Aalto Theater

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Aalto Theater

The Aalto-Theater has been the opera house of the city of Essen since 1988 and is located in the north-eastern part of the Essen city garden in the Südviertel district .

In 1959, the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto presented the first designs for organic construction as part of an ideas competition . In the years that followed, Aalto revised the plans several times (among others together with the Essen architect Horst Loy ), but the architect, who died in 1976, did not live to see it realized due to several delays. The building was only erected between 1983 and 1988 under the direction of the German architect Harald Deilmann .

In addition to the performance of operas and operettas , the Aalto Theater also hosts musicals , concerts and ballet and is the venue for the Aalto Music Theater , the Aalto Ballet Theater Essen and the Essen Philharmonic .

History of origin

In the course of the “cultural awakening phase” of the 1950s, the Grillo Theater in Essen , which was rebuilt after the Second World War, with its 650 seats, proved to be too small for “the increased demand of the population interested in theater”. As a result of this, the Society for the Promotion of New Theater Buildings was formed in 1955, which, with the help of the citizens, wanted to build another theater in the city of Essen. In 1959, the association finally succeeded in launching an “ideas competition for the construction of a new opera house”. In addition to numerous architects from Essen, five external architects were invited to this ideas competition for a special fee. The Finnish architect Alvar Aalto received the first prize for his design, which is well behind the other contributions.

After the decision on Aalto's design had been made, in 1960 the city of Essen, at the urging of the friends' association, gave the architect the official “order for the implementation planning”. Aalto then developed the design several times and in 1964 presented a plan that was ready for approval. Nevertheless, work on the implementation plans was stopped in the same year for cost reasons. The city of Essen initially set other urban development priorities, and so a large part of the available funds flowed into the construction of apartments, schools, roads and social facilities.

Ten years after the competition, the Essen City Council decided to resume planning work with modified templates. Aalto was again commissioned to revise the plans and complete them with regard to a planned implementation. Four months before his death in 1976, the architect completed the plans that were ready for construction.

After Aalto's death, the project was stopped a second time. Due to the "incipient structural economic crisis in the Ruhr area ", different local political and urban planning priorities were set again. It was only when the economic situation seemed to ease in 1979 that the city council of Essen decided that after the completion of the construction of the new Essen city hall , which began in the mid-1970s, the construction of the new theater according to Aalto's plans should begin. Because of this, the non-profit theater building company, founded in the meantime, was looking for "a German architect who had experience in the realization and planning of theater buildings, who had an efficient office [...] and who had an affinity for Alvar Aalto's architecture". In 1981, the implementation of the project was finally entrusted to the architect Harald Deilmann . This changed Aalto's design with regard to “now changed functional and structural requirements”, but retained Aalto's “architectural-artistic concept”. Three years after Deilmann took over the project, the foundation stone was laid on November 15, 1983 and the opening with a performance of Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg on September 25, 1988 .

In September 2008, the Aalto Theater was named the best opera house in German-speaking countries in the specialist magazine Opernwelt after a survey of fifty independent critics from various countries and now bears the title Opera House of the Year 2008. In the critics' survey by the specialist magazine theater pur , the Aalto Theater claiming its first prize in 2009.

Ideas competition

In 1959, the Society for the Promotion of New Theater Buildings initiated a competition to find ideas for a new theater building in Essen.

In the text of the competition it was stated that the aim of the competition was to plan a house which should primarily serve the performances of musical theater ( opera and operetta ), but should also be equipped for drama in special cases. The competition participants were asked to design a corresponding building for a building site in the north of the city ​​garden (“corner of Huyssenallee, Roland and Rellinghauser Strasse”). Those responsible placed particular emphasis on the urban planning and traffic-related solution. The theater should be accessible to visitors both by tram and by car, which is why parking facilities for 350 to 500 cars and various paths for pedestrians were to be provided. In the interior, an auditorium with around 1300 seats, a convertible orchestra pit for around 100 musicians, modern room lighting and a stage with main, back and side stages had to be designed. Although no stage technical program should be worked out, variable stage openings and floors as well as “space for electro-acoustic equipment” should be made clear. A large foyer with a central cloakroom, a restaurant, a separate smoking area and corresponding utility rooms, heating and ventilation were also planned. In addition to an orchestra rehearsal hall, a choir rehearsal hall, a ballet hall, two rehearsal stages, several music rehearsal rooms and a small magazine for costumes, staff rooms, workshops, operating and storage rooms should also be included in the designs.

In addition to some architects based in Essen who took part in the competition, the external architects Alvar Aalto , Otto Apel , Fritz Bornemann , Werner Frey and Jacques Schader , Gerhard Graubner , David Helldén , Hans Schwippert and Prof. Weber were invited “for a special fee”. Although all participants had largely met the above-mentioned requirements and were able to come up with some interesting approaches, the jury decided unanimously that Aalto's design would receive the first (and only) prize due to its “outstanding artistic qualities far from the other works” should. For five other entries that were found to be good, the jury only awarded purchases of equal value.

draft

Before the new theater building was to be built in 1983, Alvar Aalto's draft idea submitted in 1959 was revised several times. First, Aalto changed his design himself in two stages (1960–1964 and 1969–1976) and after his death the architect Harald Deilmann adapted the plans to the building specifications that had changed in the meantime.

Alvar Aalto's draft idea from 1959

In his design, the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto presented an organic building , which was to be placed in the extreme northeastern corner of the planned property, at the intersection of Rolandstrasse and Rellinghauserstrasse. By adapting the basic shape of the building to the areas and shapes of the park, Aalto allowed the building to “become a three-dimensional expression of the terrain structure”.

In its first draft version, the building was characterized by an asymmetrical and curved floor plan , corrugated facade parts and a sloping roof, which, starting from a height of 13 meters, rise continuously towards Rellinghauserstraße to a height of 36 meters and should only be slightly broken through by the cylindrical stage building. Aalto planned to position the building in such a way that a large part of the park would remain in the direction of the intersection of Huyssenallee / Rolandstraße, thus creating a large distance from road traffic. The north-western façade located there, oriented almost diagonally to the intersection of Huyssenallee / Rolandstrasse, was characterized by large, soft waves in Aalto's design. Aalto advocated limestone (or a comparable material) as the material for the entire facade and considered changing colors. The architect combined all visitor entrances at the apex of the corrugated north-western facade. Aalto planned to separate car traffic and pedestrian access at this point. An almost triangular canopy, which reflected the shape of the corrugated facade, was supposed to guide pedestrians from the Rolandstraße tram stop over small park paths to the main entrances. So that none of the visitors had to cross the busy streets, Aalto planned to bring taxi and car traffic close to the building. Therefore, one lane should lead all taxis from the intersection directly to under the canopy and another lower lane should lead all other cars to an underground, but not very deep, parking lot and a “second entrance level”. According to Aalto's plans, the underground parking garage protruded from the ground as a flat, triangular structural element between the north facade and Rolandstrasse, thus automatically separating the building and traffic. The architect decided not to use the roof of the triangular structure as a storage area for other cars in order not to disturb the frontal view of the opera house. Aalto planned to cover the rising roof with granite and thus create a horizontal “non-figural sculpture ”. From the parking lot, visitors should also get to the main entrance via small park paths.

According to Aalto's plans, the south side of the building, on which there should be no entrances, faced the longer part of the city garden and opened up to the park at the southwest corner. At this point, Aalto planned to connect the foyer and restaurant with the green areas of the city garden with a glass front and to construct the wall of the opera studio in such a way that it could be opened in the summer to create an open-air theater .

The room below the canopy on the north-western entrance facade served as a ticket hall in Aalto's plans. The entrance doors were provided at an angle on both sides of the cash register. Behind these, according to Aalto's plans, the functional entrance and cloakroom hall, clad in white marble, opened up, which would lead the visitor “to the higher levels of the foyer”. At this point, visitors should be able to use several stairs to reach the lower-lying restaurant or the higher-lying main foyer. The staircase motif created by the different height levels continued in the main foyer through the stairs to the balconies. Aalto planned to equip the 14 meter high foyer with white ceilings and walls and to lay it out with a powder blue carpet. The balconies would be visible from the entire foyer and serve as entrances to the boxes in the auditorium. In order to increase the festivity, Aalto planned that the entire auditorium should only be accessible through the foyer and under no circumstances through the cloakroom.

Aalto planned to lay out the auditorium in the form of an asymmetrical amphitheater , which would end with a corrugated wall behind three tiers. It can be assumed that Aalto based the “amphitheatrical conception” of the auditorium on the amphitheater of Delphi , which he had visited a few years before the competition. In Essen, however, he modified the classic theater room type by dividing the rows of seats, which were grouped in an arch around the stage, by an off-center aisle, creating two uneven blocks that he continued to align with "different widths and depths". With the asymmetrical basic shape, Aalto wanted to help create a pleasant feeling of space even at events that were not sold out, because the room was not perceived as empty. Furthermore, this shape favored an extension of the box wall . In the slightly ascending parquet there should be a seat for 893 spectators and a total of 430 in the three tiers. To increase the festivity, Aalto divided the tiers in his design with “partition walls in small box boxes”. In contrast to the rows of seats in the parquet, the side walls and the ceiling, which were to be designed in a dark indigo, the architect chose a design made of white marble for the three tiers and their rear wall, partly solid, partly as filigree rods. Furthermore, the boxes should be lined with pink velvet and decorated with gold and bronze elements. As foreseen in the competition announcement, Aalto did not work out a detailed stage technical program in his draft. It merely indicated the round shape of the stage and the resulting semicircular orchestra pit . With this shape, the architect aims to move the stage further into the auditorium so that the viewer can be closer to the action.

Judgment of the jury

Although Alvar Aalto had only sketchily presented the floor plans and elevations in his draft idea and some questions remained unanswered, the jury decided unanimously that Aalto should receive the first prize with a "large [m] distance to the other works". Those responsible particularly praised the urban structure. In addition to the fact that the journey by car, tram and on foot has been well thought out, the judges particularly emphasized that the triangular car park functions as an effective "transition from street space to the plastic of the building". However, not only the connection between road space and construction was positively emphasized. Aalto was also able to convince the jury with the connection between the building and green spaces and the opening of the foyer, restaurant and opera studio on the south facade was particularly emphasized. The jury also stated in its verdict that “a spatial conception of great originality and beauty” can be seen inside and, above all, the step-like foyer and the unusual auditorium promise a special spatial experience and a festive atmosphere. Nonetheless, a number of defects were complained about, particularly inside the building, which had to be remedied “without affecting the basic idea”. The judges stated that the stage tower was too low and that both the side stage and ancillary and operating rooms in the stage building were too small. They also criticized the size and location of the workshops; the architect had chosen both without taking into account the work processes there. Nevertheless, the jury was confident and added that the listed deficiencies could undoubtedly be remedied by enlarging the building and reorganizing the workshop, operating and ancillary rooms.

Alvar Aalto's revision in two phases

In the spirit of the judges, Alvar Aalto revised his sketchy idea and, starting in 1960, designed a detailed construction plan. Due to the required changes, in the course of this revision, the “monolithic structure of the first version was transformed into a differentiated, two-tier architecture” with an enlarged volume, the shape of which was reminiscent of “rugged rock formations”.

Since the judges objected in particular to the height of the stage tower, it had to be changed. With a new height of 35 meters, however, it was now necessary to adapt the external shape of the building, as otherwise the cylindrical stage tower would have towered over the rising roof structure and the overall organic impression would have been lost. If Aalto had only adjusted the roof pitch to the new height of the stage tower, this would have resulted in a total height of over 40 meters. To avoid this, the architect designed a “two-tier roof construction” by “designing two different heights, parallel sloping levels that should overlap in the core area of ​​the theater and auditorium ”. Aalto provided cladding made of copper sheet for the entire roof. Although the architect planned an “ashlar facade with a strong vertical profile” for the entire building, Aalto planned to differentiate the two elements of different heights in terms of their cladding and design. The lower part, under which the side stage, operating and ancillary rooms, workshops and parts of the foyer were located, was to be simply and simply divided by windows, which were to be systematically placed between the pilaster strips . For the higher building element, on the other hand, under which the auditorium and stage tower were to be combined, Aalto provided for a differentiated surface design. In order to create a “vibrant impression”, the architect planned a stronger corrugation of the facade and a freer arrangement of the windows.

Compared to the competition design, Aalto emphasized the wavy front facing Huyssenallee even more clearly than the front or front, whereas the facade facing Rellinghauserstraße looked “more angular and forbidding” than before. On the south facade, Aalto expanded the opening of the foyer , restaurant and opera studio with a spacious terrace, which was intended to reinforce the connection between the building and the city garden that was aimed at in the first draft.

Aalto worked out the room concept, which was already sketched in the draft idea, in terms of a planned implementation, but changed it only insignificantly. Behind the Iron Curtain , he planned to restructure all rooms with regard to the requirements for larger and better located operating and ancillary rooms. Furthermore, Aalto planned to no longer divide the rows of seats in the tiers by dividing walls into box boxes, but simply to subdivide them with wide supports.

After work on the project was discontinued in 1964, despite the aforementioned changes Aalto made, the architect was again commissioned to revise his design in 1969. This time the council of the city of Essen demanded that in the new building not only the "performance of operas and operettas [but] also the performances of plays and concerts should be possible as planned ." Furthermore, the reduction of the "number of seats from 1330 should be possible." 1100 “In 1974 Aalto presented his plan to the council, which was ready for implementation.

Revisions by Harald Deilmann after 1981

After the death of the architect Alvar Aalto in 1976, the building project came to a halt again. In 1981 the supervisory board of the "Gemeinnützigen Theaterbaugesellschaft mbh", which had meanwhile been founded, commissioned the architect Harald Deilmann to revise Aalto's plans again. It was necessary to adapt the plans to the functional, building regulations and technical provisions that have since changed, as well as to the new statutory building specifications. The “main maxim” for this revision phase, however, was “maintaining the artistic and architectural concept” of Aalto. This particularly affected the external appearance of the building, its placement within the city garden and inside the preservation of the entire auditorium and the step-like foyer.

Deilmann's revisions included the laying of the iron curtain in front of the orchestra pit , the enlargement of the right side stage and the improvement of the acoustic conditions in the auditorium. On the one hand, "by relocating fundus rooms from the roof area above the auditorium above the acoustically transparent ceiling suspension" and the sound reflectors and variable sound curtains installed there, "additional reverberation space was created". On the other hand, the profiling of the "side walls in the proscenium area behind the acoustic wall cladding" ensured further "early reflections from the stage into the parquet ". By moving the iron curtain in front of the orchestra pit, the number of seats with impaired hearing and vision could be reduced. Furthermore, Deilmann's changes included the “elimination of the studio stage, […] [a] new solution for the access to the backdrop, […] [the] relocation of the lighting signal box […] [and the] addition of the required new rooms and room groups such as rehearsal stage, workshops , Drama changing rooms, technical center and reduction of the previously planned space approaches "

Naming

Six months before the opera house opened, readers of the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung were invited to submit suggestions for names. In addition to names such as Oper Essen, Venus-Oper, Noten-Schlüssel, Haus der Klänge, Folkwang-Theater and Oper 2000, Aalto-Theater finally prevailed.

description

location

The Essen city garden , in which the Aalto Theater is located, is surrounded by several main roads about one kilometer from Essen city center. As planned in the first draft by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, the Aalto Theater is located in the northeast corner of the city garden at the Rolandstrasse / Rellinghauser Strasse intersection, not far from the city ​​hall buildings , which are also located in the city garden. The outskirts of the theater within the city garden means that the green areas and plants in the park are not damaged by the journey to the theater. Furthermore, the proximity to the city and the corresponding means of transport is given by the external location within the park. The architect took up and incorporated the organic environment when planning the theater. Thus "the location of the house within the natural surroundings of the city garden [...] supports the architecturally intended effect of the building by making its organic basic idea tangible for the visitor."

Architecture and building description

General view from the roof of the nearby RWE tower
Rear view; in the background the RWE tower

Even after Alvar Aalto's death it was important to preserve the architectural and artistic concept of the Finnish architect. In addition to the implementation of the step-like foyer and the auditorium according to Aalto's plans inside the building, this included, in particular, that the location of the building within the city garden and the external appearance of the building were designed according to the ideas of the Finnish architect (see Alvar Aalto's draft idea from 1959 and Alvar Aalto's two-phase revision ).

As in Aalto's first draft, the Aalto Theater is characterized today by an asymmetrical and curved floor plan and appears as an organic large form.

Since the stage tower was integrated into the roof area, the basic form of the building is determined by two different heights, but equally rising building elements that form a two-tiered copper seam roof.

Although the facade of the entire building is covered with natural stone slabs, in the sense of Aalto, the two different high construction elements differ in terms of their facade design. The lower building element, under which the side stages, operating rooms, workshops and parts of the foyer come together, is structured very simply and simply by means of windows that are evenly placed between the facade profiles. The higher building element, on the other hand, under which the auditorium and stage tower are located, is characterized by a differentiated surface design and a more free arrangement of the windows.

According to the plans of the Finnish architect, the building was placed in the northeastern corner of the city garden and its front almost diagonally, but at a great distance, towards the intersection of Huyssenallee / Rolandstraße. The north-western front facade is characterized by a large wave shape, at the apex of which all visitor entrances are located under an equally corrugated canopy. As already planned by Aalto, the entrance to the underground car park is on this side of the building, and various park paths led visitors to the entrances. At the southwest corner of the south facade, parts of the foyer and the cafeteria open through floor-to-ceiling windows and a spacious terrace towards the city garden. At this point there is also the option of opening the walls of the opera studio in favor of an open-air theater. This creates the connection between green spaces and buildings that Aalto is already striving for.

inside rooms

Since the step-like foyer and the auditorium were also to be implemented according to Alvar Aalto's ideas , the “differentiated functional sequence of rooms” can be found inside today, which was already considered in the architect's first drafts (see Alvar Aalto's draft idea from 1959 and Alvar Aalto's revision in two phases ).

If you approach the entrances to the Aalto Theater on the north-western side of the facade, you first come across a cash desk area under the corrugated canopy, with the entrance doors on the side. From a subsequent, smaller entrance area, several glass doors lead into a spacious cloakroom, which is determined by “the low ceiling height and the artificial lighting set into the ceiling.” In addition to a light marble floor, massive glazed ceramic columns and “some with blue Ceramic tiles clad wall surfaces ”, the cloakroom is determined in particular by a corrugated cloakroom counter, which extends over almost the entire width of the hall. With the absolute separation of cloakroom and foyer, Aalto already intends to increase the quality of the "social encounter" in his plans.

Three flights of stairs lead from the cloakroom to the elevated foyer and the lower-lying cafeteria. The foyer appears as a bright, open, yet differentiated room with a height of 14 meters. Equipped according to Aalto's plans with gray-blue carpeting, narrow floor-to-ceiling windows and several seating groups in front of the southern window front, the foyer exudes a “certain cosiness” despite the reduced color scheme and the absence of any decoration with pictures or sculptures Sculptures (except for an Aalto bust that was erected in honor of the architect) can be found in the foyer, shows that emphasis was placed on the dominance of architecture in the design. The architecture stands and speaks for itself and thus becomes its "sculptural element". In particular, the white balustrades of the two balconies visible in the main foyer, which act as entrances to the two auditoriums, stand out and appear as sculptural wall elements. The staircase motif in the entrance to the foyer, created by different height levels, is reflected in the stairways to two balconies in the main foyer. To increase the festivity, the auditorium can only be reached from the foyer (and not through the cloakroom) through doors covered with dark horsehair.

Auditorium

The auditorium appears in the form of an asymmetrical amphitheater . As in a classic amphitheater, the rows of seats rise slightly and are arranged in an arch around the stage. Alvar Aalto modified this classic type of theater room in his first draft by dividing the auditorium by an asymmetrically arranged central aisle, thus creating an imbalance in the rows of seats on both sides (15 rows on the right, 21 rows on the left). The larger part of the row of seats is staggered “deeply” while the smaller part represents a “more intimate area”. The parquet ends at a curved rear wall, on which there are three tiers ("two for the audience, two for the technology"). There is a total of around 1125 visitors in the theater's auditorium. As already envisaged in Aalto's draft idea, the auditorium is determined in particular by a strong color contrast. The seats, walls and ceilings are wrapped in a dark indigo , from which the three curved white balcony parapets stand out clearly.

The three parapets of the auditorium take up the shape of the parapets of the foyer and also appear here as sculptural elements. In contrast to the parapets in the foyer, however, the parapets in the auditorium are "made more filigree by the hatching of wooden rods".

Stage and orchestra pit

Adjacent to the auditorium there is a 530 square meter main stage, two side stages and a back stage on a total of 1750 square meters. The stage can be enlarged from ten meters wide and five meters high to up to 17 meters wide and 9.5 meters high , “thanks to the liftable portal bridge and the laterally movable portal towers, while the Schnürboden with its prospectus trains 21 to 24 meters above the stage floor. "The stage system is equipped with three vertically movable stage podiums, which, measuring 5 x 17 meters, sink 2.53 meters into the ground, move 4.68 meters in height and" up to a slope of 1 : Put 10 at an angle ”. With a depth of 15 meters, a width of 17 meters and a built-in turntable with a diameter of 14 meters, the backstage car can be moved “on the stage”.

A total of 82 machine trains, which can be operated via a central computer, enable the stage podiums and various parts of the scenery to be controlled.

The orchestra pit holds around 100 musicians and allows various changes and individual orchestral settings. With an opening of 93 square meters, “six liftable double-decker orchestral podiums”, which can be set into the ground from 0.2 meters to 3 meters deep, create a total floor area of ​​140 square meters. Parts of the orchestra room are located below the stage ramp and the extension in front of the stage.

Acoustics

The acoustic conditions were largely implemented according to Deilmann's plans (see Harald Deilmann's revisions after 1981 ).

"The relocation of fundus rooms from the roof area above the auditorium above the acoustically transparent ceiling suspension" and the attachment of various sound reflectors and variable sound curtains there enables "additional reverberation space" in the auditorium. Furthermore, the profiling of the “side walls in the proscenium area behind the acoustic wall cladding” ensures further “early reflections from the stage” into the auditorium. In addition to the fan-shaped plastic elements on the side walls of the auditorium, which ensure that good acoustics are also guaranteed in the rear rows of seats , the armchairs also have "a special acoustic feature" so that the acoustics in the room are not disturbed and distorted by empty seats, all armchairs were provided with black leather applications at head height, which reflect the sound.

Stylistic classification

The Aalto-Theater can be assigned to organic architecture through its integration into the existing landscape, its curved shapes and its possibility of expanding into nature by opening the studio stage .

The term organic architecture denotes “a general architectural trend [...] that emerged in the 20th century in the context of modernism alongside purist functionalism , constructivism and rationalism ” and is generally characterized by an analogy to nature.

Alvar Aalto himself used the term organic very rarely. Nevertheless, many of his buildings belong to organic architecture, as they are based on non-geometric floor plans, show an extraordinary variability and diversity of flowing, round shapes and natural materials and take up the existing natural environment.

Already at the end of the 1920s, buildings such as the city library in Viipuri, Finland (today Russia) (1927–1935) or the tuberculosis sanatorium in Paimio, Finland (1929–1933) showed Aalto's particular closeness to nature before the architect in the 1930s but should finally find organic architecture, his work was initially shaped by historicizing tendencies and the style of international modernism . The prerequisites for the organic architecture in Aalto's work are in particular his awareness of nature and tradition, which is based on a connection to the Finnish environment. It is said that he was particularly inspired by Finnish house construction with regard to “the use of natural materials, organic extensions and integration into the landscape”.

Sculptural design of the outdoor area by Ulrich Rückriem

Shortly before the opening of the Aalto Theater in 1988, the theater construction company decided to commission the German sculptor Ulrich Rückriem with the sculptural design of the outdoor area. Since 1987 there has been a “four-meter-high stele made of natural stone” ( dolomite rock ) by the artist on the northwest corner of the street . From this sculpture, a footpath, also designed by Rückriem and framed by limestone walls, leads to the entrances of the theater on the northwestern facade. By combining nature, practical function and sculpture, Rückriem's ​​sculpturally designed access to the theater supports Aalto's connection between nature and construction and serves as a “preparation for the organic sculpture of the” theater.

Artistic directors and general music directors

See also

literature

  • Sabine Brinitzer: Organic Architectural Concepts between 1900 and 1960 in Germany. Frankfurt am Main 2006, ISBN 3-631-53697-6 .
  • Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. Essen 1988, ISBN 3-920138-03-1 .
  • Karl H. Krämer: Opera House in Essen. In: Karl. H. Krämer (Ed.): AW Architecture and Competitions . Vol. 116, Stuttgart 1983, pp. 26-28.
  • Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonic Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-86711-187-4 .
  • Wulf Mämel: Chronicle of the events. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. Essen 1988, ISBN 3-920138-03-1 .
  • Werner Rietdorf: The opera house in Essen / Aalto, Alvar. In: Architecture of the GDR . Vol. 38, 1989, 3, p. 50.
  • Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. Bonn 1971, DNB 720347351 .
  • Hannelore Schubert: Modern theater construction: international situation, documentation, projects, stage technology. Stuttgart 1971, ISBN 3-7828-0416-3 .
  • Klaus Umbach : Music theater - In frenzy and bow. With the "Don Giovanni" production by Stefan Herheim, the Essen opera finally made the leap into top European class . In: Der Spiegel . No. 13 , 2007, p. 158-159 ( Online - Mar. 26, 2007 ).

Web sources

Web links

Commons : Aalto-Theater (Essen)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ s. Wulf Mämel: Chronicle of the events. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 195f.
  2. ↑ s. The Aalto Theater. On: theater-essen.de (August 21, 2020).
  3. ^ A b c d Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonic Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 22.
  4. ↑ a b c d Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 19.
  5. ↑ a b c d Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 25.
  6. ↑ Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 41.
  7. ^ A b Karl H. Krämer: Opera House in Essen. In: Karl. H. Krämer (Ed.): AW Architecture and Competitions. 1983, p. 27.
  8. ^ A b c Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonic Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 26.
  9. ↑ a b s. Wulf Mämel: Chronicle of the events. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, pp. 197f.
  10. ↑ s. Wulf Mämel: Chronicle of the events. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 198 f.
  11. ↑ Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 46.
  12. ^ A b c Werner Rietdorf: The opera house in Essen / Aalto, Alvar. In: Architecture of the GDR. Vol. 38, 1989, p. 50.
  13. ↑ a b c s. Chronology of the Aalto building. On: theater-essen.de (August 21, 2020).
  14. ↑ a b Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 21.
  15. ↑ s. Wulf Mämel: Chronicle of the events. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 195ff.
  16. ↑ a b c d e Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 28.
  17. ^ A b Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 477.
  18. ↑ Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 479.
  19. ↑ a b Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 33.
  20. ↑ Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 28f.
  21. ^ A b c Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 478.
  22. ↑ Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 34.
  23. ↑ Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 28ff.
  24. ↑ Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 29 and cf. Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 477.
  25. ↑ Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 482.
  26. ↑ Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 482f.
  27. ↑ a b c d Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 47.
  28. ↑ a b Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 31f.
  29. ↑ Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 39.
  30. ↑ Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 34ff.
  31. ↑ Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 483.
  32. ^ A b Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 483f.
  33. ↑ Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 484.
  34. ↑ Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 32f.
  35. ↑ Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 27f.
  36. ↑ Deilmann. In: Krämer, Karl. H. (Ed.): AW Architecture and Competitions, p. 28.?
  37. ↑ a b c d Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 43.
  38. ^ Karl H. Krämer: Opera House in Essen. In: Karl. H. Krämer (Ed.): AW Architecture and Competitions. 1983, p. 28.
  39. ↑ a b c d e f g Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 481.
  40. ↑ Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 480f.
  41. ↑ Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 480ff.
  42. ↑ a b Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 45.
  43. ↑ a b Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 46.
  44. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 48.
  45. ↑ Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 49f.
  46. ^ Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung of March 3, 1988
  47. ↑ Gerhard Storck: Problems of modern building and the theater architecture of the 20th century in Germany. 1971, p. 476f.
  48. ↑ a b c d e f Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonic Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 32.
  49. ↑ Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonie Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 29.
  50. ^ A b c Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonic Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 34.
  51. ↑ a b Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 44.
  52. ↑ Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonie Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 36.
  53. ↑ Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonie Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 35.
  54. ↑ Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonie Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 34ff.
  55. ^ A b Hannelore Schubert: Modern theater construction: international situation, documentation, projects, stage technology. 1971, p. 197.
  56. ↑ Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonie Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 40.
  57. ↑ a b c d e f s. Facts and figures. On: theater-essen.de (August 21, 2020).
  58. ^ A b Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonic Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 40.
  59. ^ A b c Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonic Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 41.
  60. ↑ a b c d Harald Deilmann: From design to execution. In: Dietmar N. Schmidt (Ed.): Alvar Aalto's theater in Essen. 1988, p. 49.
  61. ^ A b Frank Maier-Solgk: Theater and Philharmonic Essen. Grillo Theater, Aalto Theater, Philharmonic. 2012, p. 42.
  62. ↑ a b Sabine Brinitzer: Organic architectural concepts between 1900 and 1960 in Germany. 2006, p. 13.
  63. ↑ Sabine Brinitzer: Organic architectural concepts between 1900 and 1960 in Germany. 2006, p. 453.
  64. ↑ Sabine Brinitzer: Organic architectural concepts between 1900 and 1960 in Germany. P. 488.
  65. ↑ Sabine Brinitzer: Organic architectural concepts between 1900 and 1960 in Germany. P. 487.
  66. ↑ Sabine Brinitzer: Organic architectural concepts between 1900 and 1960 in Germany. P. 487f.

Coordinates: 51 ° 26 ′ 49 ″  N , 7 ° 0 ′ 46 ″  E