Music in Dresden

The history of court music in Dresden can be followed back at least as far as the 15th century. The "Hofcantorey" choir and orchestra founded in 1548 started up a tradition continued today by the Staatskapelle orchestra and the Saxon State Opera Company.
In the 17th century, Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672) raised Dresden's court music to European significance. He is considered the "father of German music", wrote the first German oratorios, as well as numerous religious concerts, Passions and motets. These works are still fostered today, for example by one of the oldest and most famous boys choirs in the world, the Dresden Kreuzchor choir.

From 1734 to 1763, Italian opera enjoyed a unique heyday under Johann Adolf Hasse, who created around 100 musical works here. In the 19th century, Carl Maria von Weber established Dresden as a centre of Romantic music, Richard Wagner composed his "Tannhäuser" and "Lohengrin", and Robert Schumann experienced his most creative period in Dresden. Around the turn of the century, the Dresden opera house contributed once more to musical history, for example with the premieres of nine operas by Richard Strauss.

Dresden is the home of important orchestras, such as the Staatskapelle and the Dresden Philharmonic. In the Dresden Semper Opera House, one of the most famous opera houses in the world, audiences can enjoy a unique blend of tradition and contemporary music culture.

The Staatskapelle orchestra is one of the leading orchestras in the world and occupies a prominent place in the musical life of the city. With its 145 musicians, it not only accompanies productions of the State Opera Company, but also maintains its own extensive concert calendar.The Dresden Philharmonic, the second world-class orchestra at home in Dresden, devotes its activities not only to regular concerts and tours, both at home and abroad, but also to intensive cultivation of chamber music traditions and to musical education. Special emphasis is given to the works of Beethoven, Mahler, Brahms, Bruckner and Tschaikovsky, as well as to contemporary compositions.