Staedtische Buehnen, Freiburg-im-Breisgau 1963

 

 

On leaving school I enrolled at tthe Albrech Ludwigs Universitat, Freiburg im Breisgau for a Sommersemester studying 'Germanistik' in an effort to polish my German.

As in so many towns in Germany there was an opera house, the Staedtische Buhnen. 

By then my experience of opera had been limited to Covent Garden, Sadlers Wells (ENO) and the Edinburgh Festival with a side-trip to Las Scala in its heyday. I just couldn't believe what was going on in  Freiburg. 

There was a 'Fest' company of a few singers, One each of soprano, Mezzo, baritone and bass but no tenor if I remember correctly. The GMD was Hans Gierster, a business-like but unsubtle 'Zackmeister.' With such slender means you would find the same singer singing Brangaene who had sung Fiordiligi the week before. 

Performances of Italian opera were particularly horrible. When not in German ('Gilda sings 'Giovanna, es ist mir bange,) Italian suffered particularly from the teutonic tendancy to pronounce 'u' as 'v' as in 'Qvest' o qvella.'

Guests were not always better than the local singers. Thomas Tipton and another baritone called Marcel Cordes were particularly awful. However there was one memorable Gastspiel evening when none other than Gerda Lammers and Karl Liebl were engaged for a performance of 'Tristan und Isolde.' These were world class singers past their prime who when it came to top notes could only scream. However, the rest was pretty impressive.

Then as now the theatre was the venue for drama and probably ballet too although I don't quite remember that, not being a balletomane. I do remember two plays they put on in 1963; one was Shakespeare's 'Was Ihr wollt' and the other Hebbel's 'Gyges und sein Ring,' a truly terrible play. 

Since those days the Staedtische Buehnen has been transformed into the Theatre Freiburg becoming one of the better provincial theatres. Freiburg itself is now quite a cultural capital with the famous Barock orchestra, the new concert hall and the SWR Sinfonieorchester in residence. 

Freiburg is a pleasant town but being in a deep valley it sometimes gets a bit humid. Then or just for a change of scenery you can be in France or Switzerland within half an hour. Baden wine has become appreciated worldwide too since those far off days in 1963.