Credits

The director and conductor: Walter Haupt

Walter Haut was born in Munich. That’s where he studied composition, percussion and conducting at the music-academy. He was the founder and director of the Munich State Opera’s experimental theatre from 1969 to 1986. Since 1969 he is working as a composer, conductor and director at home and abroad.

As a contribution to the “documenta 8” in Kassel he composed the music-theatre play “Pier Paolo Pasolini” for the State Theatre. His revolution opera “Marta” was performed – next to productions at theatres in Aachen, Heidelberg, Kassel and Coburg – at the Königsplatz in Munich in front of 150.00 spectators on the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. His 18 ballet-compositions achieved great success at numerous opera houses in Europe and at international theatre-festivals from Vienna to London, from Vancouver to St. Petersburg.
For the opening of the Olympic games in Munich in 1972 Walter Haupt realised a spectacular Laser-Light-Environment.
This was followed by cupola-projection spaces with performances at the State Opera in Munich, at the Vienna Festival, the Victory State Opera in Melbourne and the Roundhouse in London. One of Walter Haupt’s most important compositions, the “Requiem – in memory of the war crime victims” had it’s debut performance in the State Opera in Munich in 1977. Therein Walter Haupt worked with the orchestra and choir on numerous sound- and tone-levels, in addition he also worked with distant orchestra and tape recordings.
Further chamber music- and symphonic orchestra compositions followed amongst other things like the spectacular opening show of the Munich Airport Centre in 1999.
His home town is preparing a museum which will explain the “synthesis of the arts of Walter Haupt”. On demand of Maestro Walter Haupt it should be an active meeting place for young musicians and theatre creators.

Walter Haupt achieved great international popularity with his “Klangwolke” (soundcloud), which more than 5 million spectators all over Europe were enthusiastic about. Since 1973 he has been engaged with most unusual open-air-projects, which he defines to be an especially aesthetic challenge. He was successful with a fascinating combination of high-tech and traditional fire-, water- and light visions. And set a high standard in this sector with his productions. From “Musik für eine Landschaft” (music for a landscape) to “Marat”, from “Mach-Mit-Konzerten” (take-part-concerts) to “The Sky is the Limit” in Jerusalem, Walter Haupt experimented with space and light and created a music theatre with a new dimension, a great hearing and seeing experience that combines all classes of population under the idea “Kultur für alle” (Culture for everyone).

To Carl Orff’s 100th birthday he directed and conducted the CARMINA BURANA MONUMENTAL OPERA as a gigantic spectacle that over 1 million spectators world-wide were enthusiastic about. In similar dimension he realised the opera “Aida” and the “Fantasy Musical Dracula” witch he also composed.

As conductor Walter Haupt worked together with many domestic and foreign orchestras, amongst others the Munich Philharmonic, the “ORF-Sinfonieorchester” Vienna, the “Münchner Rundfunkorchester”, the “Teatro Municipal Orchester” Lissabon and Sao Paulo, the “Staatopernorchester” Munich and the “Russian National Orchestra”.




Several awards accompanied Walter Haupt’s career, among others the “Great award of the Munich Opera Festival” (1971), the “Culture lion of the city Jerusalem” (1989), the “Austrian Honour Cross for science and art” (1991), the “Federal Cross of Merit on the band” (Germany, 1995), and the “Federal Cross of Merit 1.class” (Germany, 2003). The laudation appreciated the varied ways of expression and the novel way of presenting his “Kunst im offenen Raum” (art in open space). In 2000 the title “Dr. honoris causa” was bestowed on Walter Haupt.