“Let’s Dance”
Dresden Semperopernball in a new look
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer and his wife Annett Hofmann dance the opening waltz. photo
© Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
“There’s more dancing and less chatting”: presenter Stephanie Stumpf sums up the new concept of the Semperopernball right from the start.
After a three-year break, the Dresden team took part on Friday evening Semperopernball will take place again in a new form – under the motto “Let’s dance”. Unlike before the corona pandemic, the proportion of musical acts was significantly increased and the previous arias at award ceremonies were reduced to a minimum. Presenter Stephanie Stumph announced the renewed concept somewhat casually at the beginning: “There will be more dancing and less chatting.”
Even before the official start, many onlookers gathered in front of the opera to experience a touch of splendor at the open-air ball. Co-host Tom Wlaschiha counted 5,000 guests and raved about Theaterplatz as the largest dance floor in the world.
With a breakdance performance, the baton was then transported from outside into the hall to conductor Jonathan Darlington at the podium of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. This meant that the music could also begin.
Mozart and fireworks
The Staatskapelle kicked off with the overture to Mozart’s opera “The Marriage of Figaro”. At the same time, fireworks outside illuminated the evening sky over Dresden.
The Mexican Rolando Villazón – announced by the moderator as the “happiest tenor in the world” – sang a tarantella by Gioachino Rossini. The Semperoper’s ballet performed, among other things, the Adagio from Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty”. The opera choir also received a lot of applause for their performance.
The new ball didn’t want to miss out on awards either. The Choros Award – a sculpture made of Meissen porcelain – was awarded three times. The entertainer Gunther Emmerlich (1944-2023), who recently died, received the award posthumously after hosting the ball for several years. The soprano Nikola Hillebrand accepted the award as a newcomer and sang an aria from “Manon” by Jules Massenet. Musician Michael Patrick Kelly received the award for his social commitment.
The rest of the evening passed with hustle and bustle. 180 debutantes marched in to the sounds of the “Persian March” by Johann Strauss. Later, Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) appeared on the dance floor with his wife and opened the ball for the audience. The stalls filled up quickly. The festival should last until after midnight.
Choros Award of the Semperopernball