9 . T H E
S E M P E R
O P E R A
THEATERPLATZ 2
The history of opera in Dresden goes back
to the opening of the city ’ s first opera
house in 1667 . Under the baton of
Hofkapellmeister Johann Adolph Hasse ,
Dresden rose to prominence as a lively
centre of European opera .
When the Royal Saxon Theatre opened its
doors in 1817 , audiences could enjoy
Italian and ( somewhat later ) German
opera in addition to drama . Carl Maria
von Weber headed the so - called German
Department . » Rienzi «, » The Flying
Dutchman « and » Tannhäuser « all
premiered here after Richard Wagner ’ s
appointment as Hofkapellmeister in 1843 .
Ernst von Schuch , who was
Generalmusikdirektor from 1889 to 1914 ,
conducted over 40 world premieres ,
including Richard Strauss ’ s » Salome «,
» Elektra « and » Der Rosenkavalier «. Five
more of the composer ’ s operas were
premiered in Dresden up to the year 1938 .
Under Schuch ’ s successor , Fritz Busch ,
the repertoire in Dresden was expanded
to include modernist works , such as the
world premieres of pieces by Weill and
Hindemith .
The Staatskapelle Dresden , one of the
most world ’ s most prestigious orchestras ,
was founded in 1548 . per .