The Komische Oper Berlin has transformed from a provincial operetta house into one of the most internationally celebrated opera companies in Europe. Founded in 1947 in the former Metropol-Theater on Behrenstraße in East Berlin, the house was shaped from the beginning by Walter Felsenstein's musical realism approach, in which every moment of stage action is motivated and integrated with the music. This tradition of director-led ensemble opera has been continued by Harry Kupfer, Götz Friedrich, and—most transformatively—Barrie Kosky, Intendant from 2012 to 2022. Under Kosky, the Komische Oper Berlin earned the title Opera House of the Year multiple times and became a favourite of international critics through its exhilarating productions of rediscovered operetta, baroque opera, and bold reinterpretations of the classical repertoire. All productions are sung in German to maintain direct contact between stage and audience. The company is currently performing at the Schillertheater during reconstruction of its Behrenstraße home.
The Komische Oper is the only major opera house in the world that performs its entire repertoire in German translation—a Walter Felsenstein principle upheld for over seventy-five years.
At a glance
- Type
- Opera house
- Location
- Berlin, Germany
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