Dresden Semperoper with new announcements led by a Swiss director

New times are dawning for the venerable Semperoper Dresden. The coming season under Swiss director Nora Schmid will bring numerous new appointments.

The Saxon State Opera Dresden has announced ten new productions in the opera category and four new ballet pieces for the first season under the direction of the new Swiss artistic director Nora Schmid. The new productions include productions of George Frideric Handel’s “Saul,” Richard Strauss’ “Intermezzo,” Sergei Prokofiev’s “The Love of the Three Oranges” and Maurice Ravel’s “The Child and the Magic Spook.”

Well-known German actors also appear in two productions: Martina Gedeck in the opening premiere of ‘Mefistofele’ (September 28) and Jan Josef Liefers in Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Candide’. ‘Tatort’ star Liefers once did an internship as a carpenter at the Semperoper.

Musically, the intention is to cover a wide range, from the Baroque to the present, from magical fairy tales to science fiction operas, the appointed director Schmid said in Dresden on Thursday. In addition, 27 repertoire pieces are on the program.

The new season marks a new beginning for the Saxon State Opera. After a six-year term, director Peter Theiler steps down and hands the house over to Schmid, who was chief dramaturge in Dresden before her time as director of the Graz Opera.

Like Schmid, Theiler comes from Switzerland. The Bernese-born studied musicology with a focus on opera and business administration. Schmid gained further professional experience at the Basel Sinfonietta.

In addition, Christian Thielemann will step down as chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden and will be replaced by the Italian Daniele Gatti, who will also conduct operas from the 2025/2026 season. There is also a new ballet director, choreographer Kinsun Chan. The State Opera Choir also has a new boss, Jan Hoffmann. (sda/dpa/lyn)