Discover Germany, Issue 96, August 2022

Page 38

Semperoper Dresden. Photo: Semperoper Dresden, Matthias Creutziger

RICHARD STRAUSS DAYS 2023 IN THE SEMPEROPER, DRESDEN

“The connections between Richard Strauss and the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden are so diverse that they can always be told in new and different ways. I have always been fascinated by his handling of instrumentation, orchestral colours and the unbelievable flexibility of the instrumentation. There is also a wide range: his operas have chamber music aspects; conversely, his chamber music works have the great ‘overwhelming tone’. To be able to concentrate so much on the composer Richard Strauss and to be able to devote myself to this authentic place – it couldn’t get any better,“ explains Christian Thielemann, principal conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. Richard Strauss’s connection to Dresden, the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Semperoper is formative for German music history. Since 38 |

Issue 96 |

August 2022

the composer first visited Dresden in 1883, an intensive artistic and creative bond with the Staatskapelle, the opera and their music directors has developed over the decades. Nine of his 15 operas were premiered in Dresden, including Elektra, Arabella and Der Rosenkavalier, and instrumental works composed especially for the Staatskapelle, like the mighty Alpine Symphony. The enthusiasm for the works of Richard Strauss, be it on the concert stage and in the chamber music of the Staatskapelle Dresden, on the opera stage in the Semperoper or in guest performances, has never broken off. Richard Strauss Days have been held at irregular intervals in the Semperoper since 1909, most recently in 2015. During the Richard Strauss Days at the Semperoper, in 2023, the opera house and the Staatskapelle

Dresden, with their principal conductor Christian Thielemann, are dedicating a broad programme of works to the important composer, one that documents Strauss’s close relationship with Dresden and the Staatskapelle. In addition, the triad of operas Der Rosenkavalier, Arabella and Ariadne auf Naxos brings the world of Vienna, the fin de siècle and the rococo to life in many voices. Special terms and conditions apply to the performances of the Richard Strauss Days in the Semperoper; tickets can initially only be purchased as a package. The packages can only be ordered in writing (e-mail, fax, letter, order form) from 10am on 8 September, to 18 September 2022, for seats in the seat groups ‘Loge’ and seat groups 1 to 6. Orders received before 10am on 8 September 2022 cannot be considered. Remaining tickets for the individual performances go on sale on 1 December, 2022, at 10am More information: www.semperoper.de/en/ richard-strauss-days

TEXT: SEMPEROPER DRESDEN, TRANSLATION: NANE STEINHOFF

Names as diverse as Christian Thielemann, Jakub Hrůša, Omer Meir Wellber, Diana Damrau, Camilla Nylund, Peter Rose, Sophie Koch, Pavol Breslik, Hanna-Elisabeth Müller, Bo Skovhus, Angela Brower, Catherine Hunold, Gregory Kunde, and many more, are all taking part at Richard Strauss Days, from 02 to 16 April 2023.


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