Dresden and its neighboring Elbe Valley villages have inspired musicians and poets to create sublime pieces. It's in this corner of Saxony that Friedrich Schiller wrote the text for his Ode to Joy, the words for Beethoven's final chorus of his 9th Symphony. Richard Wagner composed most of Lohengrin while serving as court director of music in Dresden (1843-49), spending his summers in Graupa. And Carl Maria von Weber, also a court music director (1817-26), occupied a little vineyard house near the Pillnitz Palace for several years, composing Die Freischutz, Oberon and Euryanthe.
Among the must-do items on your Dresden list should be the following musical five: a performance of the Saxon State Opera, a concert by the Dresden Philharmonic, a performance by the Saxon State Orchestra (which plays mostly in the Opera House), a concert by the Dresden Kreuzchor Boys' Choir and a performance of the State Operetta.
The magnificent State Opera House, originally built in 1878, held the premier performances of Wagner's Rienzi, The Flying Dutchman and Tannhauser, as well as nine operas by Richard Strauss. Vivaldi wrote some of his most virtuoso concertos for the Saxon State Orchestra, and both Wagner and von Weber celebrated their opera triumphs with the group. The SSO, at 454 years old, is the longest continuously performing orchestra in the world. By the way, between 2001 and 2003, the orchestra and opera are staging Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen for the first time in over 60 years. The Web site for both the opera and Saxon State Orchestra is www.semperoper.de.
The Boys Choir history dates back to the 13th century! You can hear them every Saturday at 6 at the Kreuzkirche (Church of the Cross), located at the Old Market Square.
In late May and early June of each year, watch for the Dresden Music Festival, featuring all of the above in various venues, plus jazz, dance and fireworks. Look them up at www.musikfestspiele.com. The Zwinger Concerts take place for the entire month of August each year, with open-air musical events including dancing. Carl Orff's melancholy and frightening Carmina Burana is also performed annually. Check out www.dresden-theater.de.
October 1 and 10 you can take in the Dresden Festival of Modern Music, going for ten years now, in various venues around town. Included are experimental dance, chamber music, electronic music, jazz and multimedia performances. Look it up at www.zeitmusik.de.
For over 30 years, the Dresden Dixieland Festival has been carrying on each spring, with over 40 bands from 12 countries (including the USA). Their Web site, in German only, is www.dixieland.de.
Highlights
In addition to the musical performances, you should also head to any or all of the following:
The Zwinger is the most important site in Dresden, and it has been restored to its pre-World War II glory. Divided into several museums, it can be visited in a day or two (if you don't dawdle), but among the must-see items are Raphael's Sistine Madonna (with its charming cherubs at the bottom, now a Dresden logo) and the extensive Meissen chinaware collection.
Richard Wagner helped foment the Revolution of 1848 despite his exalted position, and paid for the failure of that effort with his exile to Switzerland, whence he fled, for 13 years. Most of the sites where he lived were destroyed either in the World War II bombings or even before, but plaques mark sites throughout the city, as they do for the other major composers' habitats. The only former home of Richard Wagner still open to the public in eastern Germany is in nearby Graupa. Carl Maria von Weber's residence is also close at hand.
In addition to Wagner and von Weber, Richard Strauss, Robert Schumann, and Antonio Vivaldi all lived and worked in Dresden. The tourist office says that other great names in music connected with Dresden include Telemann, Mozart, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Scriabin, "several of whom lived and worked (here) for some time."
Getting around in Dresden is easy with the City-Card. Costing just 16€, this is good for 48 hours and allows you free transport on all trolley and bus lines, certain Elbe ferries and commuter trains, as well as the commuter train to the airport. You also get free admission to 12 museums, including those in the Zwinger, discount for sightseeing tours, and discounts to other museums and attractions. Get the card at most hotels in the city and at the Tourist Information center listed below and that in the Shnickelwache (Theaterplatz square).
Lodging
The Artotel is a stylish place, very a la mode, as are its sister establishments in Budapest and eastern Berlin. Minimalist furnishings and a sleek decor, a good breakfast buffet, and Italian restaurant with bar, of course. The hotel boasts 174 rooms and studios, each with private bath/shower, satellite TV, air-conditioning, minibar, radio, hair dryer, etc. Sauna available. Double room 175€, studio 190€ (equal amount in dollars at time of writing). All rates include buffet breakfast. 33 Ostra-allee, phone 0351-49220, fax 4922-777, e-mail Dresden@artotel.de, online at https://www.artotel.de/dresden/dresden.html.
If you don't mind staying out in the country, there are lovely rooms in a winery connected to the Proschwitz Castle near Meissen. Each of the charming rooms has a private bath, and rates are just 75€ per room. Contact Weingut Schloss Proschwitz at 19 Dorfanger, 01665 Zadel Uber Meissen, phone 3521/76760, fax 3521/767676, e-mail scholss-proschwitz@t-online.de, Web site www.schloss-proschwitz.de.
Dining Out
Have at least one meal at the Pulverturm (Powder Tower), standing in the city center since 1565, just opposite the magnificent Frauenkriche (being reconstructed after its destruction in 1945 by Allied bombers). Yes, they have medieval dishes such as suckling pig and roasted pigs' knuckles (at about 25€), but they also have lighter fare if you prefer a healthier diet. A typical meal could be potato and white sausage soup, followed by sauerbraten with red cabbage and new potatoes, then crepes with mixed berries (totaling about 45€). You will be served by "maids" and "grenadiers." 12 An der Frauenkirche, phone 262 600, Web site www.pulverturm-dresden.de.
Cruising down the Elbe on a lazy afternoon is fine, but it's even better with food and drink onboard. On Die Flotte, for instance, you could have a herring salad at 4.40€, a spicy fish soup at 3.10€ or herring with mandelkartoffeln (a kind of pancake) for E 6.45. Not to mention beer, wine and soft drinks that are always on hand. The line, the Sachsische Dampfschiffahrt, is the world's oldest and largest paddle-steamer fleet (nine ships, since 1836) and has several sailings, from a Kaffeeklatsch costing just 15€ and including coffee and cake; to a Summer's Night Trip, with dancing and a buffet, for 30€. You sail either upstream through the deep gorges of Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland or downstream along the Saxon Wine Route between Dresden and Meissen. Contact them at 10 Hertha-Lindener Str., phone 866 090, or view their Web site www.saechsische-dampfschiffahrt.de. (There's a Steamboat Festival every August, too.)
Summing Up
For more tourist information on Dresden, contact the Tourist Information Office at the Prager Strasse (closed Sundays), phone 491920, fax 491 921 16, e-mail info@dresden-tourist.de, Web site www.dresden-tourist.de.
The country code for German is 49, the city code for Dresden 351. To get an international line from the USA, dial 011.
The rate of exchange at time of writing was just about one Euro to one US dollar.