Travel tips for opera lovers – Wroclaw and von Weber

Carl Maria von Weber came to Breslau in 1804. The city had approached Abbé Vogler, Weber’s teacher, for a recommendation to fill the position of Kapellmeister, and he had recommended his 17-year-old pupil. When Weber first stood before the large orchestra, the hostility was palpable. When the young schnoz took pleasure in throwing out older musicians to raise the level, purged the program of overly light pieces, and changed the seating arrangements of the orchestra , there was fire under the roof. Weber’s work was highly respected artistically, but the parties could never put aside the petty warfare. So after two years it was over and the theater management stated: “We lose in the former a genius who has done a lot for our opera.”