Dutch National Opera

Dutch National Opera, DNO (formerly De Nederlandse Opera, now De Nationale Opera in Dutch) is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet, a modern building designed by Cees Dam and Wilhelm Holzbauer 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, 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 Stopera building, which it shares with the Dutch National Ballet, and thereafter became known as De Nederlandse Opera (DNO). In 2014 its name was changed to Dutch National Opera.[1]

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 Radio Filharmonisch Orkest and the Asko/Schönberg 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 Dutch National Opera & Ballet building, the company has also performed in the Stadsschouwburg, at the Carré Theatre, and on the Westergasfabriek industrial site in Amsterdam. For 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 four years.[2][3] 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.[2][4]

Chief conductors (partial list)

References

  1. ↑ Pierre Audio, Director of the DNO, "On our way to a 50 years celebration": Announcement of 2014-15 season on company's website [albeit with wrong years included in first paragraph].
  2. 1 2 Merlijn Schooneboom (2009-03-26). "Albrecht nieuwe dirigent opera en NedPhO". de Volksrant. Retrieved 2009-11-06.
  3. ↑ Charlotte Smith (2009-03-31). "Marc Albrecht named chief conductor of Netherlands Phil and De Nederlandse Opera". Gramophone. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
  4. ↑ Peter van der Lint (2009-03-28). "Richard Strauss levert opnieuw een dubbele chef op". Trouw. Retrieved 2009-04-03.

External links

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