Semperoper commemorates Gerd Uecker with a performance

The Semperoper is remembering its former artistic director Gerd Uecker this Saturday with a performance of the Wagner opera "Tristan und Isolde". He died on January 17 at the age of 77. On Thursday, Saxony's Minister of Culture Barbara Klepsch (CDU) paid tribute to Uecker's work in Dresden. "Gerd Uecker had a decisive influence on the Semperoper in the first decade of this millennium. During his directorship, he cultivated the traditions of the house and yet gave the new a stage, as numerous world premieres show." Uecker was Artistic Director in Dresden from 2003 to 2010.

"As an internationally renowned and well-connected opera specialist, he represented the Free State of Saxony and our opera house far beyond Germany and thus acted as an important cultural ambassador for our homeland," Klepsch continued. Even after his time in office, the Semperoper Dresden was able to rely on his advice and support: "We are very grateful for this, but we are also sad that we can no longer build on it." His thoughts are with his wife and Uecker will always be remembered fondly.