Alte Oper Frankfurt

The Alte Oper Frankfurt on Opernplatz, originally opened on 20 October 1880 with Mozart's Don Giovanni and reopened on 28 August 1981 after extensive reconstruction, is today one of Germany's most important concert and congress venues. Financed by Frankfurt's citizens and industrialists, the original was designed by Berlin architects Richard Lucae and Albrecht Becker in Italian High Renaissance style — Kaiser Wilhelm I is said to have muttered at the inauguration: "I could not afford this in Berlin." The magnificent sandstone building with its tripartite triumphal-arch central façade and the Pegasus quadriga on the roof was among the most beautiful opera houses of the German Empire. In March 1944 the opera was severely damaged by an Allied bombing raid; only the outer walls and parts of the foyers survived the war. For more than three decades the ruin stood at Opernplatz, affectionately called "Germany's most beautiful ruin" — its reconstruction was disputed for years between advocates of modern urban planning and preservationists. Only from 1976 did reconstruction begin under architect Konrad Bingenheimer, this time as a concert hall rather than an opera house: the new neighbouring Oper Frankfurt had taken over operatic functions in 1951. Today the Alte Oper houses three main halls: the Great Hall seating 2,450 for symphonic concerts, the Mozart Hall with 720 seats for chamber music and recitals, and the Hindemith Foyer for smaller events. Programming ranges from the seasons of the Frankfurt hr-Sinfonieorchester through international visiting orchestras (Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic) to jazz, world music, and the renowned "Pro Arte" chamber music series.