{{Short description|German director and theatre director (1944–2024)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox person | name = Christof Nel | image = Kristof Nel (3a).jpg | image_upright = | alt = Publicity shot of man with short, grey hair, long face-shape, dark eyebrows and dark eyes | caption = Nel in the 2010s | birth_date = {{birth date|1944|04|07|df=y}} | birth_place = Stuttgart, Gau Württemberg-Hohenzollern, Germany | death_date = {{death date and age|2024|08|06|1944|04|07|df=y}} | death_place = | education = | occupation = {{plainlist| * Actor * Theatre director * Opera director }} | organizations = {{plainlist| * Schauspiel Frankfurt * Oper Frankfurt * Mannheim National Theatre * Akademie für Darstellende Kunst Baden-Württemberg }} | awards = }}

'''Christof Nel''' (7 April 1944 – 6 August 2024) was a German theatre and opera director. He began his career as an actor but moved on to direct opera productions at major opera houses. Plays that he directed were invited to the Berliner Theatertreffen, such as the world premiere of Thomas Brasch's ''Rotter'' in 1978 and Thomas Bernhard's ''Alte Meister'' in 1998. Nel directed the world premiere of Rolf Riehm's ''Das Schweigen der Sirenen'' at the Staatstheater Stuttgart in 1994. His works at Oper Frankfurt included Puccini's ''Madama Butterfly'' in 2001, Wagner's ''Tristan und Isolde'' in 2003 and the first production in German of Aulis Sallinen's ''Kullervo'' in 2011. He taught at the Akademie für Darstellende Kunst Baden-Württemberg from 2011 to 2022.

== Life and career ==

Nel was born in Stuttgart<ref name="Munzinger" /> on 7 April 1944;<ref name="Munzinger" /><ref name="SZ" /> his father was a violist and his mother a singer.<ref name="Bührig" /> He studied art history and theatre in Munich.<ref name="Munzinger" /><ref name="Nachtkritik" /> He began his theatre career as an actor, engaged at the {{Ill|Schaubühne am Halleschen Ufer|de}} by Peter Stein.<ref name="Bührig" /> Nel began directing in the 1970s.<ref name="Munzinger" />

His first plays were produced at the Theater Köln, including the first performance in Germany of ''Occupations'' (''Roter Sonntag in Turin'') by Trevor Griffiths in 1973.<ref name="Munzinger" /> He was successful in productions for the Schauspiel Frankfurt with Peter Palitzsch.<ref name="Munzinger" /> Nel collaborated in interdisciplinary and experimental work with Heiner Goebbels and William Forsythe at the Theater am Turm in Frankfurt.<ref name="Beckmesser" /> Several of the plays he directed were invited to the Berliner Theatertreffen, such as the world premiere of Thomas Brasch's ''Rotter'' in a Frankfurt production in 1978, his production of ''Antigone'' by Sophocles/Hölderlin in 1979,<ref name="Munzinger" /> and Thomas Bernhard's ''Alte Meister'' at Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg in 1998.<ref name="Bührig" /><ref name="Nachtkritik" /><ref name="Berlin" /> Nel directed also in Berlin, at Theater Bochum and Theater Basel.<ref name="Bührig" /><ref name="ADK" />

From the 1980s, Nel staged music theatre,<ref name="Nachtkritik" /> among others at the Oper Frankfurt, where he directed Weber's ''Der Freischütz'' in 1983, Verdi's ''Falstaff'' and Smetana's ''Die verkaufte Braut'' both in 1985, and Wagner's ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' in 1993.<ref name="Oper Frankfurt" /> He directed there ''Salome'' by Richard Strauss in 1999, Puccini's ''Madama Butterfly'' in 2001, Wagner's ''Tristan und Isolde'' in 2003 and ''Parsifal'' in 2006.<ref name="Oper Frankfurt" /> He staged ''Die Frau ohne Schatten'' by Richard Strauss,<ref name="Oper Frankfurt" /> and the first production in German of Aulis Sallinen's ''Kullervo'' in 2011.<ref name="Oper Frankfurt" /><ref name="Spinola" />

Nel directed world premieres, of Rolf Riehm's ''Das Schweigen der Sirenen'' at the Staatstheater Stuttgart in 1994, and of Mauricio Kagel's ''TheaterKonzert'' at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Duisburg,<ref name="Oper Frankfurt" /> as part of the 2003 Ruhrtriennale.<ref name="Schmöe" /> Nel returned to Schauspiel Frankfurt in 2005 with a production of ''Bakchen'' by Euripides, collaborating with his wife, the psychologist Martina Jochem.<ref name="Fürle" /> He directed, often with her assistance,<ref name="Oper Frankfurt" /> Offenbach's ''Hoffmanns Erzählungen'' at the Nationaltheater Mannheim,<ref name="Myway" /> Verdi's ''Don Carlo'' at the Staatsoper Hannover, ''Elektra'' by Strauss at the Grand Théâtre de Genève,<ref name="Oper Frankfurt" /> Verdi's ''Aida'' at the Bavarian State Opera,<ref name="Thiel" /> and Schoenberg's ''Moses und Aron'' at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.<ref name="Oper Frankfurt" />

Nel taught at the Akademie für Darstellende Kunst Baden-Württemberg from 2011 to 2022,<ref name="Bührig" /> from 2012 to 2014 heading the department of direction.<ref name="Nachtkritik" /> He taught as a guest in Essen and Hamburg, among others.<ref name="Bührig" /><ref name="ADK" />

Nel died on 6 August 2024,<ref name="SZ" /> at the age of 80.<ref name="Bührig" /><ref name="Nachtkritik" />

== References ==

<references>

<ref name="Bührig">{{cite news | last = Bührig | first = Agnes | url = https://www.ndr.de/kultur/buehne/Theater-und-Opernregisseur-Christof-Nel-mit-80-Jahren-gestorben,nel100.html | title = Theater- und Opernregisseur Christof Nel mit 80 Jahren gestorben | work = NDR | date = 16 August 2024 | language = de | access-date = 16 August 2024 | archive-date = 16 August 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240816163710/https://www.ndr.de/kultur/buehne/Theater-und-Opernregisseur-Christof-Nel-mit-80-Jahren-gestorben,nel100.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

<ref name="Fürle">{{cite web | last = Fürle | first = Brigitte | url = https://www.buehnen-frankfurt.de/content/schau_alt/spielplan/stueckinhalte6c8.html?InhaltID=3470&ZusatzInhaltID=3771 | title = Bakchen / Brigitte Fürle im Gespräch mit Christof Nel | work = Schauspiel Frankfurt | date = September 2005 | language = de | access-date = 20 August 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name="Schmöe">{{cite news | last = Schmöe | first = Stefan | url = http://www.omm.de/veranstaltungen/musiktheater20032004/DU-theaterkonzert.html | title = TheaterKonzert | work = Online Musik Magazin | date = 2 October 2003 | language = de | access-date = 16 August 2024 | archive-date = 3 April 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130403061344/http://omm.de/veranstaltungen/musiktheater20032004/DU-theaterkonzert.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

<ref name="Spinola">{{cite news | last = Spinola | first = Julia | url = https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/buehne-und-konzert/oper-frankfurt-schuld-sind-immer-die-anderen-1655229.html | title = Oper Frankfurt : Schuld sind immer die anderen | newspaper = FAZ | date = 7 June 2011 | language = de | access-date = 27 October 2019 | archive-date = 16 August 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240816163715/https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/buehne-und-konzert/oper-frankfurt-schuld-sind-immer-die-anderen-1655229.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

<ref name="Thiel">{{cite news | last = Thiel | first = Markus | url = https://www.merkur.de/kultur/interview-aida-premiere-christof-nel-mm-336774.html | title = Interview mit Nel zur "Aida"-Premiere | newspaper = Münchner Merkur | date = 6 June 2009 | language = de | access-date = 20 August 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name="ADK">{{cite web | url = https://adk-bw.de/menschen/christof-nel/ | title = Christof Nel | work = Akademie für Darstellende Kunst Baden-Württemberg | date = 2024 | language = de | access-date = 16 August 2024 | archive-date = 16 August 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240816163714/https://adk-bw.de/menschen/christof-nel/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

<ref name="Beckmesser">{{Cite web | url = http://www.beckmesser.de/komponisten/goebbels/choreografie.html | title = Choreografie und Raum bei Heiner Goebbels | website = www.beckmesser.de | language = de | access-date = 11 October 2019 | archive-date = 16 August 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240816163726/https://www.beckmesser.de/komponisten/goebbels/choreografie.html | url-status = live }}</ref>

<ref name="Oper Frankfurt">{{cite news | title = Christof Nel | url = https://oper-frankfurt.de/en/ensemble/production-team/?detail=1083 | work = Oper Frankfurt | date = 2024 | access-date = 13 August 2024 | archive-date = 16 August 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240816163759/https://oper-frankfurt.de/en/ensemble/production-team/?detail=1083 | url-status = live }}</ref>

<ref name="Munzinger">{{cite encyclopedia | url = https://www.munzinger.de/search/go/document.jsp?id=00000022326 | title = Christof Nel | encyclopedia = Munzinger Archiv | language = de | access-date = 11 October 2019 | archive-date = 16 August 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240816163730/https://www.munzinger.de/search/go/document.jsp?id=00000022326 | url-status = live }}</ref>

<ref name="Myway">{{Cite web | url = http://www.myway.de/hoffmann/1011-mannheim.html | title = Avantgardistischer "Hoffmann" in Mannheim | website = myway.de | date = 2 October 2010 | language = de | access-date = 27 October 2019 }}</ref>

<ref name="Nachtkritik">{{cite news | title = Regisseur Christof Nel gestorben | url = https://nachtkritik.de/meldungen/regisseur-christof-nel-gestorben | work = Nachtkritik | date = 12 August 2024 | language = de | access-date = 13 August 2024 | archive-date = 12 August 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240812160007/https://www.nachtkritik.de/meldungen/regisseur-christof-nel-gestorben | url-status = live }}</ref>

<ref name="SZ">{{cite news | url = https://trauer.sueddeutsche.de/traueranzeige/christof-nel | title = Chritof Nel | type = death notice | newspaper = Süddeutsche Zeitung | date = 17 August 2024 | language = de | access-date = 19 August 2024 }}</ref>

<ref name="Berlin">{{cite web | url = https://archive.berlinerfestspiele.de/theatertreffen/events/bfs-mediathek/Theatertreffen/2003-bis-1964/1998/Alte-Meister | title = Alte Meister | work = Berliner Festspiele | date = 2024 | language = de | access-date = 20 August 2024 }}</ref>

</references>

== External links ==

* {{discogs artist|Christof Nel}} * {{imdb name|4103219}} * [https://www.nmz.de/tags/christof-nel Christof Nel] (articles) ''Neue Musikzeitung'' * [https://www.buehnen-frankfurt.de/content/schau_alt/spielplan/stueckinhalte6c8.html?InhaltID=3470&ZusatzInhaltID=3771 Brigitte Fürle im Gespräch mit Christof Nel] (interview, in German) Schauspiel Frankfurt 2005

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nel, Christof}} Category:1944 births Category:2024 deaths Category:German theatre directors Category:German opera directors Category:People from Stuttgart