Munich celebrates 350 years of opera this summer-a chance to listen and learn
May marks the beginning of Munich’s annual summer-long opera festival, which features more than a dozen events ranging from opera premières to costume exhibitions. Entitled “Macht der Gefühle” (The Power of Emotions), it promises to delight and entertain both opera aficionados and laymen. The city’s relationship with musical drama reaches back to 1653, thanks largely to Electress Henriette Adelheid. With her patronage, performances were staged in the Residenz until a theater on Salvatorplatz was opened a year later. The Salvatortheater (Germany’s first freestanding opera house) put Munich on Europe’s operatic map. This is where Mozart’s La finta giardiniera received its world première, in 1775. The Salvatortheater was eventually torn down because it fell into disrepair, but the next opera house to be built in the city still survives—the Residenztheater, better known as the Cuvilliés Theater. Opened in 1753, this architectural masterpiece ranks among the world’s finest Rococo theaters. Mozart’s Idomeneo, Weber’s Abu Hassan and Meyerbeer’s first opera, Jephthas Gelübde, were all first heard within its walls. The Cuvilliés Theater was cleverly rebuilt after the war using the surviving gold and red wood carvings, and is now entered via the Apothekenhof of the Residenz. A performance in October of the first opera staged there, Giovanni Battista Ferrandini’s Catone in Utica, will mark the 250th anniversary of this theater. In response to the increasing demand for musical entertainment, the ruling Wittelsbach family constructed the Nationaltheater in 1818. The present building, in the Neoclassical style, was erected in 1823 after the first burned down. Expectations were evidently high, because it seated over 2,000 patrons, and that in a time when the entire city population was a mere 54,000! History has more than generously rewarded their foresight, however. Less than 50 years later, Bavaria’s 18-year-old King Ludwig II (builder of Neuschwanstein Castle and Herrenchiemsee Palace) brought none other than Richard Wagner to town. Wagner (1813–1883) single-handedly revolutionized both the opera and the face of modern music. He pushed tonality to previously unknown bounds and attempted to fuse words, music and the visual aspects of opera more closely than ever before into a single, homogeneous unit—his famous Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art). In 1864, Ludwig II became his foremost supporter: he paid the composer’s debts, lavishly housed him on Briennerstrasse and supported his musical and philosophical endeavors. Wagner dreamed of turning Munich into a major center of music, complete with an opera festival and a new music school. Yet, these plans met with fierce opposition from the court, who thought he was manipulating the young king for opportunistic reasons. Opposition escalated to such an extent that Wagner was forced to leave the city after only 18 months. After Wagner left, the king continued his support and brought the world premières of Tristan und Isolde (1865), Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1868), Das Rheingold (1869) and Die Walküre (1870) to the Nationaltheater, the last two against Wagner’s will. Munich doubled the number of its opera venues to four with the opening of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz and the Prinzregententheater in 1865 and 1901, respectively. The former includes operetta and musicals in its repertoire, while the latter was built as a second Wagner festival theater in competition with the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth. After World War II, during which the Nationaltheater was bombed, the Prinzregententheater housed Munich’s main opera company until the rebuilt Nationaltheater reopened in 1963. The 20th century saw a barrage of opera world premières, including Hindemith’s Harmonie der Welt (1957), Henze’s Elegie für junge Liebende (1961) and Penderecki’s Ubu Rex (1991). “The Power of Emotions” centers on the annual Munich opera festival, which dates back to 1875, when theater manager Karl von Perfall came up with the idea of a summer festival. The city was in the throes of Wagnermania at the time, as chief conductor Hermann Levi cemented Munich’s role as a principal center of Wagner performance. The first festival was devoted to Wagner and Mozart. That Wagner tradition continues today, the festival still concluding with a performance of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, and Richard Strauss has long since joined Mozart and Wagner as the main pillars of the festival. The theme of this year’s festival is “Gegen Welten”—a musical journey from Baroque to contemporary opera. This comprehensive music-history lesson shows the art form in all stages of development, giving theater-goers a rare opportunity to witness its evolution in rapid-fire succession. Even the new productions bear witness to the breadth of the undertaking—with Munich’s first Rodelinda by Handel contrasting with Jörg Widmann’s specially commissioned Das Gesicht im Spiegel (Face in the Mirror). Widmann’s opera deals with the ethical problems arising from gene manipulation, and promises to be a worthy addition to Munich’s legacy of world premières. Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner and Strauss bridge the gap between Handel and Widmann during this almost hedonistic opera experience. From June 27 until the end of July no less than 15 operas, five ballets and numerous solo concerts will be held. If you can’t wait that long, don’t worry. This month is a virtual Wagner marathon, with the Bayerische Staatsoper performing two cycles of a new production of Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). Consisting of four operas, the Ring represents the apex of Wagner’s vision of music and poetry combining to transcend operatic convention and create a higher form of art. It is also part of Munich’s past: the first two operas, Rheingold and Die Walküre, were first performed here, since the first Bayreuth Festival (the famous festival devoted to their performance) was a no-go until Ludwig II bailed out Wagner at the last minute. This is a major production of the Staatsoper—so buy your tickets early, since they are sure to sell out. Standing-room only tickets will undoubtedly make the monumental cycle feel like, well, 16 hours! The operas performed within the context of “The Power of Emotions” are just part of the festival, which also celebrates 350 years of musical history in exhibitions and lectures that will be held until October at different locations and times. On May 24 an ambitious exhibition called “Die Welt als Bühne” (The World as a Stage) will open at the Haus der Kunst. Focusing on the Baroque period, it will feature original costumes, special stage effects, theater architecture and a look at the period’s stars. Another particularly interesting exhibition beginning at the end of June examines the role of the libretto. Entitled “Gehorsame Tochter der Musik” (Obedient Daughter of Music), it probes the delicate balance between text and music in opera. These two components have not always had an easy relationship, and the exhibition views their tumultuous history while restoring the libretto to its rightful place next to, not behind, the music. For the philosophical opera fan, “The Power of Emotions” offers a smattering of intellectual events. The Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität is holding a symposium in July that re-examines opera’s historical implications, and the Technische Universität explores the architectural aspect of opera in an exhibition of a major theater architect. You can even voice your opinion on the radio, as next month the Bayerischer Rundfunk will be airing programs on topics ranging from the reasons for opera’s remarkable longevity to the financial concerns of its future. The music history buff is also not forgotten. Mozart’s history with the city is brought to life by the Haus der Kunst on July 13, when excerpts from his two operas that received their world premières here will be played and some of his correspondence read. In the month of October, the Münchner Stadtmuseum will bring Richard Wagner to center stage in what has been described as “perhaps the most elaborate, comprehensive display of [his] life and work ever presented.” This ambitious exhibition covers all aspects of his works, his ideas and their historical impact. Particularly concerned with his influence in Munich, it touches on those from whom he drew inspiration, such as the poet Heinrich Heine, fellow composer Franz Liszt and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and those whom he influenced, including Ludwig II and Hitler. “The Power of Emotions” has created a Website, at which all festival events and performances are listed. An English version is in preparation at www.350-jahre-oper.de, which contains all the relevant dates and locations of the festival. A commemorative book is even available for purchase, whose 600 illustrations trace the history of opera in Munich. Even the previously uninitiated will become veritable opera experts after attending this massive anniversary celebration. It’s little wonder that, in a city whose support for the art form is rivaled only by Vienna and Milan, the future of opera looks as bright as its past. Buying tickets: Münchner Opern Festspiele and Bayerische Staatsoper, Nationaltheater, Max-Joseph-Platz 2, Tel. (089) 21 85 19 20, www.muenchner-opern-festspiele.de, www.bayerische.staatsoper.de, Macht der Gefühle: www.350-jahre-oper.de.