In the six years up to his departure from the Berliner Staatsoper in 2018 the two of us formed a trio with Jürgen Flimm as artistic directors of our respective Berlin opera houses. Over that period we got together on a regular basis to sort out matters involving the interaction of our three institutions or any issues that affected us jointly. It is not least down to Jürgen Flimm that a personal friendship grew out of these utilitarian meetings. Precisely because it was such a nice experience arguing with him, these meetings were so effective in breaking down barriers that we were soon giving joint interviews and appearing together at events. And he made a point of alluding to this unity, taking pleasure in calling us “the Three Musketeers of opera capital Berlin”. If Berlin’s three opera houses are today viewed not as theatres of conflict and scheming but as rich seams of unique art and culture, it is largely thanks to Jürgen Flimm.

Dietmar Schwarz: Jürgen Flimm productions like “Leonce and Lena” at the Kölner Schauspiel or his “Wild Duck” at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg are among my seminal theatre experiences. They were cheeky and youthful, emotional, filled with truth and humanity. Before I’d even finished my studies, and later, too, as dramaturg, I would travel huge distances to see the latest Flimm production. Many of them set bars in terms of psychological exactitude and instinctiveness that remain today. When I had the privilege of meeting Jürgen for the first time as freshly installed Intendant of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, he embraced me wholeheartedly and helped me settle into the job. “Dietmar,” he said, “don’t take everything so seriously. We’re theatre people, which means we have better and more elegant ways in which to make an impact on the Berlin public.”

Barrie Kosky: When I first met Jürgen Flimm, it took me less than five minutes to realise that this was the beginning of a deep friendship. He was warm, witty and cheeky – every bit a man of the theatre. And he had this generosity of spirit towards the arts that allowed him to acknowledge other directors’ triumphs, devoid of envy. He was often in the audience as our guest and always insisted that “a success for the Komische Oper is also a success for the Staatsoper and the Deutsche Oper.” And that applied vice-versa, too. Then there was another side of his character that revealed itself at our many meetings at the Berlin Opera Foundation: crisis summits – and there were a few! – brought out the performer in him and he delivered astonishing one-man shows that were a blend of effrontery and pragmatism.