Ruth Berghaus German choreographer, as well as opera and theater director Date of Birth: 02.07.1927 Country: Germany

1. Biography of Ruth Berghaus
2. Early Career
3. Artistic Director and Later Career
4. Legacy and Teaching
5. Death

Biography of Ruth Berghaus

Ruth Berghaus was a German choreographer, opera, and theater director. She was born on July 2, 1927, in Dresden and studied expressionist dance and contemporary dance art with Gret Palucca, a renowned German dancer and educator. She then attended the German Academy of Arts in Berlin, where she learned from acclaimed theater directors Wolfgang Langhoff and Walter Felsenstein. Although she did not adopt Langhoff's theater aesthetics or Felsenstein's emphasis on textual accuracy, her encounter with Bertolt Brecht and his works through them had a profound influence on her.

Early Career

From 1951 to 1964, Berghaus worked as a choreographer in various theaters, including the Deutsches Theater, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, and the Berliner Ensemble, founded by Brecht in 1949. She made her directorial debut with Paul Dessau's opera "Die Verurteilung des Lukullus," based on a plot by Brecht, at the Berliner Staatsoper in 1960. Throughout her career, Berghaus extensively staged Brecht's works, gaining recognition for her choreography of battle scenes in the Berliner Ensemble's adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Coriolanus" in 1964.

Artistic Director and Later Career

In 1954, Berghaus married composer Paul Dessau, whose works she frequently directed, and she became the artistic director of the Berliner Ensemble until 1977. From 1980 to 1987, she worked at the Frankfurt Opera, where she staged notable productions such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" in 1980 and "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" in 1981, Hector Berlioz's "Les Troyens" in 1982, Leos Janáček's "Věc Makropulos," and Richard Wagner's "Parsifal." Her most significant achievement during this period was the staging of Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" from 1985 to 1987.

In 1992, she returned to the Frankfurt Opera to direct "Der Rosenkavalier." Her collaboration with the former musical director Michael Gielen at the Frankfurt Opera produced many talented students from around the world. Berghaus also directed Alban Berg's "Wozzeck" in Prague in 1985 and Siegfried Matthus' "Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke" in Dresden in 1985.

Legacy and Teaching

Berghaus made her debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1986, choreographing Hans Werner Henze's "Orpheus." She also directed Berg's "Lulu" in Brussels in 1988 and Franz Schubert's "Fierrabras" the same year. Her productions in Zurich included Carl Maria von Weber's "Der Freischütz" and Wagner's "Der fliegende Holländer." Her final opera production was Johann Strauss' operetta "Die Fledermaus" in Leipzig in 1995.

Unfortunately, the only posthumous DVD recording of Berghaus' works was the revival of Weber's "Der Freischütz" in Zurich in 1999. Berghaus was one of the few directors who actively sought to pass on her expertise to young colleagues, conducting masterclasses on contemporary opera art for three consecutive years.

Death

Ruth Berghaus passed away on January 25, 1996, due to complications from cancer.