| Page Views: 2,690 Last Visit to Kassel: September, 2005 | Opera in Kassel by Nemorino - last update: Feb 10, 2006 |
| Verdi's Troubadour in the Kuppeltheater Kassel |
When I went to Kassel recently to see the opera Il trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), I was afraid I might be disappointed because I had just seen the same opera a few weeks before in a spectacular open-air production on the lakeside at Bregenz, Austria.
But I needn't have worried. The Kassel production was very different and of course much more intimate, but just as good in its own way.
The photo at the top of this page is a legal one, by the way, since I took it before the performance started. As the audience came in, the stage was already in full view -- there is no curtain, anyway -- and several eerie figures wearing long black coats and gas masks were walking slowly around the stage, setting the mood for the coming opera scenes. |
| Fridericianum and Kuppeltheater in Kassel |
Since the unsightly 45-year-old State Theater (Staatstheater) is currently undergoing a much-needed refurbishment, operas are now presented in a colorful and very attractive temporary theater called the Kuppeltheater, which has been set up like a circus tent on the Friedrichsplatz in the center of Kassel.
The Kuppeltheater has 890 seats (as opposed to 6,800 in Bregenz), but it was nowhere near full on the weekday evening when I was there. |
Kassel is a city of nearly 200,000 inhabitants, located on the Fulda River in the northern part of Hessen.
Not to be confused with Kassel, which is a small ex-village in the Spessart hills 206 kilometers to the south. To get from this one to that one, take the regional bicycle route R1 south to Fulda (140 km). Then take the R3 to Wirtheim (about 66 km) and turn left. |
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 Comments for Nemorino about Kassel | | | | |
scottishvisitor Sat Jul 4, 2009 22:23 UTC
Even more Opera & Theatre - interesting competition & great updates | toonsarah Sun Jun 28, 2009 20:16 UTC
I like the idea of this temporary theatre that moves from place to place wherever it is needed :-) The Documenta sounds interesting too and I find even modern art that I don't like can be an interesting point of discussion! | Segolily Sat Jan 10, 2009 18:13 UTC
My G-Grandfather was from "Hessen Kassel", Gottingen to be precise. Thanks for the quick look at the old family farm :-) Didn't realize Kassel was such a large and cultured city. | VeronicaG Fri Oct 17, 2008 19:58 UTC
Lots of interesting music venues in Kassel...Kuppletheater looks like it would have offered an interesting evening at the opera! |
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