Günter Krämer was general director of the theaters in the city of Cologne from 1995 to 2002, and before that, director of the Cologne Schauspielhaus since 1990.He was born in Neustadt a. d. Weinstraße, studied German, history and philosophy at the universities of Heidelberg and Freiburg and was initially a teacher in Mannheim. He began directing in 1970 (including world premieres by Friederike Roth and Tancred Dorst).The first stops were Wiesbaden, Cologne, Hanover, and from 1975 to 1979 the Berlin State Theater. From 1980 to 1984 he was senior director at the Stuttgart State Theater; 1984 to 1989 Head of the Bremen Theater. In 1987 he staged THE THREEPENROCHEN OPERA at the Berlin Theater des Westens. In 1979 Günter Krämer also began directing operas.His repertoire includes classical and contemporary works. He has been named “best director” several times for his work, for example in the opera world and in Capital, among others. for Janácek's THE MAKROPULOS CASE at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Penderecki's THE DEVIL OF LOUDON in Düsseldorf and THE RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY in Hamburg.Since 1986, Günter Krämer has directed seven operas at the Deutsche Oper Berlin: a “Slavic cycle” with KATJA KABANOWA, LADY MACBETH OF MZENSK and THE MAKROPULOS CASE; for the Mozart year 1991 as his first Mozart operas THE ABDUCTION FROM THE SERAIL and THE MAGIC FLUTE, in 1999 the RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY and in 1994 Francis Poulenc's rarely performed opera DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITE WOMEN, which particularly highlighted his ability to intensively lead people.For the Hamburg State Opera he created Luigi Nono's INTOLLERANZA in 1984, Franz Schreker's THE TREASURE GRAVERS in 1989, Richard Wagner's RING in 1992/93 and the premiere of Alexander Zemlinsky's KÖNIG KANDAULES in 1996, for Düsseldorf in 1986 Erich Wolfgang Korngold's THE TOTE CITY, Franz Schreker's THE SIGNATURES in 1987, 1988 Giuseppe Verdi's MACBETH, Carl Maria von Weber's DER FREISCHÜTZ at the Komische Oper Berlin in 1989, LA TRAVIATA for the Bavarian State Opera in Munich in 1993 and Hans Werner Henze's THE YOUNG LORD in 1995, ELEKTRA for the Cologne Opera in 1995 and the world premiere of Lars for the Paris Opéra Comique Gefors' CLARA.
