Omer Meir Wellber is Principal Guest Conductor at Semperoper Dresden

In 2018, the Semperoper is appointing conductor Omer Meir Wellber, who made his debut in Dresden in 2010 and has subsequently been responsible for numerous outstanding productions, as its Principal Guest Conductor. This has been announced today at the press conference presenting season 2018/19.

To find the press kit of Semperoper about the new season, click here.

For the video stream of the press conference, click
here.

Read here Omer Meir Wellber’s speech on the occasion of his appointment:

“It has already been a few years that I am conducting regularly at the Semperoper. I have developed a very deep and wide relationship with the house, the choir and the musicians of the Staatskapelle.

I will not go back now to talk about our mutual experience and musical adventures but I do want to say a word about the importance of a house like the Semperoper in the musical life in the world:

Tradition could be the most important thing, but only if it is breathing and auto renewing itself all the time. I find the Semperoper as the house that is and even more will be, an example house of tradition and new spirit. Only in a theatre with such big and important tradition, one can afford to open the windows and bring in some fresh air. Only a self assured tradition, can breath in and out and still stay respectful to its roots and past. I am very happy to be now officially part of this exciting adventure.

This is to me a very interesting musical question: how to create something that is new and exciting without losing touch with the heritage? How art can connect the past and the future, how music can build a bridge, an invisible bridge, between the past and the right now? In our Mozart cycle that we did in the last four years, we have developed some of these bridges, improvisations, new points of view and re-reading the so known Mozart text in a bright new way. I could have done it only in Dresden and infact I have conducted Mozart’s operas only in Dresden, as these deep and special ideas could be done only with an orchestra like the Staatskapelle and with an opera house that has such a big tradition. Our relationship developed even more through Strauss and Tchaikovsky and many symphonic concerts that I have done and will continue doing in the next seasons. Next season I am diving into the core of the house repertoire with Tanhäuser and Rosenkavalier. I find it very exciting to start this musical discussion with Christian Thielemann through the eyes of Wagner and Strauss. Next I will conduct a new production of Nabucco, an opera that was missing on this stage for years. This would be my 20th Verdi opera. I admire Verdi very much and am looking forward to finally doing some Italian repertoire in the House.

I would like to mention that a big part of my success in this house and a big part of my decision to dedicate now more time and love toward the Semperoper, has to do with the very professional teams. Wolfgang Rothe who has been a partner for the last years, Björn Peters and Ronald Adler, with whom I work very closely, all the other fantastic musical and technical departments of the house, and naturally the wonderful friends in the Soloist Ensemble, the choir and in the Staatskapelle. As always in life, sometimes it takes an outsider, someone new, to look at reality and give it a name. I met Peter Theiler last year, when he came to listen to my Tannhäuser in La Fenice, Venezia. He immediately talked to me about this possible new position in the house. He was full of ideas and original viewpoints.

I am very happy to be here, play music for this city and join you all in the art of opening windows and breathing fresh air.“