It
was perhaps inevitable that Schneider-Siemssen, man of the theater, would
one day take a stab at stage direction. That day finally came - but only
after he overcame his fears of what to him is the most difficult of theatrical
professions. And when he savored his first success, there was no stopping
him and the decision was made: stage direction would be a significant part
of his future!
Wagner's Tristan und Isolde was
the first directorial job that came his way. The year was 1981 and the venue
was the Nico Malan Opera House of the State Theater Pretoria in Cape Town,
South Africa. It was an instant success and soon others followed: The
Flying Dutchman, The Magic Flute, and "Fidelio - some of his all-time
personal favorites for which he received great acclaim.
Below
are some shots from the State Theater Pretoria production of Beethoven's
Fidelio.
It
may not be an overtly cosmic opera, yet Fidelio, Beethoven's
one and only masterpiece of an opera, is one of Schneider-Siemssen's
most favorite - for two reasons:
1) because of the timelessness of both the music and the theme - the
triumph of love over the enslaving and deathly forces of oppression;
2) because the opera has played an important part in his "dramatic
destiny." For example, it was his early "Fidelio" sketches
for the Bremen production that brought him to Herbert von Karajan's
attention, leading to an international career capped by his famed
prolific years with the Vienna State Opera, the Salzburg Festivals,
and the Metropolitan Opera. He has since, of course, designed the
stage for many Fidelio productions. .
An interesting note: On the same day that his Fidelio went
on the stage for the first time in Cape Town, Nelson Mandela was released
from decades of imprisonment. A historic event and a fitting coincident:
the opera's happy ending being a celebration of the hero's release
from prison.
His first directing
assignment in Europe was Tosca, staged at the Theater Aachen in Germany,
which was followed by Rusalka and Fidelio. In 1990 he was
invited to direct Dvorak's Rusalka at the Seattle Opera in a co-production
with the Houston Grand Opera which staged it the following year. He is stage
director as well as set and lighting designer of the 2000-2002 Ring Cycle
at the Richard Wagner Festival in Wels, Austria. For Schneider-Siemssen,
celebrated pioneer stage and lighting designer, and now stage director...
the challenge never ends.
