Music Opera : programm and booking for Leipzig

Leipzig and music

History

Architecture

The city of Leipzig has an exceptionally rich musical history. It is the native city of Wagner and many composers such as Telemann, Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Mahler have contributed greatly to its renown; not forgetting Goethe, in a related field, who wrote Faust here. With the strength of its unique musical tradition (it is here that Mendelssohn founded Germany’s first conservatoire), Leipzig is today, with the Opera and the Gewandhausorchester, an essential centre for international musical life.

The Gewandhausorchester is without doubt one of the finest orchestras in the world. Founded in 1743, it takes its name from the former Cloth Hall (Gewandhaus) on the market square. In the 19th century, Mendelssohn brought it Europe-wide fame, and later Arthur Nikisch established its celebrity worldwide. It has had a succession of famous principal conductors, among them Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter, Hermann Abendroth and Kurt Masur, who opened the new Gewandhaus in 1981. Standing on the Augustusplatz, the auditorium designed by Rudolf Skoda seats 1905 people. After his wonderful achievements with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, it was quite natural for Riccardo Chailly to replace Herbert Blomstedt as Musical Director in 2005. Each year, the orchestra performs all over the world. It also has a number of chamber music ensembles formed by its soloists. Among them the Gewandhaus-Quartett, founded in 1809, is the oldest string quartet in the world. Each year, the Mendelssohn festival at the Gewandhaus is one of the high points of Leipzig’s musical life.

The first performance at the Oper Leipzig was given in 1693; it was the second Opera House to be founded in Germany. From 1702, Telemann, organist and director of music at the Church, offered the services of his orchestra, the Collegium musicum (a significant fact since the Gewandhausorchester still plays in the orchestra pit today). Like the Vienna Staatsoper, the Leipzig Opera can pride itself on having one of the finest orchestras in the world. Riccardo Chailly is also its Artistic Director. Before him, figures come to mind such as E.T.A. Hoffmann and Lortzing, who performed his principal masterpieces here. Arthur Nikisch, following Angelo Neumann, disseminated and preserved the heritage of Richard Wagner. He was to have as his assistant a certain Gustav Mahler. Today the institution hosts a continuous series of events of a European dimension. This vital institution also has one of the finest European corps de ballet, a choir and a children’s chorale as well as a dance school.

The city’s musical influences have deep roots. For instance, the present Thomanerchor boys’ choir derives from the choir of the collegiate church of Augustine canons. Its most famous Cantor was Johann Sebastian Bach (1723-1750) himself. His quality as a Cantor also earned him the position of musical director of the churches, the Council and the university. Every year the “Leipzig Bach Festival” keeps the composer’s tradition alive by giving pride of place to his works.
The MDR Sinfonieorchester is also one of the city’s major musical institutions. The Radio orchestra is also composed of the choir of the MDR and a chorale which gives many performances in Germany and abroad.

The city of Leipzig owes its foundation to the settlement of a Slavic colony near the confluence of the Elster and Parthe rivers between the 7th and 9th century. Known by the name “Lipsk” (place of lime trees) it is only mentioned for the first time in 1015 in the chronicle of Bishop Thietmar von Merseburg under the name “urbs Libzi”. In 1165, Otto the Rich granted it the right to hold two markets a year at Easter and on St Michael’s.

The city then grew and in 1212, the Augustinian Canons of St Thomas settled here. The first university opened in 1409 and is one of the oldest in Germany.

In 1497, Emperor Maximilian I extended the privileges of annual markets, which then became imperial trade fairs, prohibiting towns within a radius of 115 km from holding other events. Strengthened by this right, Leipzig’s fairs grew. The city then became a crossroads for merchants trading goods from all over Europe.
Leipzig was a centre for Protestantism, and it is here that the discussions between Martin Luther and Dr. Johann Eck took place, which led to the introduction of the Reformation in 1539

It was also through composers of genius that the city became known. For instance Bach was Music Director at Leipzig from 1723 to 1750, Wagner was born here in 1813, Mendelssohn was Kapellmeister of the Gewandhaus from 1835 to 1839 and with Robert Schumann he founded the music conservatoire.
In 1813, Leipzig was the scene of the Battle of the Nations, a battle that went down in history as one of the major confrontations of the Napoleonic wars, and which ended with the defeat of the French Emperor.

Leipzig was a pioneer in the emergence of the railway, with the construction in 1839 of a line linking the city to Dresden and thus forming the longest railway line in Germany. The Bayerisher Bahnhof station built in the same period is the oldest in Europe and is today one of Europe’s most important railway junctions.

During the Second World War, the city did not withstand the bombing and was very badly damaged. 60% of the city centre was destroyed and some 6000 people were killed. On 18 April 1945, the American troops entered the city and withdrew soon afterwards to be replaced by the Red Army. In the post-war years Leipzig found itself in the area of Soviet occupation and then in the GDR. In 1989, Leipzig once more became the city of the Free State of Saxony.
Today the Leipzig is still particularly renowned for the very activities for which it has always been famed: its university, its fairs and above all, its music…

The city of Leipzig was badly damaged by bombing in the Second World War, leading to the destruction of the city’s ancient buildings. Many buildings were reconstructed at the end of the war. But sadly, little remains of the splendour of the German Renaissance style. Leipzig is today a modern city and displays its buildings in the architectural style of the 20th century with great pride.

A symbol of modernity, Augustusplatz at the eastern end of the city centre, is one of Germany’s largest squares, measuring nearly 40,000 m². It is the city’s main square and is surrounded by many institutions. Renamed in honour of Augustus the Strong, it was known as Karl-Marx Platz in the former GDR. Apart from the Krochhochhaus, the famous skyscraper built in 1928, all the buildings retain their typical Soviet-period architecture.

The Opera House is a famous example of Leipzig’s modern architecture. Built between 1956 and 1960 to replace its predecessor destroyed in the war, the building is notable for its lines that fall halfway between tradition and modernity. Opposite the Opera House is the new Gewandhaus (1981). This resolutely modern building is lit up every evening, revealing to passers by, through its picture windows, the immense fresco that decorates its interior walls.

Still on Augustusplatz, the university which is due to be completed in 2009 will represent the architecture of the 21st century, with an extraordinary façade. In addition, a new building will also take over the site of the former St Paul’s Church (once the university’s church).

Some Highlights

In the surrounding area

Churches

St Thomas’s Church: This was Johann Sebastian Bach’s church. Here he composed at the organ the majority of his sacred work. The remains of the composer “who was on familiar terms with God” have rested in the centre of the church since the Second World War. Two monuments have also been erected in his memory near the statue of St Thomas.

St Nicholas’s Church: This church was the scene of the peaceful revolution in the autumn of 1989. Every Monday, after the traditional prayer for peace, it was the point of departure for demonstrations that grew in size until they overwhelmed the authorities. A monument taking the form of a church pillar recalls these historic moments.
Buildings

The Old City Hall: The Altes Rathaus on the market square, in German Renaissance style, was built in 1556-1557 in record time (9 months) by Hieronymus Lotter, Architect and mayor of the town. Its asymmetry makes it an avant-garde building for its time. Lotter also had the Old Weigh-House (Alte Waage, 1555) built on the market square, where, during the Leipzig fairs, products subject to customs duties were declared, and in some cases weighed. He also built the Bastion known as the Moritzbastei, an architectural masterpiece that was reputed to be impregnable. Unfortunately, Swedish troops seized the city during the Thirty Years War.

The New City Hall (1905): The Neues Rathaus is located on the site of the former Pleissenburg Castle. Its 114-metre-high tower is the tallest city hall tower in Germany. It was designed to symbolise the power of the country’s fourth city.

Die Alte Börse (The Old Stock Exchange) (1678-1687): Standing on Naschmarkt square, the Leipzig stock exchange was formerly used for meetings of the city’s merchants. Rebuilt after the bombing, it is used today for lectures, concerts and exhibitions.

Baroque mansions: On the corner of Brühl and Katharinenstrasse streets is the Romanushaus, bult between 1701 and 1703 by Johann Gregor Fuchs for Franz Conrad Romanus, mayor of Leipzig. He used public funds to build this magnificent Baroque house. The scandal broke and Romanus was sentenced to 45 years in prison.

The Reichsgericht: In the new German Empire, Leipzig received the highest judicial authority in a palace put up at the end of the 19th century. It was in this building that the Reichstag Fire Trial was held. Today it is the headquarters of the Federal Administrative Court.

Bibliotecha Albertina: The university library has been housed here since 1891. Destroyed by bombing, the Bibliotecha Albertina was rebuilt in the 1990s. This palace devoted to books boasts an astonishing architecture and interior decoration.

Monument to the Battle of Nations (Völkerschlachtdenkmal): This building commemorates the defeat of Napoleon. A colossal monument, it was used for ideological purposes by the Nazis and the SED regime in turn.

Goerdelerdenkmal Monument: Put up in memory of Goerdeler, mayor of Leipzig, who was an opponent of the Nazi regime and was executed by the Reich in 1945. It takes the form of a well five metres deep in which a bell chimes several times a day. At night, a column of light springs from this well.

Dresden: Around a hundred kilometres from Leipzig is Dresden. Capital of Saxony, this baroque city on the Elbe is nicknamed “The Florence of the North”.

Meissen: Porcelain capital of Saxony, the factory was founded in 1710 and housed in Albrechsburg Castle in order to protect its manufacturing secrets. The castle and porcelain are indeed the main attractions of this city of 300,000 inhabitants.

Delitzsch: Situated to the north west of Leipzig, the streets of the old town and its Baroque castle offer a delightful place to stroll.
Borna: Borna and its castle are located a few kilometres from Leipzig, on the banks of the Elbe. This town is typical of its region.

Neuseenland: At the birth of the Free State of Saxony, Leipzig decided to redevelop its old opencast coal mines characteristic of the landscape. The gigantic natural hollows created by this industry have now been filled with water to form 18 new lakes, with a total area of 70 km², used for sports and relaxation.

Food & Drink

Festivals

Starters

Kartoffelsuppe: potato soup

Main dishes

Leipziger Allerlei: a vegetable dish
Sauerbraten: marinated roast meat

Desserts

Quarkkeulchen: Saxony curd potato cakes
Eierschecke: Three-layered egg custard cake
Klecksel: cake based on fresh yeast
Leavened cake covered with small pieces of sweet pastry
Butter cake

Drinks

Gose: the city’s beer, drunk straight or with cumin, fruit syrup or cherry liqueur.

“Leipzig lit” festival: A festival for booklovers held in the spring. This is a meeting place for writers, publishers and readers. www.leipziger-buchmesse.de

BachFest : During the Festival, the whole city resounds with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. In June, you can listen to the famous Thomanerchor and other ensembles celebrating the composer’s work. www.bach-leipzig.de

French Film Days: Every year in October, the city celebrates French cinema by screening lots of French-speaking films. www.franzoesische-filmtage.de

Leipzig International Documentary and Animated Film Festival: Concurrently, Leipzig hosts another film festival, celebrating documentary film and animation. www.dokfestival-leipzig.de

Leipzig Jazz Days: Held since 1973, this event draws many enthusiasts.
www.leipziger-jazztage.de

Things to Do

Hotels

Restaurants

The Leipzig Museum of City History: In addition to the permanent exhibition devoted to the history of Leipzig, themed exhibitions are held regularly.

The Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1837 by the Leipzig society of friends of the arts. Donations have enabled it to build up collections that today comprise 2,700 paintings dating from the end of the Middle Ages to the contemporary period, 750 sculptures and over 55,000 drawings and prints. A significant space is reserved for contemporary art.

The Natural History Museum was founded over 90 years ago and presents exhibitions devoted in the main to the relationship between man, nature and ecology.

The Bach Museum is devoted to the life and work of the great composer and houses his archives.
Mendelssohn House, mostly reconstructed from old plans, this is where the greatest composer of his period lived and died, the first modern conductor and imaginative reformer who revolutionised the city’s musical life.

The Grassi Museum complex, located on Johannisplatz, houses the university’s Museum of Musical Instruments, with its collection of 5,000 items illustrating a period of over five centuries, one of the most important institutions of its kind in the world. This complex also houses two other museums: the Museum of Ethnology which possesses a significant collection and the Museum of Arts and Crafts which is a major institution for the applied arts.

Leipzig Forum of Contemporary History: Visitors to this museum are shown the history of the Soviet occupation zone and of the G.D.R., as well as the ways in which the city has changed since 1989.

The Westin Leipzig *****
Gerberstraße 15,
04105 Leipzig
Tel : 341 988 0
www.westin-leipzig.com

A magnificent hotel, the Westin Leipzig is perfect for businessmen and tourists tourists. It has 436 rooms and suites as well as plenty of facilities to meet every need. The Westin is right in the historic centre, and is spread out over 27 floors with a panoramic view over the city.

Hotel Fuerstenhof *****
Troendlinring 8
04105 Leipzig
Tel : 341 1400
www.starwoodhotels.com

A hotel centrally located in Leipzig (as are most of the hotels), in a reasonably peaceful neighbourhood set back from a busy street. All the places of interest of the city centre are a few minutes walk away. Every effort has been made to provide the finest rooms in the city. The furniture is top of the range and the decoration elegant and chosen with taste.

Marriott Leipzig Hotel ****
Am Hallischen Tor 1
04109 Leipzig
Tel: 341 9653 0
www.marriott.com

The Marriott Hotel is a modern hotel in the historic centre of Leipzig, 200 m from the town hall and main underground station. The hotel has 231 tastefully decorated rooms.

Panorama Tower – Plate of Art
Augustusplatz 9
04109 Leipzig
Tel: 341 98441-0
www.panorama-leipzig.de

The rooftop Restaurant culminates at 120 meters height and offers a splendid city view. You will taste Andreas Blanck’s creative cuisine and during summer season, on the terrace…

Gasthof & Gosebrauerei Bayerischer Bahnhof
Bayrischer Platz 1
04103 Leipzig
Tel: 341 - 12457 - 60
www.bayerischer-bahnhof.de

The oldest train station of the World built in 1842, is a very good gastronomical address. The famous Leipziger Gose is born in this restaurant.

Auerbachs Keller Leipzig
Grimmaische Strasse 2-4
04109 Leipzig
Tel: 341 - 21610-0
www.auerbachs-keller-leipzig.de

Goethe’s Faust lovers must visit this place because it is the “historical” restaurant were the scene of the Tavern takes place.

Leipzigers are also known for their proverbial love of coffee. They use to meet in the coffee-house as early as 1695. Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum is the oldest surviving coffee-house and restaurant to have been continually in operation.

Zum Arabischen Coffe Baum
Kleine Fleischergasse 4
04109 Leipzig
Tel: 341 9610 060
www.coffe-baum.de