Kurt Horres was a German stage director, particularly of opera, and opera manager.
17 Facts About Kurt Horres
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Kurt Horres held positions as general manager at the Staatstheater Darmstadt, the Hamburg State Opera, and from 1986 to 1996 at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.
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Kurt Horres focused on opera of the 20th century, including composers who had been banned during the Nazi regime, such as Korngold's Die tote Stadt, and literature operas including Gottfried von Einem's Kabale und Liebe, and the world premieres of Blacher's Yvonne, Prinzessin von Burgund, and Klebe's Das Madchen aus Domremy.
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Kurt Horres studied German studies, theatre science, and art history at the University of Cologne and at the Robert Schumann Conservatory in Dusseldorf.
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Kurt Horres worked as a stage director at the Wuppertal, the Cologne Opera, and Theater Bonn.
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Kurt Horres was Oberspielleiter at the Theater Lubeck until 1964, and then for eleven years opera manager at the Wuppertaler Buhnen.
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Kurt Horres directed the world premiere of Blacher's Yvonne, Prinzessin von Burgund on 15 September 1973, with dancer Pina Bausch in the mute title role.
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Kurt Horres's first became a general manager at the Staatstheater Darmstadt in 1976, with his production of Britten's Tod in Venedig being well known.
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Kurt Horres chose for his first production Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, using an extremely large ensemble in order to engage with as many employees at the house as possible.
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The reaction of the audience and press reviews of the premiere were disastrous, and Kurt Horres requested to have his contract ended early.
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Kurt Horres became general manager of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Dusseldorf and Oberhausen in 1986, succeeding Grischa Barfuss.
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Kurt Horres began his tenure with Fortner's Bluthochzeit on 12 October 1986, conducted by Hans Wallat.
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Kurt Horres focused on directing, as well as managing, contemporary opera.
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Kurt Horres organised a production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen in collaboration with the Cologne Opera.
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Kurt Horres directed Unter dem Milchwald by Walter Steffens and Gottfried von Einem's Kabale und Liebe, both in 1973, and Die Frau ohne Schatten by Richard Strauss in 1977.
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Kurt Horres worked as a freelance stage director, with productions at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Oper Frankfurt, and in Amsterdam and Stockholm.
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Kurt Horres died on 2 January 2023, at age 90 after a long serious illness.