For free and outside - Berlin celebrates Thielemann at 'Staatsoper for all'
The Open-Air event "State Opera for All" at Berlin's Staatsoper delighted thousands of classical music fans under clear skies. The State Orchestra and conductor Christian Thielemann were celebrated.
Thielemann, the future General Music Director, led the orchestra for the first time at this public event. The program included Richard Strauss' Alpine Symphony and Richard Wagner's Tannhauser Overture.
Thielemann succeeds Barenboim
The 65-year-old Thielemann, most recently Chief Conductor of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, succeeds Daniel Barenboim, who had to relinquish the position due to illness. Thielemann will officially take over the position during the 2024/2025 season.
On Friday, only a few opera fans came to the Bebelplatz in rainy weather. The opera "Melancholie des Widerstands" from the Berliner Staatsoper Unter den Linden was broadcast there instead. Unlike the usual several thousand, only a few hundred opera fans braved the rainy weather in the capital city. In the end, there were many applause both inside the opera house and outside under the open sky for the solo cast featuring Countertenor Philippe Jaroussky and the Staatskapelle under the French conductor Marie Jacquot.
The operatic film "Melancholie des Widerstands" by the French composer Marc-André Dalbavie was premiered as a commissioned work at the Staatsoper. The libretto by Guillaume Métais and David Marton is based on a novel by László Krasznahorkai. The story tells of a society on its way to authoritarian structures. Director Marton skillfully combines the elements of film and music theater in his production.
- Despite the rainy weather, the Bebelplatz in Berlin served as a venue for an opera broadcast from the Berliner Staatsoper Unter den Linden.
- The State Opera for All event, usually celebrated under clear skies, saw a shift to indoor activities due to unfavorable weather conditions.
- Germains and opera lovers in Berlin would have typically enjoyed the Opera at the Bebelplatz, but instead, they observed the performance through a broadcast.
- The State Opera's production of "Melancholie des Widerstands" was inspired by a rich historical context, stimulated by the works of a French composer, Marc-André Dalbavie.
- The music theatre production featured the skilled direction of David Marton, who seamlessly integrated film and music to portray a society on the brink of authoritarian structures.
- In Berlin, even during Classical music events, the weather can sometimes play a significant role, shaping the attendance and experience of music lovers.
- Alongside the rich artistic scene of Berlin's State Opera, renowned conductors like Christian Thielemann and Daniel Barenboim have left an indelible mark on Germany's classical music landscape.
