Phone +49 201 81220 | Architect Alvar Aalto | |
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Address Opernpl. 10, 45128 Essen, Germany Similar Philharmonie Essen, Red Dot Design Museum, Museum Folkwang, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Profiles | ||
The Aalto Theatre (in German officially Aalto-Musiktheater Essen) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Essen, Germany. It was opened on 25 September 1988 with Richard Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. The building is mainly used for opera and ballet performances; it also serves for concerts and gala events.
The design by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto was the unanimous winner in a competition in 1959, but the building was begun only in 1983, seven years after Aalto's death. A feature of the auditorium's design is its asymmetrical layout and the indigo blue colour of the seats.
The artistic director (Intendant) and music director (Generalmusikdirektor) from 1997 until 2013 was Stefan Soltesz. He was succeeded by Hein Mulders.
Following a survey of 50 critics in 2008, the magazine Opernwelt declared the Aalto Theatre to be the best opera house in the German-speaking countries and awarded the title Opera House of the Year 2008.