"Opera in Pforzheim" Top 5 Page for this destination Pforzheim by Nemorino

Pforzheim Travel Guide: 36 reviews and 142 photos

My recent visit to Pforzheim was to see the opera The Marriage of Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). This is a very popular Mozart opera that I have seen numerous times in various different productions, for instance in Frankfurt am Main, Hannover, Bonn, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and the State Opera in Berlin.

Singers taking their bows

The person who got the most applause at the end of the Pforzheim performance was definitely the guest orchestra conductor Inge Hilsberg, not only because she was very good, but also because a lot of people in the audience knew she had applied for the position of General Music Director, and this performance was her audition.*

What most people didn't know was that this was the first professional performance by a young soprano named Camille Butcher, who is currently a student at the Music University in Karlsruhe. She sang the role of Barbarina and did very well, impressing her older colleagues with her lack of any outward signs of nervousness. So if you ever see her name on the playbill of some big opera house, remember you read about her here first.

Gold

Since the eighteenth century Pforzheim has been famous for its jewelry and watchmaking industries, which for many years were the basis of the city's prosperity.

In recent years they have diversified considerably, but to this day Pforzheim still has a Goldsmith and Watchmaking Vocational School which is said to be the only one of its kind in Europe.

And the city still offers numerous opportunities to buy exquisite and expensive gold jewelry, for those who are in the market for that sort of thing.

*Update on December 9, 2007: Subject to approval by the Pforzheim City Council, the new General Music Director will be Markus Huber, who was the sixth and last candidate to conduct an opera performance as an audition.

Last visit to Pforzheim: Sep 2007
Intro Updated Jan 13, 2010
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Reviews (14)

Montana Hotel & Hong Kong Bistro - Pforzheim

Hotel Montana Hotels (1)

This is a nondescript hotel in an ugly street, but the woman who runs it is very nice, the rooms are fine and it has a... more travel advice

The S6 from Pforzheim arriving in Bad Wildbad - Pforzheim

Karlsruhe light-rail system Transportation (3)

Pforzheim is over twenty-five kilometers from Karlsruhe, but is still integrated into the Karlsruhe "S-Bahn" light rail... more travel advice

1. Upper deck of the InterRegioExpress (IRE) - Pforzheim

Trains to Pforzheim Transportation (3)

Regional Express (RE), InterRegio Express (IRE) and InterCity (IC) trains run once or twice an hour in each direction... more travel advice

Cycling in Pforzheim Transportation (3)

You do see people cycling in Pforzheim, but the infrastructure in the city center is rudimentary at best. There is... more travel advice

Off The Beaten Path (1)
Adult Education Center (VHS)

Things to Do (9)
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Comments (35)

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balhannah Feb 15, 2011 at 2:54 PM

This town looks nice with the river running through it. Love all the sculptures too!
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MD2nd Dec 13, 2010 at 5:32 AM

Thanks for the reply on E.T.A. Hoffman! Btw, your theory (on your Berlin page) that most Germans secretly love to get stuck in a Stau - cracked me up.
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alancollins Apr 5, 2010 at 5:18 AM

If I took Lin here, she would be checking out the jewellery shops and I would need a second mortgage.
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csordila Mar 27, 2010 at 6:28 PM

The Germans in Pforzheim should be really either theather lover or very rich people, in order to possess own city opera and theater. Best. L.
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Yaqui Mar 27, 2010 at 9:10 AM

The statues are fabulous Don! Hotel Montana sounds wonderful, how nice of that lovely lady to feed her guest and children. Excellent page!
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jumpingnorman Jan 16, 2010 at 7:44 AM

Haha - the "claque" is so interesting, hehe...reminds me of some funerals in Philippines where they hire women to cry! And Kathrin found them too! Wonderful pages you have here...Norman:)
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breughel Jan 16, 2010 at 7:04 AM

Funny to see that the French word "claque" (=slap) and the expression "la claque" (= personnes payées pour applauder un spectacle) is used in Germany. We also say "en avoir sa claque" (= to be fed up with ).
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lynnehamman Nov 1, 2009 at 12:32 PM

a very good informative page, Don . Inyeresting tip & info regarding the 'claque'=judging by the nature of 'celebrity' nowadays- one could almost think it still happens.
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hopang Oct 21, 2009 at 4:26 AM

Interesting Pforzheim travel page with excellent photographs. Jewelry Worlds and the city theater definitely worth a visit. Those rivers from your images certainly look stunning. Thanks for the virtual tour. ~ho & pang
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deecat Sep 27, 2009 at 2:41 PM

Loved the Claque and Rassler sculptures and your explanations that accompanied them. I so enjoy how organized your writing is and how easy it is to follow...both photos and narratives. Your keen insights are delightful. Another excellent creation, Don!