Hans Wallat facts for kids

Hans Wallat (born October 18, 1929 – died December 11, 2014) was a famous German conductor. He was known for leading orchestras and operas. He held important positions called GMD in several German cities. These included Bremen, Mannheim, Dortmund, and Düsseldorf.

Wallat was especially good at conducting the operas of Richard Wagner. He even performed at the famous Bayreuth Festival. This festival is dedicated to Wagner's music. He also conducted in many other countries around the world.

Early Life and Career

Hans Wallat was born in Berlin, Germany. He studied music in Schwerin. After his studies, he started working at different theaters. He worked in cities like Schwerin, Stendal, and Cottbus.

In 1958, Wallat became a lead conductor, called Erster Kapellmeister, at the Leipzig Opera. He later moved from East Germany before the Berlin Wall was built. From 1964, he was a lead conductor at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Becoming a Top Conductor

Hans Wallat became a specialist in German opera. He focused a lot on the works of Richard Wagner. In 1965, he became the Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) in Bremen. A GMD is like the main music director for a city's opera or orchestra.

In 1968, he got a big chance at the Bayreuth Festival. He stepped in to conduct two of Wagner's operas. These were Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and Der fliegende Holländer. He became a regular conductor for these operas in later years.

Wallat was in high demand internationally. He conducted at the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia. He also led performances at the Vienna State Opera in Austria. His first time conducting at the Metropolitan Opera in New York was in 1971. He conducted Beethoven's opera Fidelio.

He conducted more than 90 full Ring Cycles. This is a huge series of four Wagner operas. He was known as one of the most knowledgeable conductors of this work.

Leading Major Opera Houses

From 1970 to 1980, Wallat was the GMD at the Nationaltheater Mannheim. In 1980, he conducted Wagner's Tannhäuser at the Cologne Opera.

He then became the GMD at the Theater Dortmund from 1980 to 1985. After that, he served as GMD at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein from 1986 to 1996. For his first performance there, he chose a modern opera. It was Wolfgang Fortner's Bluthochzeit. In 1996, he was named an Honorary Conductor of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker.

Wallat also conducted Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Siegfried, and Parsifal at the Richard Wagner Festival in Wels. To celebrate his 75th birthday, the Konzerthaus Dortmund created the "Wallat-Ring" in 2003 and 2004. This was a special performance of the Ring Cycle.

Sadly, Hans Wallat became ill in 2004. He was supposed to receive a special German award. Many famous people who worked with him were there. But he was too sick to attend the ceremony. He passed away in Hilden in December 2014, at 85 years old.

Awards and Recognition

Hans Wallat received several important awards for his work.

• In 2004, he was given the German Cross of the Order of Merit. This is a very high honor.
• In 2009, he became an honorary member of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.
• In 2010, he received the Duisburger Musikpreis (Duisburg music prize).