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Berlin's Komische Oper is to end its tradition of presenting all productions in German.

From next season, some (but not all) will be in the original language, depending on how they play in translation.  85 percent of next season's shows will still be sung in German, but that's partly because the house's repertoire (which includes operetta and musicals) is often written in German in the first place .

When Walter Felsenstein founded the Komische Oper in 1947 of course there were no surtitles. Nowadays tri-lingual translations on the back of each seat make it easy to follow an opera in any tongue.

A lesson for ENO perhaps?

Comments

[Rannaldini]

A massive lead to ENO I would think - they are just punishing themselves un-necessarily by stubbornly pursuing this policy of English language. Times have changed. Do we really think we know better than Hofmannsthal or Da Ponte?. Its crazy and thats why I stay away.

It can work both ways however - I was at Elijah at the Barbican last night and was amused to hear the couple behind saying, "Well I enjoy it in English of course, but i prefer it in Mendelsohns own language!" It was of course premiered at Birmingham Town Hall....in English. Horses for courses.

[Christie F.]

They have tri-lingual translations in the BACK OF THE SEATS? Geeze, they need to put that in at the other houses here in Berlin. I generally avoid the Komische Oper. Their productions hit Eurotrash and keep on going.

[Henry Holland]

I love the back-of-the-seat titles, they have them at the Staatsoper Wien, I used them for a "Le Nozze di Figaro", didn't need 'em for "Billy Budd". They're pretty unobtrusive and you can still focus on the stage pretty easily.

ENO's language policy is fine in theory, but if the diction isn't perfect, it can be a trial. Plus the Coliseum has so many weird dead spots, it's hard to make out the words in any language sometimes.

[OperaBeginner]

Rannaldini - I also hope that the ENO drop their English language policy because they would then be able to choose from a much wider pool of singers, both at the start of their career and those with experience / track record. Over the years, I've filled in a number of ENO surveys and this is the one point I've always emphasised - to no great effect so far! I won't bother to go into the arguments that you can't hear what most singers are saying / why are there surtitles if you can hear and understand what singers are saying, etc...

[Rose-Mary Hyslop]

I much prefer opera in languages I can't understand. I find myself listening to the words rather than the music when they are performed in English, and have to refocus constantly during the performance.

[AnneC]

The Komische Oper offer back-of-seat translations in English, French and Turkish (you select your preferred language). When I heard their 'Carmen' back in January, though, the singers sang in German & French and there was dialogue in English.