State Theater on Gärtnerplatz

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Gärtnerplatztheater, 2018
Gärtnerplatztheater, around 1900
View over Gärtnerplatz from the theater

The State Theater on Gärtnerplatz (in common parlance Gärtnerplatztheater ) was opened on November 4, 1865 in Munich's Isarvorstadt on the lively Gärtnerplatz as " Actien - Volkstheater ". Along with the Bavarian State Theater and the Bavarian State Opera, it is now one of three Bavarian state theaters and one of the five theater buildings, as well as the second opera house in the city alongside the Bavarian State Opera. In October 2017 the building was reopened after a general renovation .

history

Auditorium with a view of the stage
Refreshment room

After the call for a people's theater had been loud in Munich for years, a provisional committee was formed in 1863 to establish it. On May 10, 1864, shortly after his accession to the throne , the young King Ludwig II granted permission for a new building in the Isar suburb. The planning was entrusted to Franz Michael Reiffenstuel . The model for its construction was the National Theater with its “sober classical style”. The foundation stone was laid on August 25, 1864, and the topping-out ceremony was celebrated on May 27, 1865. The theater was opened on November 4, 1865: “There was a massive crowd and the splendid house, which was brightly lit up to its top rooms, was filled to the brim. It was not King Ludwig II of the court who was present as protector of the house, but rather Duke Max Joseph in Bavaria . After a prologue, the allegorical festival by Hermann Schmid was played “ What we want with music by Kremplsetzer ”.

The establishment of the new theater was intended as a counterpart to the court theaters and should already differ from these in terms of the repertoire . However, it ran into a financial crisis early on. The operation was interrupted several times, the management changed several times a year. In 1868 it was declared bankrupt and in March 1870 the theater was foreclosed by auction . The former director of the theater, Friedrich Engelken, bought the building for 70,000 guilders , and shortly afterwards it went to the architect Reifenstuel and a partner. They bought the building as straw men for King Ludwig II, who officially acquired it in May 1870 from the family fortune of the Wittelsbach family . The auction of the inventory was averted by the reopening on October 1, 1870. As director was Hermann von Schmid ordered, originally as a playwright had come to the theater and it had more than once led briefly during the transition phase. In 1873 Ludwig II granted the theater the title "Royal Theater on Gärtnerplatz". From 1877 the management passed to Karl von Perfall , who directed the royal court theaters. In the season 1878/1879 the theater experienced a climax in splendor of the equipment, decoration and set design, but it also played a considerable deficit, which is why Perfall resigned in June 1879 and had to concentrate on the court theater. Georg Lang , son of the Munich comedian Ferdinand Lang, was brought from Danzig as his successor . As a result, the theater no longer used the royal coat of arms and called itself again “Theater am Gärtnerplatz”. In 1913 the building was converted by the architect Eugen Drollinger , in which the access for spectators to the stands was reorganized and more boxes were built. During the First World War, a large number of charity performances were played for the benefit of the war fund and social institutions, at the beginning of 1917 operations were interrupted for 14 days due to a lack of coal. In 1923 the theater became the property of the Wittelsbach Compensation Fund.

From the beginning, were operettas on the board. The genre operetta was only in the development phase. Singspiele were also on the program. At the opening as a court stage they played u. a. Jacques Offenbach's one-act Salon Pitzelberger entitled A musical soirée in the suburbs. The theater experienced several operetta premieres . For example, on October 18, 1879, the operetta Die Fornarina by Carl Zeller , u. a. premiered with the audience favorites Amalie Schönchen , Agnes Lang-Ratthey , Franz Josef Brakl and Max Hofpauer . At the end of 1892, the Völkerschau The Amazons of Dahomey with people from Africa was a guest for several weeks with a great crowd . Since 1899 the theater has been run purely as an operetta theater and has been recognized as one of the leaders in Germany. The Munich bohemian writer Fanny zu Reventlow , who also took brief acting lessons, had a brief engagement here in 1898.

At the end of the 1920s, Magda Schneider , who “stood on stage up to forty-eight times a month for a ridiculous fee”, was one of the much-acclaimed young soubretten stars. Antics , musical pranks and folk plays were also performed until the 1930s . The National Socialist censorship forbade the performances of works by Jewish writers, librettists and composers and designated the Gärtnerplatztheater "exclusively as a venue for operettas because ... the operetta is a very important means of introducing people to the art of theater".

Right proscenium box and side tiers

In April 1937 the theater was sold to the Free State of Bavaria by the Wittelsbach Compensation Fund. Original plans for a demolition and subsequent new building were not implemented; instead, a thorough renovation took place. The theater reopened on November 20, 1937 with a performance of Die Fledermaus - making it the first and only state operetta stage. Adolf Hitler was among the guests . In 1938 Fritz Fischer became director of the theater, Peter Kreuder worked as music director. Fischer created a new style that was based on the Berlin Revue models and the film operetta: mass cast, splendid equipment, rapid pace and movements that were not disturbed by any pause:

““ Strangely enough, this style was particularly encouraged by the culture bearers ruling at the time, although it was actually derived from sources that must have been unsympathetic to the rulers. But they emphasized the importance of the operetta of this kind 'for the relaxation and increase of vitality and joie de vivre, of the working person, but especially of the wounded or soldiers staying at home on vacation'. ""

- Bavarian State Theater on Gärtnerplatz. 1965, p. 26 f.
Program for Gitta from 1942, with Elisabeth Biebl in the leading role

An example of the fashionable artistic accent is the operetta Gitta , which was first performed on May 16, 1942 . A trip into the blue . The “comedy operetta” was composed by the young composers Bernhard Stimmler (1912–1984) and Carl Michalski (1911–1998).

It is controversial whether the ensemble (including Johannes Heesters ) from the Gärtnerplatztheater only visited the Dachau concentration camp in 1941 or performed in front of SS guards.

On April 21, 1945, the theater was bombed during the last air raid on Munich, the portal structure was torn away and the stage was set on fire. The house remained unplayable for a long time. Shortly after the Second World War , it was initially played on Schornstrasse, but in 1948 it was back at the original location. With minor changes, the auditorium shone in its version from 1937.

The festive new beginning was on June 19, 1948, two days before the currency reform , with Johann Strauss' operetta One Night in Venice - the first peace-like gala evening in Munich after the war. The Gärtnerplatztheater was able to win over Gustaf Gründgens for a first (and only) guest director play , who in just three weeks "created a virtuoso performance of Offenbach's 'Bandits' (July 6, 1949)" with the in-house ensemble and in quickly assembled decorations and costumes. Gründgens himself played "a leading role in it with intellectual and comedic bravura."

The first commandment for the resurrected theater was to put together a powerful repertoire in order to be able to use certain successful pieces such as Der Bettelstudent , Viktoria und ihr Husar , Die Csárdásfürstin (with Sari Barabas ), The Bird Trader , Countess Mariza and The Land of Smiles (in which Elisabeth Biebl as Mi and Harry Friedauer as Gustl in a duet with the song My Love, Your Love ... ) to find approval with the audience. An event that reached far beyond the borders of the state capital was the world premiere of the musical comedy Fireworks staged by Erik Charell on May 16, 1950.

From 1952 to 1955 Rudolf Hartmann , who was also the director of the Bavarian State Opera , took over responsibility for the theater. The newly appointed head of the state opera ensured that operas were now also performed because they were looking for alternative options for game operas. But opera was separated from operetta precisely: opera performances were performed by the staff of the Bavarian State Opera, while the operetta performances remained with the ensemble of the Theater am Gärtnerplatz. The house served two gentlemen, so to speak: "The attractive 'cheerful muse' and the music theater as a moral institution".

In 1955 the connection with the Bavarian State Opera was canceled; the theater was named "State Theater on Gärtnerplatz". The repertoire was expanded and maintained by the directors Willy Duvoisin (1955–1958), Arno Assmann (1959–1964), Kurt Pscherer (1964–1983), Hellmuth Matiasek (1983–1996), Klaus Schultz (1996–2007), Ulrich Peters (2007–2012) and Josef E. Köpplinger (since 2012).

The first musicals were performed in 1956: Fanny with Christine Görner and Trude Hesterberg in the leading roles, and Kiss Me, Kate , with Johannes Heesters . The musical My Fair Lady premiered in 1984; Directed by August Everding , the role of Eliza Doolittle was sung by Cornelia Froboess .

In 1957, the Munich premiere of Stravinski's opera The Rake's Progress was shown. In the last thirty years other opera premieres have taken place in the State Theater on Gärtnerplatz (among others by Paul Engel, Wilfried Hiller , Vladimir Tarnopolski, Awet Terterjan and Johann Maria Staud). Klaus Schultz in particular expanded the ensemble and repertoire. He also successfully endeavored to raise the orchestra and choir classification to A (2003), which made quality-increasing engagements possible.

Artistic Director

State director Josef E. Köpplinger has been director of the theater since the 2012/2013 season; he was previously director of the Klagenfurt City Theater. Together with his team, Köpplinger is working on sharpening the profile of the Gärtnerplatztheater as the house for opera, operetta, musical and dance in Munich, which wants to show music theater in all its diversity and to be in close contact with its audience and the people in Munich .

The chief conductor of the orchestra of the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz is Anthony Bramall , the ballet director and chief choreographer of the in-house ballet company is the Austrian Karl Alfred Schreiner.

architecture

State Theater on Gärtnerplatz at night

The Gärtnerplatz, where the theater is located, was named after Friedrich von Gärtner , the most important architect of the 19th century in Bavaria alongside Leo von Klenze . The theater was built according to plans by the architect Franz Michael Reiffenstuel . He carried out all the carpentry and joinery work himself, while his son was entrusted with the masonry work. The theater was devoid of historicizing splendor and decorative ballast; it was not obliged to represent the court, but was intended to open up bourgeois cheerfulness, although the structure of the tiers and the parquet leaned on the court and national theater. The facade is characterized by late classicism and decorative elements of the Maximilian style. The gable figure comes from Max von Widnmann .

The building was damaged in World War II, but less severe compared to other buildings in the area and also compared to the National Theater in Munich . In 1948 gaming operations began again. After the auditorium, which had been rebuilt several times over the decades, regained its original shape in 1969, the facade was also given its original shape again in 1980. In the extension on Klenzestrasse, completed in 1978, there are administration, canteen and workshops as well as a rehearsal stage, the choir rehearsal hall and the ballet hall. The orchestra pit was rebuilt in the early 1990s . With these modifications, the sound and lighting systems were also renewed. Another renovation took place in 1999: the stage (upper and lower machinery) was completely renewed for around 12.5 million euros .

The building was completely renovated from May 2012 to October 2017. Meanwhile, games were held in various interim venues such as B. the Cuvilliés-Theater , the Deutsches Theater München , the Prinzregententheater , the Alte Kongresshalle or the Reithalle .

Technical specifications

The Gärtnerplatz-Theater is a classic rank theater ( balcony with central box and three tiers) and today has 893 seats (including standing room).

stage

  • Stage portal width: 9.50 m
  • Portal height: up to 6.85 m
  • Double-deck portal lighting bridge, lifting range from 2 m to 6.85 m
  • Stage room width and depth approx. 20 m
  • Height to the Schnürboden approx. 19.70 m
  • Cylinder turntable (diameter 14 m) with five tiltable lifting podiums (+2.70 m to −2.70 m each 2 × 8 m)
  • 2 table and 2 person recesses
  • 25 electric hoists, 27 manual counter hoists, 9 movable point hoists, 4 hydraulic skylights, 3 electric backstage hoists
  • 1 main curtain with electronic lift drive (Greek curtain, Wagner curtain , speed continuously 0.0 m / s to 1.2 m / s)
  • electric sound curtain (sound ceiling)

Upper and lower machinery are computer-controlled and can be operated together from one computer.

lighting

volume

  • Computer-aided sound control system Bosch-ANT with 30 input and 20 output channels
  • Microport system with 12 channels

Equipment warehouse

  • Joint decoration magazine of the Bavarian State Theater in Poing
  • Decoration magazine in Feldmoching with daily transports to and from the theater

Rehearsal stage

  • There are three rehearsal stages in the building, one of them with a full-size turntable.

World premieres

Directors (selection)

Chief conductor since 1979

Former ensemble members (selection)

literature

  • “Gärtnerplatztheater action group” of the Friends of the Nationaltheater e. V. (Ed.): Rendezvous in the spotlight. Munich 1979.
  • Bavarian State Theater on Gärtnerplatz (Ed.): 100 years of theater on Gärtnerplatz. Munich. Emha, Munich 1965.
  • Franz Josef Brakl : Commemorative publication on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Gärtnerplatztheater. Hafner & Wildenauer, Munich 1890.
  • Paul Busse: History of the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich. Waldbaur, Munich 1924.
  • Michael Jürgs : The Romy Schneider case. A biography. 2nd edition, Ullstein, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-548-37217-4 ( Ullstein 37217).
  • Klaus Kieser : The Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich 1932–1944. To the operetta under National Socialism. Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main et al. 1991, ISBN 3-631-43567-3 .
  • Hermann Roth: Memory of the Theater am Gärtnerplatz, Munich. Munich 1901.
  • Klaus Schultz (Ed.): Retrospectives. The seasons 1996-2007. Self-published by the theater, Munich 2007.
  • Deutsches Theatermuseum München (Ed.): "For the people to lust and prosper". 150 years of the Gärtnerplatztheater. Berlin 2015.

Web links

Commons : Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Planned reopening has been delayed. Report by Bayerischer Rundfunk from February 3, 2016, accessed on February 8, 2016.
  2. http://www.nordostkultur-muenchen.de/biographien/reiffenstruel.htm
  3. Bavarian State Theater on Gärtnerplatz, 1965, p. 43.
  4. ^ Paul Busse: History of the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich. Verlag A. Waldbauer, 1924, pp. 13-15.
  5. ^ Bavarian State Theater on Gärtnerplatz. 1965, p. 12.
  6. ^ Paul Busse: History of the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich. Verlag A. Waldbauer, 1924, pp. 19-21.
  7. ^ Paul Busse: History of the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich. Verlag A. Waldbauer, 1924, pp. 29-30.
  8. ^ Paul Busse: History of the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich. Verlag A. Waldbauer, 1924, p. 325.
  9. ^ Paul Busse: History of the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich. Verlag A. Waldbauer, 1924, p. 44.
  10. Playbill for the premiere
  11. Marco Wedig: The Völkerschauen in Munich were so racist. www.sueddeutsche.de, November 12, 2017, accessed on November 13, 2017 .
  12. ^ Paul Busse: History of the Gärtnerplatztheater in Munich. Verlag A. Waldbauer, 1924, p. 32.
  13. Jürgs 2000, p. 18.
  14. Gärtnerplatztheater action group, 1979, p. 22.
  15. Augsburger Allgemeine , Volume 2008, No. 293 (column from all over the world ).
  16. ^ Bavarian State Theater on Gärtnerplatz. 1965, p. 30.
  17. ^ Bavarian State Theater on Gärtnerplatz. 1965, p. 32.
  18. Dominik Hutter: The newly renovated Gärtnerplatzheater shows what it can do. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung of October 8, 2017. ( online )


Coordinates: 48 ° 7 ′ 51.6 ″  N , 11 ° 34 ′ 32.2 ″  E