History of the Alte Oper
As early as 1869, the desire for a new, larger opera house arose in Frankfurt. The Comedienhaus, built in 1782, seemed to the citizens of the city to be slowly too small. With funds from a repayment of a war contribution, this wish then took on more and more concrete form. 67 wealthy inhabitants founded a sponsoring association with the purpose of a new building. A competition, which was won by Richard Lucae, finally meant the beginning of the construction phase in 1872, which lasted over 8 years. The Alte Oper was built in the style of the neo-Renaissance. At first, the horrendous costs did not bring much popularity to the old opera in the simple population. Only later did a certain pride in the building develop, which was opened with Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and was also the setting for the world premiere of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" in 1937.
Reconstruction and citizens' initiative
When the Alte Oper was badly damaged by allied air raids in 1944, there were voices after the war calling for the complete demolition of the Alte Oper. There was enormous resistance to this, which resulted in the largest citizens' initiative ever seen in the Federal Republic of Germany. This initiative campaigned for a reconstruction that lasted - after many disputes - until 1981. The actual opera house in Frankfurt had already moved to another home in 1951. Several millions in donations had made the extremely expensive reconstruction possible. Expensive also because only the best and most modern of everything was used, both in the actual building and in the entire stage technology.
Architecture of the Alte Oper in Frankfurt
With a floor area of around 4,000 square metres, the building reaches a maximum length of almost 100 metres, a width of 47 metres and a height of 34 metres. The Alte Oper consists of two interlocking structures. Particularly noteworthy is the splendidly decorated staircase, which already thrilled visitors at the opening. The façade is decorated with 24 medallions, i.e. diagrams, by different sculptors. The inscription "Dem Wahren Schoenen Guten" below the gable, which was chosen in reference to a work by Goethe, is also well-known.
Today's use
Musically, the Alte Oper is today ready for many different forms of performance. Chamber concerts and lieder recitals take place here, as do baroque or avant-garde concerts. The jazz, rock and pop genres also find a stage for their audiences here. In 1992 the premiere of Frank Zappa's "Yellow Shark" took place here. And the building is also used as a venue for congresses. The Alte Oper offers around 300 performances a year to the people of Frankfurt and visitors from outside, and around 40 congresses are held annually within its historic walls.
