440:
aspects, made his work with conductor, designer and cast extremely fruitful and productive. Opera has so many imponderables so it obviously didn't always work 100% of the time. Peter was a fair, capable and charming administrator. With his team he planned the season's repertoire with zest. He tried to institute more co-operative administration in his German theatres. He had no interest in the financial side of the administration and was happy to leave it with those qualified to do it. He also had no talent for fund-raising, for example, in
Scotland. He was an artist, not a business man.
111:, Ebert was interned in various camps as a "friendly enemy alien" because, at this point, he had not been naturalised. When released, he returned to Dartington Hall where he met Kathleen Elsie Bone (Kitti), his first wife. They afterwards moved to London and had two daughters, Judith and Tabitha. Peter had various jobs, some in the theatre, and then joined the German Service of the BBC. His marriage ended in 1947.
38:
126:
He and his family lived in Sussex for ten years but, in 1990, the couple sold their Sussex home and bought a semi-derelict farmhouse in Italy. At age 70, he went about restoring, converting and enhancing this house in the
Umbrian hills. In 2004 after a healthy life, Peter was suffering from damage to
50:
Peter Ebert was the son of
Charles, later Carl, Ebert and Cissi (Lucie Frederike Karoline (née Splisgarth), who was German. Carl was the outcome of a romantic liaison of a Polish count and an Irish American music student. Peter was therefore half German. Peter's parents divorced when he was six, both
262:
in
Hanover under Intendant Kurt Ehrhardt, and the family moved there. Peter stayed six years and learned a large amount of the opera repertoire in a theatre with very high standards. However, the summers were nearly always spent working at Glyndebourne as assistant to his father and later doing his
439:
Ebert's great talent in the professional field as a director, lay in his power to create a "perfect whole". Given the right conditions, he was able to charm their best performances out of his singers, which, combined with the enormous musicality of Peter's productions and his feeling for the visual
114:
In August 1947, when he was working in
Scotland, he met Silvia Ashmole, a dancer and his future wife. However, Silvia was forbidden by her parents to see Peter because he was still legally married (albeit separated), he had children, and was German. Nonetheless, they married in 1951 and went on to
291:
During those years Peter Ebert had established an international reputation and thereafter worked in
America, Canada, South Africa, Italy, Denmark and Germany. But Peter's closest ties were with England. He loved Glyndebourne and carried an enormous debt of gratitude to it and the Christie family.
227:
introduced the young director. Peter Ebert maintained an association with the company until the 1960s and especially with the television performances. Having left he BBC, he took a course in the new art of producing for television and became in charge (along with
Outside Broadcast producer, Noble
86:
The pre-war seasons where sensational as Carl brought revolutionary ideas about production to
England. Examples of his approach included the requirement that singers should act, and that the music was to be the guide, with the seamless whole being an interpretation of the music. This approach was
324:
In 1968 Ebert was asked to become
General Administrator in Augsburg, Germany. There he was in charge of opera, plays, concerts, ballet and operetta. He had a fruitful and productive period with an excellent team including the designer, Hans Ulrich SchmĂĽckle. Among many other operas for them, he
62:
to take charge of the theatre scene in Berlin, but in a strong political gesture he chose to leave
Germany and the family settled in Switzerland. Peter was given the choice of staying or leaving Germany and chose to leave. He was one of the 13 boys to make up the first intake of the new
303:
After 1962, he moved back to England and bought a big house in Sussex to accommodate his family. For the next six years Ebert worked as a freelancer, doing productions in Los Angeles, Pretoria, Copenhagen and Basle. At this time he also produced a studio production of
130:
By his last years, Peter Ebert's family consisted of the couple's three girls and five boys who have 17 surviving grandchildren plus three more surviving from Tabitha, his daughter from his first marriage. There are also three step-grandchildren with offspring.
94:
in Devonshire, where the Elmhirsts were carrying out a major cultural experiment. Ebert's stepfather, Hans Oppenheim, was running the Music School there, having also left Germany. So Peter joined his mother and "Oppi" there to study film making and forestry.
118:
After living in various parts of Britain and in Germany during his career, Ebert returning to Sussex in 1980, spending ten years staging opera productions in Sussex and abroad. Later, he was very active in local politics after the founding of the
83:. In 1934 at age 16, Peter visited Glyndebourne (where Carl was directing the operas for the first season) on his way to his boarding school in Scotland and it inspired a lasting love of England and its way of life and especially of Glyndebourne.
245:
by Donizetti, and he went on to stage 16 productions there between 1952 and 1965, some of very rarely performed works, culminating in 1965 with one production by Carl Ebert and another designed by his daughter Judith as well as his own
366:
newspaper's obituary notes that "from the outset he was an inspiring figure and as director of productions from 1965 to 1975 he was responsible for a wide variety of operas which included works by Monteverdi to
1002:
357:
Peter Ebert had a very successful and creative three years there before he "resigned...in 1980 in some bitterness over the financing and future artistic policy of the company."
393:. He took opera to the Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre where the performances attracted the biggest audience ever for an opera in Scotland. In addition, it has been noted that:
419:.... When these two mammoth productions were seen at the Edinburgh Festivals of 1971 and 1972 the critics went overboard in their praise of Ebert's visionary direction.
134:
Until the end, he and Silvia had a strong and loving marriage of 61 years. Peter Ebert died in Sussex and is buried in the churchyard at Ringmer, East Sussex.
982:
686:
997:
51:
parties remarrying and staying on excellent terms. Due to the separation, his early years of schooling were chequered, so he was finally sent to one of
987:
788:
992:
977:
926:
840:
350:
In 1977 he was asked to join Scottish Opera, with which he had been associated (by doing freelance productions), since its foundation by Sir
228:
Wilson) of the early, annual transmissions from Glyndebourne. The enormous cameras had to run on wooden tracks down through the auditorium.
820:
295:
In 1960 Ebert moved to DĂĽsseldorf/Duisburg, a larger theatre with many singers but found little sense of teamwork. He left after 2 years.
22:(6 April 1918, Frankfurt am Main, Germany – 25 December 2012, Sussex, England) was a German opera director. Son of noted German director
339:
405:
making his debut in the title role and built a particularly strong artistic relationship with several singers, including the soprano
947:
912:
891:
870:
863:
854:
642:
79:
who became the first music director of this new company, Carl had been asked by John Christie to take part in the founding of the
723:
463:
157:
962:
142:
In 1947 he was invited by Glyndebourne to be Assistant Producer to his father whose first post-war Glyndebourne production was
742:
669:
940:
905:
236:
351:
284:
213:. For 20 years up to 1954, almost every production was undertaken by Carl Ebert, but in that year Peter's production of
120:
574:
Between 1963 and 1980, Peter Ebert is on record as having directed around 50 productions (including the four-opera
224:
423:
drew attention to Ebert's "clear, unforced" direction in the Wagner and of "the glory" he brought to the Berlioz.
278:
went to West Berlin, Peter was in charge of the whole thing as his father fell ill. Later, when his father died,
589:, the whole of the Ring Cycle, and a significant number of opera by Puccini, including three productions of
478:
127:
his heart valves. The family moved back to England, to Sussex and within walking distance of Glyndebourne.
545:
187:
241:
539:
484:
90:
After two years at Gordonstoun, Peter spent six months apprenticed to a private bank, but then moved to
972:
967:
768:
457:
309:
26:
who left Nazi Germany in 1934 with his son and moved to England, he was best known for his work with
308:
for the BBC, as well as presenting a music programme "Music in Camera", where the first meeting of
259:
490:
215:
164:
was its first director), in August Peter went to Scotland to assist on the production of Verdi's
104:
80:
64:
27:
943:
936:
922:
908:
901:
887:
866:
859:
836:
638:
360:
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate for services to Music by St. Andrews University in 1979.
144:
805:
Past productions (including Ebert's) at Scottish Opera, 1963 to 1980 which may be viewed here
316:
in public took place. Later, Peter ran the Opera School at Toronto University for 18 months.
603:
597:
591:
525:
313:
232:
153:
274:
to Paris, Ebert did all the technical and preparatory work as well as the rehearsals. When
34:
where he staged over 50 productions from 1963 to 1980 and which brought him great success.
804:
727:
676:
shows the correct date of death – 25 December 2012 – despite what various obituaries state
166:
91:
739:
666:
849:
519:
406:
181:
175:
31:
720:
956:
746:
673:
402:
279:
613:
s. The less well-known repertoire presented during his tenure included Beethoven's
282:, the leading critic, wrote an obituary lengthily praising a production of Mozart's
585:
469:
369:
231:
Outside of the Glyndebourne season Peter Ebert staged his first production for the
210:
205:
199:
108:
209:
with John Piper's sets, which was enhanced musically by the, then, music director
621:
609:
415:
390:
327:
161:
76:
37:
576:
381:
23:
833:
What the Doctor Ordered: An Encyclopedia of Wexford Festival Opera Since 1951
379:". He creating the company's first orchestra, staging Scotland's first-ever
52:
563:
193:
615:
595:(with three more in the 1970s). That decade includes three of Verdi's
375:
220:
173:
The Glyndebourne productions during the 1950s were very successful.
149:
59:
36:
886:. London: Methuen & Co Ltd, 1965; David and Charles, 1981.
409:. Dernesch was to deliver commanding performances in both the
338:
In 1973 he moved to Bielefeld as Intendant and in 1975 to the
789:"Obituary: Sir Peter Ebert, opera director and administrator"
250:. Peter was invited back to give talks in his later years.
635:
In This Theatre of Man's Life: The Biography of Carl Ebert
67:
under the headmastership of the also emigrated Kurt Hahn.
185:
were sellouts and could have been played every year. But
896:
Kennedy, Michael; Bourne, Joyce, (Eds.), "Peter Ebert",
510:
239:
and his friends and held in the autumn. The opera was
858:, Vol. Two. London: MacMillan Publishers, Inc. 1998
511:
Peter Ebert's stagings for Carl Ebert at Glyndebourne
749:
on glyndebourne.com/archive. Retrieved 5 August 2013
444:
Productions at Glyndebourne, Liverpool and Edinburgh
156:. Given Glyndebourne's involvement in founding the
123:. He was elected a District Councillor for Lewes.
1003:Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United Kingdom
263:own productions and restaging his fathers’ work.
258:In 1954 Peter Ebert became chief producer at the
807:on scottishopera.org.uk. Retrieved 3 August 2013
827:(London), 8 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013
335:) which he afterwards took to Scottish Opera.
884:Glyndebourne: A History of the Festival Opera
8:
775:, 19 February 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
730:on Glyndebourne.com. Retrieved 5 August 2013
637:. Lewes, Sussex: The Book Guild Ltd., 1999
721:Glyndebourne Festival productions by season
740:Peter Ebert's productions for Glyndebourne
427:
659:
482:and Mozart's "Abduction" again. *1958:
235:, an opera festival founded in 1951 by
900:, Oxford University Press, USA, 1996
898:The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music
783:
781:
203:as well as Ebert's own production of
7:
935:, London: Jonathan Cape Ltd., 1985.
921:, Oxford: Shire Publications, 2010.
983:People interned during World War II
389:, with an excellent cast including
852:, "Glyndebourne" in Sadie, (Ed.),
340:Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden
14:
998:German people of American descent
855:The New Grove Dictionary of Opera
619:(three productions) and Berlioz'
607:plus a few "Ring" operas and two
428:Ebert's career in the opera world
75:With Carls friend the conductor,
288:, not realising it was Peter's.
58:In 1933 Carl was invited by the
55:'s boarding schools in Germany.
988:German people of Polish descent
993:German people of Irish descent
978:People educated at Gordonstoun
835:. Dublin: Nonsuch Publishing.
583:His 1960s productions include
254:Return to Germany, 1954 – 1962
1:
919:Glyndebourne: A Brief History
570:Productions at Scottish Opera
504:Die EntfĂĽhrung aus dem Serail
464:Die EntfĂĽhrung aus dem Serail
933:Fifty Years of Glyndebourne
795:(Edinburgh), 5 January 2013
629:Publications by Peter Ebert
413:(alongside David Ward) and
320:Germany again, 1968 to 1977
1019:
502:both in Edinburgh. *1961:
87:well received by critics.
769:"Obituaries: Peter Ebert"
726:20 September 2013 at the
285:EntfĂĽhrung aus dem Serail
821:"Peter Ebert" (Obituary)
687:"Peter Ebert (Obituary)"
667:The Glydnebourne archive
397:He directed a memorable
16:German operatic director
767:Richard Anthony Baker,
266:When Glyndebourne took
121:Social Democratic Party
963:German opera directors
931:Norwich, John Julius,
555:The Marriage of Figaro
546:The marriage of Figaro
433:Professional qualities
188:The Marriage of Figaro
46:Family life in Germany
42:
831:Lewis, Kevin (2008).
540:The Barber of Seville
496:Il segreto di Susanna
485:Il segreto di Susanna
461:in Edinburgh. *1956:
115:have eight children.
40:
711:Sadie, pp. 465 – 466
537:(Edinburgh); *1961:
479:L'italiana in Algeri
458:La Forza del destino
625:(two productions).
559:The Rake's Progress
299:England as his base
260:Staatsoper Hannover
103:At the time of the
917:Kennedy, Michael,
580:on one occasion.)
491:Le nozze di Figaro
158:Edinburgh Festival
138:Glyndebourne years
105:Dunkirk evacuation
81:Glyndebourne Opera
65:Gordonstoun School
43:
28:Glyndebourne Opera
927:978-0-7478-0821-3
842:978-1-84588-597-7
787:Alasdair Steven,
758:Lewis, p. ??
745:5 August 2013 at
691:Herald (Scotland)
672:5 August 2013 at
551:Ariadne auf Naxos
325:staged Berlioz's
310:Jacqueline du Pré
1010:
846:
808:
802:
796:
785:
776:
765:
759:
756:
750:
737:
731:
718:
712:
709:
703:
702:
700:
698:
693:. 4 January 2013
683:
677:
664:
604:Simon Boccanegra
592:Madame Butterfly
352:Alexander Gibson
314:Daniel Barenboim
242:L'elisir d'amore
233:Wexford Festival
154:Kathleen Ferrier
41:Peter Ebert 2007
1018:
1017:
1013:
1012:
1011:
1009:
1008:
1007:
953:
952:
882:Hughes, Spike,
843:
830:
812:
811:
803:
799:
786:
779:
766:
762:
757:
753:
738:
734:
728:Wayback Machine
719:
715:
710:
706:
696:
694:
685:
684:
680:
665:
661:
651:
631:
572:
513:
476:repeated, plus
446:
435:
430:
348:
322:
301:
256:
140:
101:
92:Dartington Hall
73:
71:Move to England
48:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1016:
1014:
1006:
1005:
1000:
995:
990:
985:
980:
975:
970:
965:
955:
954:
951:
950:
929:
915:
894:
874:
873:
847:
841:
828:
810:
809:
797:
777:
760:
751:
732:
713:
704:
678:
658:
657:
650:
647:
646:
645:
630:
627:
571:
568:
531:La Cenerentola
520:La Cenerentola
512:
509:
508:
507:
445:
442:
434:
431:
429:
426:
425:
424:
407:Helga Dernesch
347:
346:Scottish Opera
344:
342:in Wiesbaden.
321:
318:
300:
297:
276:La cenerentola
255:
252:
225:John Pritchard
182:Cosi fan tutte
176:La cenerentola
139:
136:
100:
97:
72:
69:
47:
44:
32:Scottish Opera
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1015:
1004:
1001:
999:
996:
994:
991:
989:
986:
984:
981:
979:
976:
974:
971:
969:
966:
964:
961:
960:
958:
949:
948:0-224-02310-1
945:
942:
938:
934:
930:
928:
924:
920:
916:
914:
913:9780192800374
910:
907:
903:
899:
895:
893:
892:9780715378915
889:
885:
881:
880:
879:
878:
877:Other sources
872:
871:1-56159-228-5
868:
865:
864:0-333-73432-7
861:
857:
856:
851:
850:Stanley Sadie
848:
844:
838:
834:
829:
826:
822:
819:
818:
817:
816:
815:Cited sources
806:
801:
798:
794:
790:
784:
782:
778:
774:
770:
764:
761:
755:
752:
748:
747:archive.today
744:
741:
736:
733:
729:
725:
722:
717:
714:
708:
705:
692:
688:
682:
679:
675:
674:archive.today
671:
668:
663:
660:
656:
655:
648:
644:
643:1-85776-347-5
640:
636:
633:
632:
628:
626:
624:
623:
618:
617:
612:
611:
606:
605:
600:
599:
594:
593:
588:
587:
581:
579:
578:
569:
567:
566:
565:
560:
556:
552:
548:
547:
542:
541:
536:
532:
528:
527:
522:
521:
515:
506:
503:
499:
495:
492:
489:
486:
483:
480:
477:
473:
471:
466:
465:
460:
459:
454:
450:
449:
448:
443:
441:
437:
432:
422:
418:
417:
412:
408:
404:
403:Geraint Evans
400:
396:
395:
394:
392:
388:
384:
383:
378:
377:
372:
371:
365:
361:
358:
355:
353:
345:
343:
341:
336:
334:
330:
329:
319:
317:
315:
311:
307:
298:
296:
293:
289:
287:
286:
281:
280:Bernard Levin
277:
273:
269:
264:
261:
253:
251:
249:
244:
243:
238:
234:
229:
226:
222:
218:
217:
212:
208:
207:
202:
201:
196:
195:
190:
189:
184:
183:
178:
177:
171:
169:
168:
163:
159:
155:
151:
147:
146:
137:
135:
132:
128:
124:
122:
116:
112:
110:
106:
99:Personal life
98:
96:
93:
88:
84:
82:
78:
70:
68:
66:
61:
56:
54:
45:
39:
35:
33:
29:
25:
21:
932:
918:
897:
883:
876:
875:
853:
832:
824:
814:
813:
800:
793:The Scotsman
792:
772:
763:
754:
735:
716:
707:
695:. Retrieved
690:
681:
662:
653:
652:
634:
620:
614:
608:
602:
596:
590:
586:Don Giovanni
584:
582:
575:
573:
562:
558:
554:
550:
544:
538:
534:
530:
524:
518:
516:
514:
505:
501:
497:
493:
487:
481:
475:
474:Don Giovanni
470:Don Giovanni
468:
462:
456:
452:
447:
438:
436:
421:The Scotsman
420:
414:
410:
398:
386:
380:
374:
370:Don Pasquale
368:
364:The Scotsman
363:
362:
359:
356:
349:
337:
332:
326:
323:
305:
302:
294:
290:
283:
275:
271:
268:Le Comte Ory
267:
265:
257:
247:
240:
230:
214:
211:Vittorio Gui
206:Don Giovanni
204:
200:Le Comte Ory
198:
192:
186:
180:
174:
172:
165:
143:
141:
133:
129:
125:
117:
113:
109:World War II
102:
89:
85:
74:
57:
49:
19:
18:
973:2012 deaths
968:1918 births
622:Les Troyens
610:Magic Flute
601:and two of
416:Les Troyens
391:Janet Baker
387:The Trojans
333:The Trojans
328:Les Troyens
306:La traviata
248:La Traviata
162:Rudolf Bing
77:Fritz Busch
20:Peter Ebert
957:Categories
941:0224023101
906:019280037X
649:References
577:Ring Cycle
543:; *1962:
523:; *1960:
500:Arlecchino
494:. *1960:
472:. *1957:
453:Arlecchino
411:Ring Cycle
382:Ring cycle
223:and under
216:Arlecchino
24:Carl Ebert
825:Telegraph
773:The Stage
697:8 January
561:; *1964:
553:; *1963:
488:. *1959:
455:; *1955:
354:in 1962.
237:Tom Walsh
53:Kurt Hahn
743:Archived
724:Archived
670:Archived
598:Falstaff
564:Idomeneo
535:Falstaff
526:Falstaff
399:Falstaff
272:Falstaff
194:Idomeneo
30:and the
616:Fidelio
376:Fidelio
167:Macbeth
152:, with
107:during
946:
939:
925:
911:
904:
890:
869:
862:
839:
641:
517:1959:
451:1954:
221:Busoni
654:Notes
401:with
150:Gluck
145:Orfeo
60:Nazis
944:ISBN
937:ISBN
923:ISBN
909:ISBN
902:ISBN
888:ISBN
867:ISBN
860:ISBN
837:ISBN
699:2013
639:ISBN
557:and
498:and
467:and
385:and
373:and
312:and
270:and
179:and
219:by
148:by
959::
823:,
791:,
780:^
771:,
689:.
549:,
533:,
529:,
197:,
191:,
170:.
845:.
701:.
331:(
160:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
