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Otto Schenk

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For the German cyclist, seeOtto Schenk (cyclist).
Otto Schenk
Otto Schenk in May 2013
Born(1930-06-12)12 June 1930(age 94)
Vienna,Austria
Occupation(s)Actor, director
Years active1953–present
SpouseRenée Schenk

Otto Schenk(born 12 June 1930, inVienna) is an Austrian actor, and theater and opera director.

Life and career

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Schenk was born to Catholic parents. His father, a lawyer, had Jewish roots and therefore lost his job after theAnschlussin 1938. His mother was Italian.[1]Schenk studied acting at theMax Reinhardt Seminar,and started his acting career at theTheater in der Josefstadtand theWiener Volkstheater,and as a comedian at Vienna's Kabarett Simpl. His directing career began in 1953 at small Viennese venues, later leading him to renowned stages like theBurgtheater,theMunich Kammerspieleor theSalzburg Festival,staging plays byWilliam Shakespeare,Arthur Schnitzler,Ödön von Horváth,Anton Chekhov.In 1957, Schenk directed his first opera,Mozart'sThe Magic Flutefor the Salzburg Landestheater. His breakthrough as an opera director came in 1962 withAlban Berg'sLuluat theTheater an der Wien.This production was later moved to theVienna State Opera,where Schenk debuted in 1964 withLeoš Janáček'sJenůfa.He was contracted by the State Opera as a permanent producer for several seasons, while continuing his free-lance career as an actor, comedian and director in Austria and Germany, working for theaters, opera houses and television productions. In 1965 Austrian television engaged him to direct a studio production of Verdi'sOthellosung in German with a stellar cast. During the 1970s and 1980s, Schenk was hired byLa Scala,theRoyal Opera HouseinCovent Garden,and German opera houses such as theBerlin State Opera,theBavarian State Operaand theHamburg State Opera.Schenk's operatic productions included works by Mozart,Gaetano Donizetti,Giuseppe Verdi,Antonín Dvořák,Giacomo Puccini,Richard Strauss,Richard Wagner,Ernst Krenek,andFriedrich Cerha.

In the United States, Schenk is especially known for his lavish, realist, traditionalist stagings at theMetropolitan Opera,most notably his production ofRichard Wagner's four-opera epicDer Ring des Nibelungenwhich was hailed by traditionalist Wagnerian opera fans as one of the closest productions to Wagner's true vision. The production was retired from the Met in 2009. Schenk had debuted at the Met with Puccini'sToscain 1968; his 2006 farewell production was Donizetti'sDon PasqualewithAnna Netrebko.

Schenk has appeared in over 30 films (mostly in German). In 1973, he directedMerry-Go-Round[de],a film based on Arthur Schnitzler'sReigen(withHelmut Berger,Sydne Rome,Senta Berger). Schenk also starred in the stage adaptation ofLily Brett's Chuzpe at the Kammerspiele Theatre in Vienna.[2]

Selected works as opera producer, director

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The Metropolitan Opera currently uses his productions ofDie Meistersinger von Nürnberg,Tannhäuser,Arabella,andDon Pasquale.Many of his productions are available on DVD, including his Vienna State Opera productions ofFidelioandRosenkavalier,and his Met productions ofParsifal,Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,TannhäuserandDer Ring des Nibelungen.In October 2010, Schenk returned to the Met to revive hisDon Pasqualewith Netrebko. In December 2010, he revived hisRosenkavalier(conducted by Asher Fish, cast includingAdrianne Pieczonka) at the Vienna State Opera.[8]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^Midgette, Anne (30 March 2006)."Otto Schenk, Opera Director, Says 'Don Pasquale' Is His Last Met Production"– via NYTimes.
  2. ^Affenzeller, Margarete (23 November 2012)."Theatre Review: 'Chuzpe'".Der Standard.Retrieved10 May2013.
  3. ^""Don Giovanni" am 15.06.1967 | Spielplanarchiv der Wiener Staatsoper ".archiv.wiener-staatsoper.at.Retrieved18 July2019.
  4. ^Tommasini, Anthony (10 May 2009)."Music Review: 'Götterdämmerung': A Reverent 'Ring' Comes to Its Close".The New York Times.Retrieved10 May2009.
  5. ^Luciana Serra
  6. ^Henahan, D. (6 November 1989)."Review/Opera; Pavarotti and Vocalism Star in Met's 'Rigoletto'".The New York Times.Retrieved18 April2009.
  7. ^Rothstein, E. (16 January 1993)."Review/Opera; New Met 'Meistersinger' Aims for Literalism".The New York Times.Retrieved18 April2009.
  8. ^"Staatsoper – Otto Schenk probt Rosenkavalier".wiener-staatsoper.at.Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2011.
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