Cuvilliés Theatre

The Cuvilliés Theatre (formerly Residence Theater ) in Munich is considered the most important rococo theater in Germany. It is now in the so-called Apothecary the Munich Residence. In addition to the rich rooms in the residence and the Amalienborg castle in the Nymphenburg Park, it is one of the most important buildings of François de Cuvilliés.

History

He decided to build was a fire at the residence of 4 to March 5, 1750, which also destroyed the local theater. Now it should be replaced by a brand new theater elsewhere, namely where previously the sumptuous bathhouse Karl Albrecht stood. It was in the years 1751 to 1753 on behalf of Elector Maximilian III. Joseph built. On 9 July 1750, the foundation stone was laid. The construction management was ' the Younger and Cuvilliés son François de Cuvilliés ' student Charles Albert Lespilliez at Cuvilliés.

In July 1752 there was a celebration for the topping-out ceremony for the craftsmen in Nymphenburg, and now the sculptor Johann Baptist Straub, Anton Pichler and Joachim Dietrich endowed the interior of artfully. In the woods at the Staffelsee were added over 1000 trees felled.

The theater machine with which you could raise or lower the floor came from Giovanni Gaspari. On October 12, 1753 the theater with opera Catone in Utica was opened by the Italian composer and electoral chamber music director Giovanni Battista Ferrandini.

Also in the next few years exclusively Italian operas came to the performance. The theater was only used to lavish events during Carnival and other special festivities of the court. Kapellmeister Andrea Bernasconi brought here eleven of his operas premiered. 1760 they played at this place for the first time Il Trionfo della Constanza, and behind the pseudonyms of the composer and librettist is none other than Maria Antonia Walpurgis hid from Bavaria, sister of the elector who also sang the title role. The theater underwent many other great opera performances, such as on 29 January 1781, the premiere of Mozart's Idomeneo.

1795 Cuvilliés Theatre was opened to all citizens of the city. In 1806 Napoleon at the elevation of the Kingdom of Bavaria in Munich, and in his honor they brought two hard operas for performance: The interrupted sacrificial feast of Peter Winter and Mozart's Don Giovanni. Napoleon remained each one act

1831 appeared here was Ferdinand Raimund with some of his pieces. King Ludwig I then dissolved the opera and had take out the entire interior. The room served now as a decoration magazine for the National Theatre. His successor Max II had the building restored and reopened in November 1857.

Ernst von Possart developed in the following years, both as an actor and as a director for the dominant personality. He brought here in the 1890s Mozart's operas in their original form for the performance, so on February 15, 1895 The Marriage of Figaro. In the new production of Don Giovanni on May 29, first time in 1896 a revolving stage was used.

Louis Thomas pieces belonged to the program every year, 1924 was the world premiere of Hugo von Hofmannsthal's The Difficult with Gustl Waldau and Elisabeth Bergner, which remained on the stage until 1932. Until the twenties, it was common that the Ministry invited a part of Munich prominence to premieres. In early 1944, the residence theater was closed.

Until the Second World War there was the theater in the northeast of the Max -Joseph -Platz, where now stands the New Residence Theatre. The existing wooden parts of the theater were outsourced in early 1944 shortly before the destruction of the residence theater on March 18, 1944, and built in the years 1956-58 after its restoration in the framework of reconstruction of the residence in the Apothecary. The concept of translocation came from the long-time chief architect of the Bavarian Palace Department Rudolf Esterer. The realized in record time reconstruction was performed from the residence construction management of the Palace Department under the direction of Otto Meitinger. Just in time for the 800th anniversary of Munich on 14 June 1958, the theater will be reopened in The Marriage of Figaro with a performance of Mozart's opera.

As a popular venue for cultural events of the first rank, for example, found further poetry readings in Cuvillies theater instead, as one of the last literary solo evenings Erich Kästner in March 1970.

Until its closure in early 2004, the theater was regularly more still played by the ensemble of the Bavarian State Opera, the Bavarian State Theatre. The intentions of the savior of the theater from the 1950s, there to record his unique character in accordance with appropriate productions in reasonably restrained manner, have not could be put on a permanent basis.

On June 14, 2008 almost to the day exactly 50 years after the opening of the restored after war-related outsourcing theater, it was again reopened after a thorough restoration and modernization of stage technology, this time with the opera Idomeneo by WA Mozart, and in the presence of Minister President Günther Beck stone and the landlord, Finance Minister Erwin Huber. Its predecessor Kurt Faltlhauser had the complete refurbishment of the theater pursued actively, including through the establishment of Comitée Cuvilliés, a group of dedicated citizens who contributed to the financing (similar to the Pinakothek der Moderne ). However, whether in the restored piece of jewelry a lot of theater will be played, is questionable, since the rent (compared to about Prince Regent Theatre) is very high.

First, the theater is not operated as previously described by the Bavarian State Opera, but from the Bavarian State Theatre under the artistic director Martin Kušej, since 2011 the successor of Dieter Dorn. However, there found, inter alia, also performances of the opera studio - the training ground of the Bavarian State Opera - instead.

The house can be visited. Tours take place daily.

Art

The theater is decorated in red and gold. The four floors, each with 14 boxes enclose the horseshoe pit. Special attention deserves the Electoral box, which, extending over the middle two floors, the stage is facing. It is supported by two atlases, which form the input. On the first floor this caryatids have as counterparts. The contemporary society division is reflected in the different structures of different ranks. The Electoral box is of course the artistic center of the room. The adjoining lodges in the first rank, which were intended for the nobility, and follow after are richly decorated. This ornament is gradually reduced over the second and third rank, in which participated the lower nobility and court officials place. The relatively simply furnished ground floor was the city nobility reserved.