Elmar Ottenthal
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Biography
As a director, some of Elmar Ottenthals most important work has been the Scala di Milano, Vienna State Opera, Liceu Barcelona, Theatre de la Monnaie Brussels and working together with Leonard Bernstein in Cambridge.
Not only has he worked on the Verdi- Puccini-, Wagner- and Mozart repertoire, he has worked intensivly on world premier productions of work by composers such as Gottfried von Einem, Krenek and Leonard Bernstein.
All in all, Elmar Ottenthal has brought over 60 opera productions to the stage worldwide.
After recidency at the Lübeck Theatre, Hamburg Opera, Vienna State Opera he became the deputy director of the United Stages of Vienna (Theater an der Wien, Ronacher, Raimundtheater) under Peter Weck.
1992 Elmar Ottenthal became Generalintendant (director of the theatre) of Theater Aachen (Germany). He realized the concept of theatre troughout the whole year without the traditional brake doing a world premier production of a musical in summertime. Gaudi for example was so successful that a commercial production was taken to Alsdorf and later went to Cologne where the Musical Dome Theatre was purposely built to take the show. In all this Production was seen by over more than 1 Million people. In the same year he became head of the opera department at the Cologne, Aachen highschool for music. There he was announced as a professor in 1995.
On 31st Juli 1999 he handed over the newly refurbished Theatre with an 11,5 Million DM surplus.
Elmar Ottenthal began his time as Intendant at Theater des Westens in Berlin with the Broadway Production of Chicago. His aim was to bring to the venue two high class shows each year, of which one would be a world premiere. In addition he produced charity events, theme evenings, musicalgalas and so on.
His first world premiere production was "FMA - Falco meets Amadeus" opening the 23rd of September 2000.
This production was one of the most successful in the 100 year history of Theater des Westens. He went on to further produce several successful versions of the show, which to date have been seen by more than 1,1 Million people.
Elmar Ottenthal has always worked as a freelance director alongside his Intendant commitments, successfully developing and realising his projects.
As a freelancer he has produced over 80 productions including the development of six world premiers of musicals. His work has been seen by more than 3,5 Million people worldwide and there are four more musical production on their way.
- Blood Red Roses
- Catharine
- FMA - Falco meets Amadeus
- Gambler
- Gaudi
- Schwejk
Personal data
- name:
- Elmar Ottenthal
- date of birth:
- 6th September 1951
- place of birth:
- Innsbruck
- nationality:
- Österreichisch
- qualifications:
- Matura at Akademisches Gymnasium Innsbruck
- professional qualifications:
- photographer
- studies:
- Music and History of art at the University Hamburg
Apprenticeship
- since 2001
- Freelance director
- 1999 to 2001
- Intendant (director of the theatre) and CEO of Theater des Westens gemeinnützige Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H.
- 1992 to 1999
- Generalintendant Theater Aachen (General Theatre Director)
Announced as Professor
Head of opera studys of Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst (highschool for music and performing arts), Cologne, Abteilung Aachen - 1989 to 1992
- Deputy artistic director to Intendant Professor Peter Weck, Vereinigte Buehnen Wien (Combined stages of Vienna)
- 1986 to 1989
- Freelance director. Projects in Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain
- 1982 to 1986
- Assistant director to Lorin Maazel, Vienna State Opera
- 1977 to 1982
- Assistant director to Professor Goetz Friedrich, Hamburg opera
- 1974 to 1977
- Assistant director Lübeck theatre
Staging
- A quiet Place
- Leonard Bernstein
- Stock Exchange, Cambridge
- Bajazzo
- Ruggerio Leoncavallo
- Theater Aachen
- Blood Red Roses
- Wolfgang Berry
- Theater Aachen
- Catharine
- Seth Gaaikema
- Theater Aachen
- Cavalleria Rusticana
- Pietro Mascagni
- Theater Aachen
- Der arme Matrose
- Darius Milhaud
- Bühnen der Hansestadt Lübeck
- Der Tulifant
- Gottfried von Einem
- Vereinigte Bühnen, Wien
- Der Tulifant
- Gottfried von Einem
- Theater Aachen
- Der Zigeunerbaron
- Johann Strauß
- Landestheater Coburg
- Der Zigeunerbaron
- Johann Strauß
- Opera Forum Enschede, NL
- Die Fledermaus
- Johann Strauß
- Cirque Royal, Brüssel
- Die Fledermaus
- Johann Strauß
- Theater Aachen
- Die Fledermaus
- Johann Strauß
- See-Festspiele Mörbisch
- Die Götterdämmerung
- Richard Wagner
- Teatro Liceu, Barcelona
- Die lustige Witwe
- Franz Lehar
- Theater Aachen
- Die tote Stadt
- Erich Wolfgang Korngold
- Stadttheater Klagenfurt
- Die Walküre
- Richard Wagner
- Teatro Liceu, Barcelona
- Die Zauberflöte
- Wolfgang A. Mozart
- Theater Aachen
- Die zwei Peter
- nach Albert Lortzing
- Allee-Theater, Hamburg
- Don Carlos
- Guiseppe Verdi
- Vereinigte Bühnen, Graz
- Don Giovanni
- Wolfgang A. Mozart
- Theater Aachen
- Eugen Onegin
- Peter I. Tschaikowski
- Staatsoper Hamburg
- Falco meets Amadeus
- Falco, Johnny Bertl
- Theater des Westens, Berlin
- Falco meets Amadeus
- Falco, Johnny Bertl
- Deutsches Theater, München
- Falco meets Amadeus
- Falco, Johnny Bertl
- Vereinigte Bühnen, Graz
- Falco meets Amadeus
- Falco, Johnny Bertl
- Theatro Centro, Oberhausen
- Falco meets Amadeus
- Falco, Johnny Bertl
- Wörtherseebühne, Klagenfurt
- Gambler
- Eric Woolfson
- Musicalbühne Mönchengladbach
- Gaudi
- Eric Woolfson
- Theater Aachen
- Gaudi
- Eric Woolfson
- Musical Dome Köln
- Gaudi
- Eric Woolfson
- Euro Musical Hall Alsdorf
- Johnny spielt auf
- Ernst Krenek
- Stadttheater Klagenfurt
- La Forza del destino
- Guiseppe Verdi
- Vereinigte Bühnen, Graz
- Land des Lächelns
- Franz Lehar
- Theater des Westens, Berlin
- Le nozze de Figaro
- Wolfgang A. Mozart
- Theater Aachen
- Lohgengrin
- Richard Wagner
- Opera Royal de Wallonie, Liège
- Luisa Miller
- Guiseppe Verdi
- Wiener Staatsoper
- Madame Butterfly
- Giacomo Puccini
- Theater Aachen
- Madame Butterfly
- Giacomo Puccini
- Stadttheater Augsburg
- Madame Butterfly
- Giacomo Puccini
- Teatro Arriaga, Bilbao
- Mahagonny
- Kurt Weill
- Theater Aachen
- Manon Lescaut
- Giacomo Puccini
- Theater Aachen
- Parsifal
- Richard Wagner
- Teatro Liceu, Barcelona
- Prinzessin Brambilla
- Michael Horwath
- Allee-Theater, Hamburg
- Das Rheingold
- nach Richard Wagner
- Allee-Theater, Hamburg
- Schwejk
- Konstantin Wecker
- Theater des Westens, Berlin
- Siegfrieds Kampf
- nach Richard Wagner
- Allee-Theater, Hamburg
- Tannhäuser
- Richard Wagner
- Teatro Genova
- Tannhäuser
- Richard Wagner
- Opera Royal de Wallonie, Liège
- Tannhäuser
- Richard Wagner
- Teatro a la Scala, Mailand
- Titus
- Wolfgang A. Mozart
- Theater Aachen
- Turandot
- Giacomo Puccini
- Theater Aachen
- Turandot
- Giacomo Puccini
- Teatro Arriaga, Bilbao
TV and video director
- Der Zigeunerbaron
- niederländisches Fernsehen
- Gaudi
- ZDF
- Die 2 Peter
- NDR
- Prinzessin Brambilla
- NDR
- Der Tulifant
- ORF
- Falco meets Amadeus
- DVD (Universal)
- Die Fledermaus
- ORF
Director of official show video
- Falco meets Amadeus
- Manon Lescaut
- Excalibur
- to come
- Carmen in Love
- to come
- Goya
- to come
- MLK - Martin Luther King
- to come