Since it was founded, the Komische Oper Berlin has been the place where both parts of the term 'musical theatre' receive equal attention. (You can find out more about the history of the opera house here). We perform the sort of theatre that has a proud tradition here, namely productions in which the various art forms do not vie for supremacy, but instead justify each other; productions in which all the participating artists combine their talents and work towards a common aim - to provide vital, contemporary, exciting theatre each and every night. In 2007, the Komische Oper Berlin was voted »opera house of the year«, and its choir soloists received the title of »opera choir of the year«. These awards confirm that the Komische Oper Berlin has developed into one of the highest-profile opera houses in the German-speaking world. Our "high profile" is not in the sense of representative routines, however, but of a distinctive, strongly individual, and unique artistic institute. Here, opera is not merely a culinary spectacle, but instead a predominantly theatrical event. Making this profile visible and palpable during every performance and during the daily work of all departments in front of, on, and behind the stage is the most important aim of our work. Each time we want to show the magic of musical theatre anew; we want to show that, because of the music, it is the only art form which can communicate concrete contents in a way which is palpable on an immediate emotional level. It is our opinion that musical theatre's main aim is to move people. In short: for us, the name "Komische Oper” ('Comic Opera House') means that we take opera seriously.
When Walter Felsenstein opened the Komische Oper in December 1947, the name he bestowed on it was also to govern its programme. The name derives from the French »opéra comique«, whose theatrical liveliness, general and direct comprehensibility, and attitude of anti-elitism served as a model for Felsenstein and his understanding of realistic musical theatre. As the current theatre manager of the Komische Oper Berlin, Andreas Homoki has consistently continued Felsenstein's creed into the 21st century. Then as now, the central focus of the work at the Komische Oper Berlin is that of the ensemble of virtuoso singer-performers. A small, slender repertoire also makes it possible for each production to be intensively supported and to thus make it excellent, providing the audience with première quality each evening. With gripping, touching, entertaining, and involving productions, the Komische Oper Berlin proves afresh each time that opera is a vital and contemporary art form. At the Komische Oper Berlin, the supposedly familiar is turned into something new and interesting: certainties are questioned, and new perspectives are offered, not just of the pieces themselves, but of the form as a whole. We view it as our task to look for what is new without lingering over what is faddish.
The Komische Oper Berlin is located in the heart of the city, between the Brandenburg Gate, the Museumsinsel, and Checkpoint Charlie. The theatre building in the Behrenstraße was built at the end of the 19th century according to plans drawn up by Austrian architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer. It was home to various theatres from 1892 to 1945, including the legendary »Metropol-Theater«. Renowned inaugural performances such as Lehár's The Land of Smiles and Abraham's The flower of Hawaii took place here. The building was destroyed during the last days of the war, although the stage and auditorium luckily survived almost unscathed. The Komische Oper was festively inaugurated on 23rd December 1947 with Walter Felsenstein's production of Johann Strauß's The Bat. In 1965/1966, there followed a fundamental expansion of the entire complex by the architect Kunz Nierade. The neo-baroque, richly decorated auditorium, which today provides space for 1,190 visitors and which has been fitted with new, comfortable seating with an integrated, multilingual translation system, was largely left in its original condition in which it was created in 1892, while the main facade in the Behrenstraße was designed in the functional style of the 1960s. In 2005, the foyer was given a contemporary re-design by architect Stephan Braunfels, and now offers over 1,000 square metres of elegantly mirrored floor space for the provision of refreshments during intervals, for special events, and for chamber concerts, among other things. The re-positioning of the opera house in the international opera landscape of the 21st century would be unthinkable without the support of the sponsoring group Freunde der Komischen Oper Berlin e.V., which has been working actively and persistently on behalf of the Komische Oper Berlin since 1990.
Ensemble and choir soloists
In order to make all the events immediately comprehensible, we at the Komische Oper perform all works in German. In doing so, we are consciously resisting the increasingly interchangeable operatic practice of the international opera jet-set. We are in addition providing support for the development of singers of great dramatic presence, something which applies not only for the around 30 people in the soloist ensemble, but also for the 60 choir soloists.
Orchestra
Founded in 1947 under Leo Spies, the orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin today encompasses 112 musicians. Among the renowned conductors who led the orchestra in the years which followed were Otto Klemperer, Václav Neumann, and Kurt Masur. Rolf Reuter and Yakov Kreizberg were the later general music directors, before Kirill Petrenko took over this position in 2002, and was named "conductor of the year" in 2007. Carl St.Clair has been the general music director of the Komische Oper Berlin since the 2008/09 season. He will be leaving the Komische Oper at the end of the 2009/2010 season. Patrick Lange was made the head conductor with the start of the 2010/11 season.
Visitors
Every year, at total of around 180,000 people attend the 250 performances. Each season, we offer seven new productions, around 18 revivals, eight symphony concerts, numerous foyer concerts, concerts for children, and special events.
Audience
Through its efforts to provide contemporary musical theatre, the Komische Oper has managed inspire a new, young audience with musical theatre. According to a visitors' survey conducted in collaboration with the polling institute forsa in 2008, the average age of visitors to the Komische Oper Berlin is only 44.9 years.
To us, the tradition of »realistic musical theatre«, with which Walter Felsenstein and his theatre in the Behrenstraße made one of the most important impressions on operatic history in the 20th century, does not mean being reduced to a uniform style. On the contrary, it finds expression in the great variety and breadth of the directors working for us: Andreas Homoki's powerful character portraits stand alongside Hans Neuenfels's surreal interpretations; Barrie Kosky's colourful and rapid-fire works alongside Sebastian Baumgarten's post-dramatic deconstructions, and Calixto Bieto's radical reworkings alongside Peter Konwitschny's psychological depth-charges. Of central importance to the opera house's aesthetic is the kind of contemporaneity which does not deal in faddish outer show, but which instead penetrates the object of its focus and makes it palpable in a manner beyond conventionality. In contrast to many other great opera houses, we have the opportunity to create intimate moments which are more closely related to the detailed studies of Kammerspiel theatre (plays in a small, intimate setting with no props or scenery) than to the static tableaux of Grand Opéra. For us, the central focus of our work is making the theatrical situation immediately palpable. Accordingly, it is innovators in this genre, such as Handel, Gluck, and Mozart, as well as Verdi and Puccini, who dominate our repertoire. The 20th century is firmly present on our stage, as are the maligned genres of operetta and musical. The fact that not everything in the so-called »leichte Muse« (light musical entertainment) is as superficial as it might seem at first glance has been demonstrated in numerous productions, such as Lehár's The Land of Smiles, Strauß's The Bat or Porter's Kiss me, Kate – and yet never without losing sight of the task of entertaining. We are equally focused on bringing contemporary music to our audience, something which is reflected in the great number of concerts and inaugural performances of musical theatre pieces. Diversity, variety, new perspectives - this is what is offered by the gripping, vital musical theatre at the Komische Oper Berlin.
Adventure Opera! Children and young people are invited to immerse themselves in the exciting world of musical theatre at the Komische Oper Berlin. And they do this with enthusiasm - each season, 30,000 children and young people avail themselves of the comprehensive range provided by »Komische Oper ’Young«, which is specifically aimed at the needs of young people. The music theatre education department at the Komische Oper Berlin today works together with over 400 schools. The extremely positive feedback shows how important it is to encourage the imagination and creativity of young people and to reinforce their interest in art, culture, and opera. This why we hold a children's opera première on the Große Bühne (great stage) each season, including inaugural performances. The care and the passion with which we produce children's operas is transmitted to the young audience and leads to an intuitive exploration of opera on the part of the children and young people.
Our own enthusiasm alone is not enough to fascinate other people. This is why we offer a comprehensive workshop programme which uses the method of dramatic interpretation of music and theatre to introduce young visitors of all ages to the art form that is opera. The concerts for children and the moderated concert rehearsals are an especially impressive experience for all visitors and helpers alike. This is because these concerts are not just about listening passively, but also about joining in, listening actively, clapping, and making music. With the aid of age-appropriate moderation, young people learn about the musical and cultural-historical context of a piece, and can ask the conductor and the musicians about their work. Children also receive the opportunity to become a part of the children's choir, which is made up of almost 80 boys and girls aged between six and 14, and is a firm feature of the opera house's tradition. Not only can the children's choir be seen and heard on our stage during numerous performances in our repertoire - it is also and above all an important part of our children's opera productions. An event for our grown-up and little visitors alike is the annual festival to mark the new season, which is specially designed for children and their families and which is hugely popular.
The Komische Oper Berlin views itself as an open and diversified opera house which provides not only opera but also a series of other events, and which is actively engaged in providing support for the next generation of artists by preparing them for the realities of working life as performers, and by productively engaging with these young, talented artists. We also engage in contemporary music in a variety of ways, such as by commissioning compositions, holding inaugural performances, and working together with the »Composer in Residence«.
Komische Oper ‘Studio
Since the 2008/09 season, the Komische Oper Berlin has been offering a biennial, future-orientated, and demanding additional professional training scheme for opera performers, setting new benchmarks in the musical theatre landscape. As university courses are primarily focussed on singing training, but young singers are also increasingly having to show great dramatic acting presence, the scholarship-holders at the Komische Oper are given small roles and thus and involved in the day-to-day work of the opera, and work towards acting qualifications in small workshops led by internationally renowned lecturers and directors.
