De Nederlandse Opera
Encyclopedia
De Nederlandse Opera (English: The Dutch Opera) in Amsterdam
, is a Dutch opera
company based in Amsterdam
, Netherlands
. Its present home base is the Het Muziektheater, a modern building designed by Cees Dam which opened in 1986.
DNO was established shortly after the end of World War II
as a repertory company with a permanent ensemble. In the postwar period, it toured extensively in the Netherlands from its home base in the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, a fin de siècle
theatre on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam. In 1964, it was renamed De Nederlandse Operastichting. (The Dutch Opera Foundation), and the company adopted a stagione orientation, inviting different soloists and artistic teams for each new production. In 1986, the company moved to the new Muziektheater building, the Stopera
, which it shares with the Dutch National Ballet, on the Amstel river and thereafter became known as De Nederlandse Opera (DNO).
DNO has its own choir
of sixty singers and a technical staff of 260. DNO does not have its own resident orchestra, and so various orchestras of the Netherlands
, including the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
(NPO), the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra
(NKO), the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the ASKO Ensemble, and the Schoenberg Ensemble have provided the orchestral forces for DNO productions.
DNO produces on average eleven productions per year, with nearly all performances sold out. While most performances are in the Muziektheater, the company has also performed in the Stadsschouwburg, at the Koninklijk Theater Carré, and on the Westergasfabriek
industrial site in Amsterdam. F or many years, the June production has been organized as part of the Holland Festival and includes the participation of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
. DNO has lent its productions to foreign companies, such as the Metropolitan Opera
, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Lincoln Center Festival in New York
, as well as the Adelaide Festival in Australia
.
Since 1988, the French-Lebanese theatre director Pierre Audi
has been artistic director of DNO. Hartmut Haenchen
was chief conductor from 1986 to 1999, in parallel with holding the title of chief conductor of the NPO. He now holds the title of principal guest conductor with DNO. Subsequent chief conductors have been Edo de Waart
(1999-2004) and Ingo Metzmacher
(2005-2008). In March 2009, DNO announced the appointment of Marc Albrecht
as the orchestra's next chief conductor, with the 2011-2012 season, for an initial contract of 4 years. This return to a single chief conductor at both DNO and the NPO/NKO allows for the NPO to become the principal opera orchestra for DNO.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, is a Dutch opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
company based in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Its present home base is the Het Muziektheater, a modern building designed by Cees Dam which opened in 1986.
DNO was established shortly after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as a repertory company with a permanent ensemble. In the postwar period, it toured extensively in the Netherlands from its home base in the Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, a fin de siècle
Fin de siècle
Fin de siècle is French for "end of the century". The term sometimes encompasses both the closing and onset of an era, as it was felt to be a period of degeneration, but at the same time a period of hope for a new beginning...
theatre on the Leidseplein in Amsterdam. In 1964, it was renamed De Nederlandse Operastichting. (The Dutch Opera Foundation), and the company adopted a stagione orientation, inviting different soloists and artistic teams for each new production. In 1986, the company moved to the new Muziektheater building, the Stopera
Stopera
The Stopera is a building complex in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, housing both the city hall of Amsterdam and the Muziektheater, the principal opera house in Amsterdam and the home of De Nederlandse Opera, Het Nationale Ballet, and the Holland Symfonia....
, which it shares with the Dutch National Ballet, on the Amstel river and thereafter became known as De Nederlandse Opera (DNO).
DNO has its own choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
of sixty singers and a technical staff of 260. DNO does not have its own resident orchestra, and so various orchestras of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, including the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based primarily in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The NedPhO was formed in 1985 from the merger of three orchestras, the Amsterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Utrecht Symphony Orchestra Utrecht and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra...
(NPO), the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra
Netherlands Chamber Orchestra
The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra is a chamber orchestra based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The NKO is part of the Stichting Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest , along with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra . The core of the NKO is a group of at least 20 string instrumentalists...
(NKO), the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is a symphony orchestra of the Netherlands, based at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In 1988, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands conferred the "Royal" title upon the orchestra...
, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra is a Dutch symphony orchestra based in Rotterdam. Its primary venue is the concert hall De Doelen. The RPhO is considered one of the Netherlands' two principal orchestras of international standing, second to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam...
, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the ASKO Ensemble, and the Schoenberg Ensemble have provided the orchestral forces for DNO productions.
DNO produces on average eleven productions per year, with nearly all performances sold out. While most performances are in the Muziektheater, the company has also performed in the Stadsschouwburg, at the Koninklijk Theater Carré, and on the Westergasfabriek
Westergasfabriek
The Westergasfabriek is a former gasworks in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, now used as a cultural venue.- History :In the 19th century the Imperial Continental Gas Association built two coal gas plants in Amsterdam: the Eastern Gas Factory and the Western Gas Factory. The latter was ready in 1885...
industrial site in Amsterdam. F or many years, the June production has been organized as part of the Holland Festival and includes the participation of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is a symphony orchestra of the Netherlands, based at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In 1988, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands conferred the "Royal" title upon the orchestra...
. DNO has lent its productions to foreign companies, such as the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Lincoln Center Festival in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, as well as the Adelaide Festival in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Since 1988, the French-Lebanese theatre director Pierre Audi
Pierre Audi
Pierre Audi is a French-Lebanese theatre director and artistic director.Pierre Audi is the son of the Lebanese banker Raymond Audi and Andrée Michel Fattal, the eldest of three children. Audi's family were originally from originally from Saida, but he attended the French Lycée in Beirut...
has been artistic director of DNO. Hartmut Haenchen
Hartmut Haenchen
Hartmut Haenchen is a German orchestra conductor.Haenchen began his musical career as a member of the Dresden Kreuzchor. By the age of 15, he was already conducting performances as cantor. As a 17-year-old, he attracted widespread attention with his revival of Johann Adolph Hasse's Requiem...
was chief conductor from 1986 to 1999, in parallel with holding the title of chief conductor of the NPO. He now holds the title of principal guest conductor with DNO. Subsequent chief conductors have been Edo de Waart
Edo de Waart
Edo de Waart is a Dutch conductor, and the Music Director of both the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra....
(1999-2004) and Ingo Metzmacher
Ingo Metzmacher
Ingo Metzmacher is a German conductor. He is the son of the cellist Rudolf Metzmacher. His musical education in piano, music theory and conducting was in Hanover, Salzburg and Cologne...
(2005-2008). In March 2009, DNO announced the appointment of Marc Albrecht
Marc Albrecht
Marc Albrecht is a German conductor. He is the son of the conductor George Alexander Albrecht and Corinne Albrecht, formerly a ballet dancer who became a physiotherapist. Albrecht studied music with his father...
as the orchestra's next chief conductor, with the 2011-2012 season, for an initial contract of 4 years. This return to a single chief conductor at both DNO and the NPO/NKO allows for the NPO to become the principal opera orchestra for DNO.
Chief conductors (partial list)
- Hans Vonk (1976-1985)
- Hartmut HaenchenHartmut HaenchenHartmut Haenchen is a German orchestra conductor.Haenchen began his musical career as a member of the Dresden Kreuzchor. By the age of 15, he was already conducting performances as cantor. As a 17-year-old, he attracted widespread attention with his revival of Johann Adolph Hasse's Requiem...
(1986-1999) - Edo de WaartEdo de WaartEdo de Waart is a Dutch conductor, and the Music Director of both the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra....
(1999-2004) - Ingo MetzmacherIngo MetzmacherIngo Metzmacher is a German conductor. He is the son of the cellist Rudolf Metzmacher. His musical education in piano, music theory and conducting was in Hanover, Salzburg and Cologne...
(2005-2008) - Marc AlbrechtMarc AlbrechtMarc Albrecht is a German conductor. He is the son of the conductor George Alexander Albrecht and Corinne Albrecht, formerly a ballet dancer who became a physiotherapist. Albrecht studied music with his father...
(2011-present)