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Semper Oper in Dresden
Semper Oper is an opera house in Dresden, Germany, and is one of the most famous in Europe. The
building is considered to be a prime example of "Dresden-Baroque" architecture. It is situated on the Theater Square in central
Dresden.
It was built by the architect Gottfried Semper (1803-1879) as his second opera house in this location (the first was destroyed
by fire in 1869). The second opera house was completed under management of his son Manfred Semper. (1838-1913). On top of the
portal there is a Pantherquadriga with a statue of Dionysos. The sumptuous interior
was created by famous archirects of that time, such as Johannes Schilling. Monuments on the portal depict famous artists such as
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller, William Shakespeare, Sophocles, Molière and Euripides.
In the pre-war years, the building premiered many of the works of Richard Strauss.
During the last weeks of World War Two in 1945 the building was
destroyed by the Allied bombing and the subsequent fire storms. Exactly 40 years later,
on 13 February 1985 the opera reopened with the same opera that was last performed in 1945: Weber's Der Freischütz.
Dresden's Theater Square
Conductors associated with Semper Oper have included Ernst von Schuch, Fritz Busch, and Karl Böhm. Singers assoicated with it
include Jenny Bürde-Ney, Irene Abendroth, Elisabeth, Rethberg, Erna Sack, Elisabeth Reichelt, Elisabeth Höngen, Brünnhild
Friedland and Therese Malten.
During the flood of 2002, The building suffered heavy water damage. With substantial help from around the world, it reopened
in December 2002. Singers
Today, most operas are accompanied by the Sächsische Staatskapelle orchestra of Dresden. Performances are nearly always sold
out.
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