Theiler bids farewell to the Semperoper: "It was fun"

Dresden - Theiler bids farewell to the Semperoper: "It was fun"

Peter Theiler bids farewell as Intendant of the Semperoper in Dresden and leaves the house with good feelings. "It was fun," said the 68-year-old Swiss man on Friday in Dresden. For him, it had been an honor to lead this beautiful house. "I'm leaving quite satisfied." He feels that he is handing over the house in good condition to his successor - Nora Schmid. The Semperoper will thus remain "in Swiss hands." Theiler intends to keep his center of life in the Elbestadt. His wife and he have become Dresdeners.

Before his tenure in Dresden, Theiler was Intendant in Nuremberg and came to the Elbe with the start of the 2018/2019 season. With Theiler's arrival, the Sächsische Staatsoper, to which the Staatsschauspiel Dresden also belongs, finally had a successor for the deceased Ulrike Hessler. Until Theiler's arrival, the commercial manager Wolfgang Rothe acted as interim Intendant. Theiler was supposed to give the Semperoper more international clout. After about a year and a half, he was forced to improvise due to the Corona pandemic.

He reminded himself of this on Friday. He had to change the architecture of the repertoire, except for Rossini's "William Tell." All the productions he had planned came to the stage. The Strauss opera "Capriccio" was recorded in an empty hall and broadcast on Arte due to the lockdown. "We reacted to the situation." However, that was yesterday's snow. In the end, this time brought the Sächsischen Staatstheater together.

To Theiler's balance sheet belong over 1,500 performances, including 44 opera and nine ballet new productions. Three operas were premiered as commission works of the Semperoper in Dresden, as well as five ballets. Theiler focused on cooperations with institutions such as Tokyo, San Francisco, and Paris: "For me, opera is music theater. That has always been my creed." Music theater must have social relevance.

Theiler is officially bid farewell on Saturday - before the premiere of the opera "Benvenuto Cellini" by Hector Berlioz. Saxony's Culture Minister Barbara Klepsch (CDU) paid tribute to him in advance. "He leaves behind a well-run house with numerous international cooperation partners and an excellent international reputation," Klepsch said on Friday. Theiler strengthened the international networking of the opera, expanded the repertoire with rarely performed works, and promoted the young talents.

Punctually on Theiler's farewell, the Semperoper drew up a balance sheet for the season, which ends in a few days. Accordingly, the utilization rate in the core business of opera, ballet, and concerts of the Staatskapelle reached about 90 percent and almost reached the level before the pandemic (2019: 92 percent). The opera generated box office revenue of approximately 17.7 million Euro. This corresponds to a cost coverage rate of 35 percent.

1. Theiler's tenure in Nuremberg preceded his role in Dresden, and he joined the city with the commencement of the 2018/2019 season.
2. Despite his plans for operas and ballets, the Coronavirus pandemic required Theiler to adapt the architecture of the repertoire, with Rossini's "William Tell" being the exception.
3. The woman from Paris, Nora Schmid, is set to take over as Theiler's successor at the Semperoper in Dresden, ensuring that the house remains "in Swiss hands".
4. Theiler's farewell ceremony will take place in Dresden on Saturday, before the premiere of the opera "Benvenuto Cellini" by Hector Berlioz.
5. In an interview, Saxony's Culture Minister Barbara Klepsch praised Theiler for leaving behind a well-managed house with numerous international partnerships and an excellent international reputation.

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