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Munich Summer Opera Festival
Presents Seven New Productions

2003 / 2004

Edited by Madelyn Miller

The Bavarian State Opera performs to an audience of more than 650,000 people annually, with 350 performances of over 60 different productions in three of Europe's most beautiful theatres (the Nationaltheater, the Cuvilliés-Theater and the Prinzregententheater). The company plays a leading role in maintaining Munich's reputation as a centre of excellence for art and culture. The large repertoire of opera and ballet productions together with recitals and concerts make the Bavarian State Opera the most productive opera company in the world.

The Münchner Opern-Festspiele, the season's finale and -about 125 years old- the oldest opera festival in the world takes place in July and attracts an audience of nearly 100, 000.   With more than 60 performances within 30 days, including 16 opera productions, 2 ballets and concerts, experimental theatre and recitals, the Münchner Opern-Festspiele is one of the highlights of cultural life in Munich.  Since 1998 the festival is supplemented by Festspiel+, a fitting programme of experimental nature combining drama, music and the visual arts. The free open-air performance "Oper für alle" open up the festival to all in Munich - whether seasoned operagoers or not.

During 2003/04, the Bayerische Staatsoper is presenting seven new opera productions all of which can be experienced during the 2004 Summer Festival: The long awaited new production of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg conducted by Zubin Mehta and directed by Thomas Langhoff opens on the 29th of June. The festival premieres of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande conducted by Paul Daniel and directed by Richard Jones and, in the Prinzregententheater, Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia conducted by Ivor Bolton and directed by Deborah Warner will follow. The new productions of Donizetti's Roberto Devereux, Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice and Berg's Lulu as well as revivals of Don Carlo, Xerxes, Otello, Rodelinda, Tannhäuser and a full ballet programme complete the picture.

Oper für alle will be back in Max-Joseph-Platz with a live performance of Mahler's 3rd Symphony and Die Meistersinger the following day. The recital programme will be extensive as will Festspiel+. Once again the Bayerische Staatsoper will demonstrate that it is the only repertory opera company in the world that can achieve such a panoply of work within five weeks.

At the end of the 2003 Summer Festival, the influential political and arts weekly, The Spectator, wrote: "The Royal Opera, La Scala, the Met and the Vienna State Opera are ranked in media perception as the big four. The league table fluctuates era by era. Over the past decade, the Kirov and Munich's Bayerische Staatsoper have hugely outshone the routinist regimes in Vienna and La Scala".

For specific schedules, casting and information on how to purchase tickets, please visit the Bayerische Staatsoper website at www.staatsoper.de

BEST WAY TO GET THERE

USAIRWAYS
www.usairways.com

GREAT GUIDEBOOKS

FROMMER’S GERMANY 2002
By Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince
WWW.frommers.com

FROMMER’S BAVARIA
www.frommers.com

GERMANY
EYEWITNESS TRAVELGUIDES
I love the picture format that shows you what other guides only tell you
WWW.dk.com

Let’s Go Germany
www.letsgo.com
St. Martin’s Press
www.stmartin.com

Rick Steve’s
Europe Through the Back Door 2003
www.Ricksteves.com

Let’s Go Eastern Europe
www.letsgo.com
St. Martin’s Press
www.stmartin.com

How to Pronounce French, German and Italian Wine Names
By Dianna Bellucci
They also include a bonus of Austrian, Spanish and Portugese Wine Names
Luminosa Publishing
www.howtopronounce.com

BERLIN

Berlin
Knopf Mapguides
www.aaknopf.com

MUNICH

KNOPF MAPGUIDES MUNICH
The city in section by section maps
www.aaknopf.com

WHERE TO STAY

Dorint Seehotel Ueberfahrt
Henry Hunold General Manager
Ueberfahrtstrasse 10
83700 Rottach-Egern
phone: ++49-8022-6690
http://www.dorint.de/tegernsee

Frau Vogel/Frau Melanie Schauer.
Fax 0049/8821-74268
Email H2940@accor-hotels.com

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