ring
with Birgit Nilsson and French premieres of Il prigioniero
, Oedipus rex, Jenůfa
, Die Frau ohne Schatten
and Dalibor
; there was also a production of Les Troyens
.
The merger to form the Opéra du Rhin took place in 1972 under the conductor Alain Lombard
, with the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg
and the Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse being the performance orchestras in those locations. In the early years, Lombard attempted to revive the repertoire, as well as attract big names such as Birgit Nilsson
and Montserrat Caballé
.
At the end of the 1970s Lombard was succeeded by René Terrasson, a former singer and architect, who also produced some works himself.
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, eastern France, and which includes the Opéra in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, the company's ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
in Mulhouse
Mulhouse
Mulhouse |mill]] hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after...
(a national centre for choreography since 1985), and the "Opéra Studio" (formerly the "Jeunes Voix du Rhin"), a training centre for young singers, in Colmar
Colmar
Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.It is the capital of the department. Colmar is also the seat of the highest jurisdiction in Alsace, the appellate court....
. A reflection of its importance is the status of “national opera” which it has held since 1997. Performances of seven or eight operas per season are given in Strasburg, Mulhouse and Colmar.
History
The first opera house opened in Strasburg in 1701 in a converted granary. After a fire and temporary locations, a new Theatre Municipal opened in the Place Broglie in 1821. This building was virtually gutted during the German bombardment of 1870, but it was rebuilt in identical style, re-opening in 1873.During the Prussian occupation up to 1919, several eminent conductors held posts at the Strasbourg opera: Hans Pfitzner
Hans Pfitzner
Hans Erich Pfitzner was a German composer and self-described anti-modernist. His best known work is the post-Romantic opera Palestrina, loosely based on the life of the great sixteenth-century composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.-Biography:Pfitzner was born in Moscow, Russia, where his...
(1910–19), Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler was a German conductor and composer. He is widely considered to have been one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. By the 1930s he had built a reputation as one of the leading conductors in Europe, and he was the leading conductor who remained...
(1910–11), Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading conductors of the 20th century.-Biography:Otto Klemperer was born in Breslau, Silesia Province, then in Germany...
(1914–17) and George Szell
George Szell
George Szell , originally György Széll, György Endre Szél, or Georg Szell, was a Hungarian-born American conductor and composer...
(1917–1919). From 1919-38 Paul Bastide
Paul Bastide
Paul Adrien Bastide, born Quimper 6 April 1879, died Vichy 18 August 1962, was a French conductor and composer.-Career:Paul Bastide studied at the University of Aix-en-Provence and the Paris Conservatoire , winning a first prize in harmony...
was musical director; he returned after the Second World War with notable stagings of Béatrice et Bénédict
Béatrice et Bénédict
Béatrice et Bénédict is an opera in two acts by Hector Berlioz. Berlioz wrote the French libretto himself, based closely on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing....
(first French staging), and Martine by Rabaud (premiere).
From 1948-53, under Roger Lalande, the theatre saw the first French productions of Peter Grimes
Peter Grimes
Peter Grimes is an opera by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto adapted by Montagu Slater from the Peter Grimes section of George Crabbe's poem The Borough...
(1949), Mathis der Maler (1951), and The Rake's Progress
The Rake's Progress
The Rake's Progress is an opera in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings A Rake's Progress of William Hogarth, which Stravinsky had seen on May 2, 1947, in a Chicago...
(1952). The spirit of innovation continued under Frédéric Adam
Frédéric Adam
Frédéric Adam, born in Hinsbourg 4 January 1904 and died in Illkirch-Graffenstaden on 7 September 1984 was a French conductor, composer and administrator....
, director from 1955-72 - a Ring
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four epic operas by the German composer Richard Wagner . The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied...
with Birgit Nilsson and French premieres of Il prigioniero
Il prigioniero
Il prigioniero is an opera in a prologue and one act, with music and libretto by Luigi Dallapiccola. The opera was first broadcast by the Italian radio station RAI on 1 December 1949...
, Oedipus rex, Jenůfa
Jenufa
Jenůfa is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play Její pastorkyňa by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed at the Brno Theater, Brno, 21 January 1904...
, Die Frau ohne Schatten
Die Frau ohne Schatten
Die Frau ohne Schatten is an opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by his long-time collaborator, the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was written between 1911 and either 1915 or 1917...
and Dalibor
Dalibor
Dalibor is a Czech opera in three acts by Bedřich Smetana. The libretto was written in German by Josef Wenzig, and translated into Czech by Ervin Špindler. It was first performed at the New Town Theatre in Prague on 16 May 1868...
; there was also a production of Les Troyens
Les Troyens
Les Troyens is a French opera in five acts by Hector Berlioz. The libretto was written by Berlioz himself, based on Virgil's epic poem The Aeneid...
.
The merger to form the Opéra du Rhin took place in 1972 under the conductor Alain Lombard
Alain Lombard
Alain Lombard is a French conductor.-Career:Lombard attended the Conservatoire de Paris, where his studied violin with Line Talleul and conducting with Gaston Poulet. He subsequently secured an appointment at the Opéra National de Lyon in 1961, and later became principal conductor from 1961 to 1965...
, with the Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg
Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg
The Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg is a French orchestra based in Strasbourg. It is one of the two permanent orchestras of the Opéra national du Rhin. The orchestra's current principal venue is the Palais de la musique et des congrès « Pierre Pflimlin » .The orchestra was founded in 1855...
and the Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse being the performance orchestras in those locations. In the early years, Lombard attempted to revive the repertoire, as well as attract big names such as Birgit Nilsson
Birgit Nilsson
right|thumb|Nilsson in 1948.Birgit Nilsson was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano who specialized in operatic and symphonic works...
and Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi....
.
At the end of the 1970s Lombard was succeeded by René Terrasson, a former singer and architect, who also produced some works himself.