Staatsoper 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 Opera

Native name	Staatsoper Hannover
Traded as	Niedersächsische Staatstheater Hannover GmbH
Key people	Laura Berman Stephan Zilias
Parent	Hanover State Theatre
Building details
Opernhaus Hannover
The opera company is resident in Hanover Opera House, seen here from the northwest.
General information
Address	Opernplatz 1
Town or city	Hanover, Lower Saxony
Country	Germany
Coordinates	52°22′23″N 9°44′25″E
Opened	1852; 172 years ago (1852)
Renovated	1948–1950 1985 1996–1998
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves
Website	staatstheater-hannover.de/de_DE/start-staatsoper

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]

1. Hanover Drama (Schauspiel Hannover)
2. Hanover State Opera
3. Hanover State Ballet (Staatsballett Hannover)
4. Hanover State Symphony Orchestra (Staatsorchester Hannover)
5. Hanover Theatre Museum (Theatermuseum Hannover)

Hanover Opera House

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]

Administration

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]

General music directors

• Rudolf Krasselt (1924–1943)
• Franz Konwitschny (1945–1949)
• Johannes Schüler (1949–1960)
• Günter Wich (1961–1965)
• George Alexander Albrecht (1965–1993)
• Christof Perick (1993–1996)
• Andreas Delfs (1996–2000)
• Hans Urbanek (2000–2001)
• Lü Shao-chia (2001–2006)
• Wolfgang Bozic [de] (2006–2011)
• Karen Kamensek (2011–2016)
• Ivan Repušić [de] (2016–2019)^[10][11]
• Stephan Zilias (2020–present)

Premieres

• 1838: Der Bäbu by Heinrich Marschner (performance took place in the old Schlossopernhaus)
• 1852: Austin by Marschner
• 1921: Die Prinzessin Girnara by Egon Wellesz
• 1931: Prinzessin Brambilla by Walter Braunfels
• 1943: Der Kuckuck von Theben by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari
• 1952: Boulevard Solitude by Hans Werner Henze
• 1970: Der Aufsichtsrat by Diether de la Motte
• 1977: Faust und Yorick by Wolfgang Rihm
• 1980: Ein Abenteuer auf dem Friedhof by Alfred Koerppen
• 1992: Draußen vor der Tür by Xaver Paul Thoma
• 2000: Gilgamesh by Volker David Kirchner
• 2005: iOPAL by Hans-Joachim Hespos
• 2017: Lot by Giorgio Battistelli

Notable people

• Marco Goecke

References

1. "Niedersaechsische Staatstheater Hannover GmbH". Bloomberg. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
2. "Staatsoper". Staatstheater Hannover (in German). Retrieved 8 January 2022.
3. "Choreography 36 – Choreography Competition Hannover". Choreography Competition Hannover. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
4. Goldmann, A.J. (27 June 2019). "A Boom, Finally, for John Adams Operas in Germany". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
5. Neumann, Carolin (2 February 2011). "Karen Kamensek, Dirigentin: 'Eine Frauenquote in der Musik? Unmöglich!'". Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 14 April 2024.
6. Arndt, Stefan (19 March 2014). "Kamensek verlässt Hannover" [Kamensek leaves Hanover]. Hannoversche Allgemeine (in German). Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
7. Zagozdzon, Agnieszka (14 June 2016). "Frage nach dem Warum" [Asking for the Why]. Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved 13 April 2024.
8. "Stephan Zilias appointed General Music Director of Hannover State Opera" (Press release). Askonas Holt. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
9. "Stephan Zilias extends as Music Director of Staatsoper Hannover" (Press release). Askonas Holt. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
10. Wagner, Rainer (22 September 2014). "Das ist der neue Kopf der Staatsoper". Hannoversche Allgemeine. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
11. Arndt, Stefan (14 June 2019). "Dirigent Ivan Repusic verabschiedet sich aus Hannover". Hannoversche Allgemeine. Retrieved 30 March 2021.

External links

• Official website