Dresden Opera Ball
The Dresden Opera Ball , also: SemperOpernball , is a dance ball in the Semperoper that took place annually from 1925 to 1939 and has been held annually since 2006 by the Semper Opernball e. V. is aligned. The overall artistic director is Hans-Joachim Frey .
history
The first Opera Ball in Dresden took place on February 21, 1925. Back then there was jazz as well as classical music and waltzes. A ball was held annually from 1925 to 1929 and 1933 to 1939.
During the GDR era there were many attempts to revive the baroque festivities surrounding the opera. But it was not until July 1989 that a feudal festival of the muses based on Saxon tradition was celebrated. For four nights, people enjoyed themselves with music, dance, singing and theater in all rooms of the Semperoper.
In 1990 the Friends of Italian Opera organized an open-air opera ball in Dresden's Friedrichstadt .
Only 51 years after the last Dresden Opera Ball was another Opera Ball held in 1990, although it was not yet held in the large hall, but partly in front of the functional building in the open air and also in the functional building itself.
Semper Opera Ball
2006
After a 16-year break, an opera ball was held in the hall and on the stage for the first time on January 13, 2006. The occasion was the 800th anniversary of the city of Dresden. Around 2300 guests celebrated in the Semperoper, 4000 Dresden residents and visitors followed the Semper Opera Ball on the opera forecourt. Traditionally, 76 couples of debutants opened the ball, but dressed in "black and red" instead of "black and white" as at the Vienna Opera Ball . During the ball, the Saxon Order of Thanks of the Semper Opera Ball was awarded for the first time .
2007
After the success of the ball in 2006, the festive tradition was continued on January 19, 2007 with the second Semper Opera Ball. In addition to 2300 ball guests, debutants also performed again. This time almost 6,000 people from Dresden took part in the open-air SemperOpenairball held at the same time in front of the Semperoper.
2008
In 2008 the ball was celebrated on January 18th. Since August 2007, girls and boys aged 16 and over have been able to apply as debutants. The castings were held in Leipzig, Berlin and Dresden in October 2007. The 2008 Semper Opera Ball was moderated by the actress Wolke Hegenbarth ; The star guest was Udo Jürgens . This time 10,000 people took part in the open-air event in front of the Semperoper.
2009
On January 16, 2009, the fourth ball took place in the Semperoper with 88 couples of debutants. The Semper Opera Ball 2009 was moderated by the two opera singers Eva Lind and Gunther Emmerlich . The musical supporting program included, among other performances by Erwin Schrott (bass-baritone), Sergei Roldugin (cellist), Roger Cicero & Big Band and Tom Gaebel & His Big Band . A total of nine bands played in the five ballrooms until the early hours of the morning. The program was broadcast on the big screen on the theater square in front of the opera house. Around 12,000 visitors took part in the SemperOpenairball.
2010
In 2010 the ball took place on January 15th. The moderators were Gunther Emmerlich and Miriam Pielhau . The musical opening program was designed by the choir of the Saxon State Opera, the Saxon State Orchestra Dresden and the Semperoper Ballet. The piano duo Katia and Marielle Labèque as well as the opera singers Klaus Florian Vogt and Camilla Nylund and at midnight Peter Kraus also performed .
2011
The sixth Semper Opera Ball took place on January 14, 2011 with the motto “Dresden smiles”. The moderators of the ball were Stéphanie Berger and Gunther Emmerlich. The 2,200 guests in the Semperoper and around 10,000 visitors to the SemperOpenairball were put in the mood for the event by tenor Jonas Kaufmann with the floral aria from Georges Bizet's opera “ Carmen ” and Franz Lehár's “Dein ist mein whole heart”. In addition, the Saxon State Orchestra Dresden and the Great Ball Orchestra performed under the direction of Siegfried Pfeiffer. At midnight the singer Ina Müller and her band presented German-language pop music. This year, 76 couples of debutants decided on the opening event. Then Saxony's Prime Minister Stanislaw Tillich opened the ball with his wife Veronika. The annual raffle for charity raised 21,000 euros for UNICEF projects this year .
2012
"Dresden may do that" was the motto of the seventh Semper Opera Ball on January 20, 2012. Ruth Moschner and, for the fourth time in a row, Gunther Emmerlich led through the program . A total of 8,000 to 10,000 people visited the Theaterplatz and 2,200 guests, including 72 couples of debutants in the Semperoper. The highlights of the evening were the performances of the opera soloist René Pape , the singer Helene Fischer and 20 dancers from the Moulin Rouge . They were supported musically and in dance by the Semperoper Ballet, the Saxon State Orchestra and the State Opera Choir. The traditional raffle for charity brought in 30,000 euros for UNICEF projects in Africa this year .
2013
The Semper Opera Ball 2013 took place on February 1st under the heading “Dresden enchants”. Gunter Emmerlich and Johanna Klum moderated the eighth edition of the ball. Around 2200 guests saw more than 80 couples of debutants who opened the dance floor with the Swan Lake Waltz. The highlights of the program were the acrobats of the “Festival International du Cirque de Monte Carlo”, the Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo , the Russian soprano Julija Leschnewa and the musician Stefan Gwildis . At the open-air ball in front of the opera on Theaterplatz, Roberto Blanco and Gotthilf Fischer sang together with around 10,000 Dresden residents . At the same time before the SemperOper, the Dresdeners set a new world record: Couples danced to the Swan Lake waltz on Theaterplatz in 1966. Until February 1, 2013, the city of Tuzla in Bosnia-Herzegovina held the record for waltz dancing. In May 2010, a total of 1510 couples came to waltz there.
2014
The motto of the 9th Semper Opera Ball on February 7, 2014 was "Dresden glitters - shine and glamor at the Semper Opera Ball". TV presenter Collien Ulmen-Fernandes and entertainer Gunther Emmerlich conducted the program for the evening, which cost around 1.7 million euros . The ninth Semper Opera Ball offered a large number of stars. In addition to Queen Silvia of Sweden , the actress Catherine Deneuve , the composer and singer Udo Jürgens , the entertainer Thomas Gottschalk and the EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso were honored with medals.
2015
The 10th Semper Opera Ball took place on January 30, 2015 and had the motto "Dresden cheers and welcomes the world". The debutant dress was designed by the Dresden designer Uwe Herrmann . Moderators were Gunther Emmerlich and Sophia Thomalla as well as Anja Koebel and René Kindermann at Theaterplatz .
2016
The 11th Semper Opera Ball took place on January 29, 2016 and had the motto "Dresden shimmers - the ball is colorful". The moderators were Guido Maria Kretschmer and Mareile Höppner . The mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato , dancers from the Lido in Paris and artists from the Formosa Circus Art from Taiwan performed. There was also a costume spectacle from the Academy of Fine Arts Warsaw. Musical entertainment was by the choir of the Staatsoper Dresden , the Dresden Cross Choir and the Dresden Staatskapelle under the direction of conductor Anton Lubchenko presented.
The SemperOpenairball on the Theaterplatz was moderated by Marco Schreyl and Sarah von Neuburg . Some of the ball's participants also performed outside, such as the Kreuzchor and the dancers of the Lido.
2017
On February 3, 2017, the debutantes danced in a two-tone dress for the first time. Joachim Llambi's daughter , Katharina Schneider, was among the selected couples . The show was accompanied by Margarita Gritskova , Aida Garifullina , André Rieu and Conchita Wurst . The moderators were Guido Maria Kretschmer and Linda Zervakis , the motto was "Dresden radiates - without borders in all of the world".
2018
The 13th Semper Opera Ball took place on January 26, 2018 under the motto "Magical Dresden - the ball brings luck". The ball was moderated by Sylvie Meis and Guido Maria Kretschmer . André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra performed again at midnight .
2019
The title of the ball on February 1, 2019 was "Fascination Dresden - Dreams Come True". Roland Kaiser and Sylvie Meis appeared together as moderators. Performances were made by José Carreras (Leukemia Foundation), the young singers of the Dresden Kreuzchor , the prima ballerina Swetlana Sacharowa and Andreas Gabalier (midnight performance ). The 17-year-old daughter of Stefanie Hertel and Stefan Mross , Johanna Mross, was one of the 100 debutant couples .
2020
The motto of the 15th Semper Opera Ball on February 7th, 2020 was "Fabulous rustling". This time Roland Kaiser moderated alone. Judith Rakers , who was also scheduled, withdrew her participation after the controversial award of the Order of St. George to Egypt's President Abd al-Fattah as-Sisi . Mareile Höppner also canceled after she was severely threatened in advance. Sarah von Neuburg and René Kindermann moderated on the Theaterplatz. Among the debutants was Lilith Becker, the daughter of actor Ben Becker . The midnight concert was given by Peter Maffay .
Order of St. George (former Saxon Order of Thanks)
Award
The highlight of the Semper Opera Ball since 2006 is the awarding of the Dresden St. George Order of the Semper Opera Ball (until 2009: Saxon Order of Thanks of the Semper Opera Ball eV ). This medal is awarded in the categories of sport, culture and politics to personalities who have rendered outstanding services to Germany, the new federal states and Saxony. In addition to the motto Adverso Flumine ( Latin for “against the current”), the order shows the portrait of Saint George on horseback, which is modeled on one of the most valuable pieces of jewelry in the Green Vault . The motif should symbolize the fight for the good.
Award winners
Problematic award winners
Vladimir Putin 2009
The award of the order to Vladimir Putin with a laudation from the then Prime Minister Stanislaw Tillich (CDU) in 2009 met with criticism, which, in addition to politicians from different parties, also expressed the Society for Threatened Peoples . As a result, the Saxon Order of Thanks was renamed the Order of St. George in 2010 .
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi 2020
In the field of culture, Hans-Joachim Frey awarded the Order of St. George to the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in January 2020. U. a. Amnesty International charged serious human rights violations. In the laudation at the end of January in Cairo, Frey praised al-Sisi as “a bearer of hope and encouragement for an entire continent” and as a “bridge builder and peacemaker”. The honor sparked outrage and protest.
The Tagesschau spokeswoman Judith Rakers , who was engaged as co-host of the ball, asked for the termination of her contract because of the award. In their place should Brisant presenter Mareile Hoeppner moderate. Höppner also canceled due to threats. Pop singer Roland Kaiser also distanced himself, but decided to moderate the ball after Frey, the ball boss. As media partner of the ball, the MDR stuck to the planned broadcast of the event.
After the rejection of the SAP founder Dietmar Hopp as the award winner and soccer manager Uli Hoeneß as his laudator, the ball club declared that in 2020 the medal will be completely waived. After a conversation with the also invited rock singer Peter Maffay, Frey said that al-Sisi would be deprived of the award.
The award to the entrepreneur Hans J. Naumann in the same year was also controversial because of statements criticized as racist two years earlier.
Litigation
According to the judgment of the Federal Court of Justice, Naomi Campbell did not have to be rewarded with 55,930 euros for her appearance in connection with the award of the Order of St. George in 2015. According to Hans-Joachim Frey, he canceled the engagement the previous day.
literature
- Jürgen Helfricht : The Dresden Semper Opera Ball. Saxophon-Verlag, Dresden 2014, ISBN 978-3-943444-36-0 .
- Jürgen Helfricht : The Dresden Semper Opera Ball, the most beautiful night of the year. Edited by Hans-Joachim Frey. Husum Verlag, Husum 2020, ISBN 978-3-89876-995-2 .
Web links
- Website of the organizer at Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk
- Latest news about the Semper Opera Ball at Dresdner Latest news
Individual evidence
- ↑ Success story for the Semper Opera Ball 2011 - concept prevails. (No longer available online.) In: semperopernball.de. March 2, 2011, archived from the original on October 19, 2011 ; accessed on September 13, 2019 (no mementos). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ a b The 2012 program. (No longer available online.) In: semperopernball.de. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011 ; accessed on September 13, 2019 (no mementos). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ Catrin Steinbach, Jane Jannke: Dresden celebrates the night of the nights at the seventh Semperopernball. In: Dresdner Latest News. September 9, 2015, accessed September 13, 2019.
- ^ Dresden celebrates the Semper Opera Ball. (No longer available online.) In: Sächsische Zeitung. January 20, 2012, formerly in the original ; accessed on July 18, 2018 (no mementos). ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) .
- ↑ The Semper Opera Ball 2012: More successful than ever - a balance sheet. (No longer available online.) In: semperopernball.de. January 31, 2012, archived from the original on October 19, 2011 ; accessed on September 13, 2019 (no mementos). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ The Order. 2010. In: semperopernball.de. Semper Opera Ball e. V., accessed on September 13, 2019 .
- ↑ Posthumously handed over to him and on behalf of his sister La Toya. The medal. 2010. In: semperopernball.de. Semper Opera Ball e. V., accessed on July 18, 2018 .
- ^ Corina Broßmann, Julia Pfeifer: Semperopernball. A glittering ball night in pink. (Not available online.) In: news.de . MM New Media GmbH, January 15, 2011, archived from the original on January 17, 2011 ; accessed on July 18, 2018 .
- ↑ sl: Actress Ornella Muti receives third St. George's Order of the Semper Opera Ball 2012. In: DNN. September 9, 2015, accessed January 26, 2020.
- ↑ a b A matter of honor - the winners of the Dresden Order of St. George. 2006-2014. (No longer available online.) In: semperopernball.de. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014 ; accessed on January 26, 2020 .
- ↑ Heiner Lauterbach receives the Dresden St. George's Order of the Semper Opera Ball in the “Culture” category - the laudator is Uwe Ochsenknecht. Press releases. (No longer available online.) In: semperopernball.de. January 30, 2013, archived from the original on February 25, 2014 ; accessed on January 26, 2020 .
- ↑ An honorable award. (No longer available online.) In: semperopernball.de. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014 ; Retrieved January 23, 2013 .
- ↑ José Manuel Barroso is honored with the Dresden St. George's Order of the Semper Opera Ball 2014. Press release. (No longer available online.) In: semperopernball.de. January 23, 2014, archived from the original on February 19, 2014 ; accessed on January 24, 2014 .
- ↑ Stefanie Kaune: Iris Berben has to cancel participation in the Semper Opera Ball - Sophia Thomalla fit again - Nadja Auermann receives medals. In: DNN. September 9, 2015, accessed on January 26, 2020 (Prize Winner of the Order of St. George 2015).
- ↑ Everything about the Dresden Semperopernball 2018 . In: Dresdner Latest News . January 26, 2018 ( dnn.de [accessed January 27, 2018]).
- ↑ (dpa): Criticism of medal award for Putin at Semper Opera Ball. In: Saxon newspaper. January 16, 2009.
- ↑ Kerstin Decker : 2000 guests dance at the Semperopernball in Dresden - our video team was there. In: LVZ-online.de, January 16, 2010.
- ↑ a b Süddeutsche Zeitung: Al-Sisi gets the Semper Opera Ball medal revoked. February 4, 2020, accessed February 14, 2020 .
- ↑ Whirl around the Semper Opera Ball - the summary. in: mdr.de, February 12, 2020.
- ↑ Semper Opera Ball. No money for a short appearance for Naomi Campbell. In: ZEIT ONLINE . February 11, 2019, accessed January 26, 2020.
