Aalto Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Aalto Theatre is an opera house
and major performing arts venue in Essen
, Germany. It was opened on 25 September 1988 with Richard Wagner
's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
. The building is mainly used for opera and ballet performances; it also serves for concerts and gala events.
The design by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto
was the unanimous winner in a competition in 1959, but the building was begun only in 1983, seven years after Aalto's death. A feature of the auditorium's design is its asymmetrical layout and the indigo
blue colour of the seats.
The artistic director
(Intendant) and music director
(Generalmusikdirektor) since 1997 is Stefan Soltesz. Following a survey of 50 critics in 2008, the magazine Opernwelt
declared the Aalto Theatre to be the best opera house in the German speaking countries and awarded the title Opera House of the Year
2008.
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
and major performing arts venue in Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, Germany. It was opened on 25 September 1988 with Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg is an opera in three acts, written and composed by Richard Wagner. It is among the longest operas still commonly performed today, usually taking around four and a half hours. It was first performed at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater in Munich, on June 21,...
. The building is mainly used for opera and ballet performances; it also serves for concerts and gala events.
The design by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto
Alvar Aalto
Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware...
was the unanimous winner in a competition in 1959, but the building was begun only in 1983, seven years after Aalto's death. A feature of the auditorium's design is its asymmetrical layout and the indigo
Indigo
Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet...
blue colour of the seats.
The artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
(Intendant) and music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
(Generalmusikdirektor) since 1997 is Stefan Soltesz. Following a survey of 50 critics in 2008, the magazine Opernwelt
Opernwelt
Opernwelt is a monthly German magazine for opera, operetta and ballet.The magazine covers news about current performances; it presents portraits of composers and performers, articles about opera houses and performance spaces, and about contemporary and historical subjects from the world of opera...
declared the Aalto Theatre to be the best opera house in the German speaking countries and awarded the title Opera House of the Year
Opera house of the year
Opera House of the Year , is an award from the German monthly magazine Opernwelt. Each year since 1994, at the end of the season, a jury of 50 critics selects an opera house in Austria, Germany or German speaking Switzerland for the award....
2008.
Sources
- Dietmar N. Schmidt (ed.): Das Theater von Alvar Aalto in Essen. Baedeker, Essen 1988, ISBN 3-920138-03-1
- Klaus Umbach: "Musiktheater – In Rausch und Bogen" in: Der SpiegelDer SpiegelDer Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
Nr. 13/2007, Hamburg, 26 March 2007; pp. 158–159