Deutsche Oper

Berlin's largest opera house is located in Charlottenburg – and for good reason. The Deutsche Oper was once founded as a citizen's response to the imperial court opera and attracts opera lovers from all over the world with a repertoire of around 70 productions and some of the best acoustics in the city.

A House with History – and a Full Program

The initiative for the founding of the opera house originated from bourgeois circles in what was then independent Charlottenburg, who sought a counter-design to the representative stage of the Hofoper Unter den Linden. From the outset, it was clear what this house stood for: opera for everyone, not just for the court. At its traditional location on Bismarckstraße, the new opera house was built between 1956 and 1961 by Fritz Bornemann as a functional concrete and glass structure with 1865 seats. The street facade is made of coarse exposed aggregate concrete and is windowless, which earned the building the nickname „Sing Sing”. However, those who enter – or precisely because of it – are rewarded: the acoustics are considered the best of all Berlin music theatre stages. In addition, the house offers a second venue: with the so-called Tischlerei, the opera has a second venue at the rear of the building, which sees itself as a workshop for contemporary music theatre.

Deutsche Oper Berlin: Repertoire with Depth and Courage for the Present

Alongside Vienna and Munich, the Deutsche Oper boasts a meticulously maintained repertoire of around 70 opera productions in diverse directorial styles, exceptional in Europe. Classical music, concert, and opera go hand in hand here. The 25/26 season is a period of transition – after 17 years, Sir Donald Runnicles bids farewell as General Music Director, and this transition creates room for experiments and new event formats. The program reflects this openness: with new productions such as Tristan und Isolde, Fedora and Violanta, the children’s opera Die drei Rätsel, Händel’s Giulio Cesare, and Lortzing’s Zar und Zimmermann, the range is enormous. Furthermore, the Deutsche Oper shows courage in contemporary works: LASH – Acts of Love is the first opera by the German-British composer Rebecca Saunders, and premiered here. Additionally, since this season, there is the „Opera Day”: for thirteen productions, including new ones, visitors can participate at low ticket prices of 34 Euros for all seats. Anyone who wants to experience opera in Berlin simply cannot miss Bismarckstraße.