Hans Curjel was born on May 1, 1896, in Karlsruhe to the architect Robert Curjel and his wife Marie, born Herrmann. After studying art history, which he completed with a doctorate in 1920, he studied violin and conducting at the Karlsruhe Conservatory. During the 1924/25 season, he was engaged as a conductor at the privately operated Schauspielhaus in Düsseldorf. He then worked as deputy director of the Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe before Otto Klemperer hired him as dramaturge and operations director at the Kroll Opera in 1927. Curjel quickly became Klemperer’s closest collaborator and significantly shaped the avant-garde character of the opera. After the closure of the Kroll Opera, he worked as a guest stage director at the Städtische Oper in Berlin.
The Nazis’ rise to power in 1933 ended his career in Germany, as Hans Curjel was Jewish. He fled to Switzerland, where he led various theaters in the following years. From 1948 on, he worked as a dramaturge and stage director on German and European stages, in addition to writing books, particularly on the topic of new music, and producing radio broadcasts. Hans Curjel died on January 3, 1974, in Zurich.
1896 Karlsruhe
1974 Zurich