National Theatre (Munich)
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The National Theatre or Nationaltheater München on Max-Joseph-Platz in Munich is an opera house and the home base of The Bayerische Staatsoper or Bavarian State Opera.
The Bavarian State Opera also performs in the Prinzregententheater (a house built in the early years of the 20th Century and which is not unlike the Bayreuth theatre built to Richard Wagner’s specifications) and the Cuvilliés Theatre, (built in the 1750s and described by Beauvert as "a Rococo gem").
After the first theatre, commissioned by King Maximilian 1st of Bavaria and designed by Karl von Fischer, which opened in 1818 with "Die Weihe" by Ferdinand Fränzl, was destroyed by fire in 1823, it was reconstructed and re-opened in 1825. This second theatre, designed by Leo von Klenze, incorporated neo-Greek features as seen in its portico and triangular pediment.
During these years, it was to see the premieres of a significant number of operas, including many by German composers. These included Wagner’s "Tristan und Isolde" (1865); "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" (1968); "Das Rheingold" (1869); and "Die Walküre" (1870) after which Wagner chose to built a theatre in Bayreuth and continued performances there.
During the latter part of the 19th Century, it was Richard Strauss who would make his mark on the Theatre in the city in which he was born in 1864. After accepting the position of conductor for a short time, Strauss returned to the theatre to become chief conductor from 1894 to 1898. In the pre-War period, his "Friedenstag" (1938) and "Capriccio" were premiered in Munich. Although somewhat modified in 1930 to create an enlarged stage area with updated equipment, the second theatre survived until Second World War bombing destroyed it in October 1943.
Based on the original plans by Karl von Fischer, the architect Gerhard Moritz Graubner recreated the original neo-classical 2100 seat theatre. Albeit somewhat enlarged and only the foyer and main staircase retaining their original look, the theatre opened on 22nd November 1963 with a performance of Richard Wagner’s "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg". In the post-War period, the house has seen significant productions and many world premieres.
