Thielemann’s final charge
OperaGermany awakes today to the expectation that Christian Thielemann will be installed as general music director of Berlin’s state opera.
The position is prestigious, numbering Richard Strauss, Erich Kleiber and Herbert von Karajan among its occupants and the power is visible, with Germany’s rulers a mere bus-ride away. Thielemann will be acutely aware of the rewards and the risk.
On the other hand, what else should he be doing?
At 64 he has been head of Deutsche Oper Berlin, Munich Philharmonic, Bayreuth Festival, Salzburg Easter Festival and Dresden Staatskapelle. Each produced notable triumphs and ended generally in acrimony. Thielemann, like Barenboim, is a man of strong opinions who does not readily entertain contradiction.
Berlin now offers him a last chance to transcend a legacy of controversy and establish an idyll of music making. Thielemann has shown at Bayreuth that he can turn a blind eye to major irritants – appalling scenography and interfering direction – and produce epic realisations of the summits of German opera. If he can do that in Berlin, he will have an exceptional opportunity to rewrite his own history.
He has all to play for, won or lose.
I keep reading of conductors who, in the words of this article, do “not readily entertain contradiction”, yet seem completely powerless when confronted with stage directors… I wish conductors like Thielemann and others wielded more that supposed power and authority to rein in the excesses of Regietheater and ensure that the visual aspect of performances reached the same high standards of the musicians involved. Otherwise might just as well do concert versions and call it a day.
We all worship Thielemann.
Leave it at I.
Oh Jerry. Every Thielemann post brings the same mischief. Stop it!
“Germany’s rulers”? I thought they governed, not ruled. But maybe I’m just naive.
To be fair, there are not that many opera conductors can do equally well for German repertoire. People have different opinion on his concerts, but in opera house pit, he is usually very good.
The top opera job in Germany, remember, lies in Munich, not Berlin.
Unter den Linden is a nice Classical house with 1,300 seats — a mismatch in fact for Thielemann’s repertory of Wagner, Strauss, Humperdinck, Pfitzner.
1st Munich Opera (also Vienna, Dresden, Paris, Milano) was built 100 years later than Berlin Opera. Thats why it is a bit bigger. Don‘t forget that please. And
2nd Munich Opera receives more money per year than the 3 operahouses in Berlin together.
Thats why also Bayern Munich is still better than Union Berlin and Hertha together…
The people who work with Thielemann describe him as a primo don figure and difficult to work with. He generally makes a wonderful sound, but he’s no Richard Strauss, he’s no Furwaengler either.
Norman, please, be better informed: “Herbert von Karajan among its occupants…” Never ever. Karajan was only a guest conducter with the State Opera in Nazi times.
I found him shallow, with a superficial knowledge of what he was conducting. But, this is many years ago so perhaps things have changed.