Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier recognized humanity as a special spirit of the Komische Oper Berlin. During a gala on Friday evening, Steinmeier recalled the beginning of the house 75 years ago, when people in war-torn Berlin came to the opera. That was something different “than just looking for distraction,” said Steinmeier.
It expressed “the deep human longing that searches for places and hours in the midst of destruction and confusion where humanity is alive”. And further: “Only great art can do something like that.” Steinmeier referred to the accessibility for the people, which characterizes the Komische Oper, “but never cheap pandering”.
The house under the artistic director duo Susanne Moser and Philip Bröking celebrated its 75th anniversary with a gala. On December 23, 1947, the newly founded house was opened on the site of the former Metropol Theater in the middle of the destroyed city center.
For the anniversary, opera and film director Axel Ranisch staged a festival in sound and image with lots of music and excerpts from successful stage productions.
The opera house is about to be completely renovated and expanded. For a still uncertain time, the Komische Oper is moving to the coming season. The Schillertheater in the west of the city will be the venue, and decentralized projects are also planned.
After an initial forecast of 227 million euros, costs of a good 437 million euros are now being calculated. One of the reasons for the increase is the sharp rise in the construction price index.
The Komische Oper takes its name from the house that was destroyed in the war and from the French opéra comique’s closeness to the people. Accordingly, the program with mostly light or unusually staged operas and some operettas differs from the other houses Staatsoper Unter den Linden and Deutsche Oper Berlin. (dpa)
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