Vienna State Opera History & Facts
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Moreover, the opera house believes in maintaining the same cast, so you will be sure of what to expect from each performance. The ballets and concerts are also set in a way that does not require a translator. As they are focused on offering an experience you can feel without being held back by the language barrier. Together with the architect, Robert Obsieger developed the decorative elements consisting of a few basic elements (profiled leaves and bars), while Hilda Schmid-Jesser, the only artist involved in the reconstruction, was responsible for the final version. Through this reduced formal language, the room loses some of its former historicist heaviness, but retains its representative character.
The Wiener Staatsoper
Today’s opera house looks especially fantastic at night (see the photo later in the article). This standalone location gives the building a notable presence in Vienna’s city centre, like a grand diva towering above the orchestra pit. The Secretary of State for Public Works, Julius Raab, announced on May 24, 1945, that reconstruction of the Vienna State Opera would begin immediately. Only the main facade, the grand staircase, and the Schwind Foyer had been spared from the bombs. On November 5, 1955, the Vienna State Opera reopened with a new auditorium and modernized technology.
»Schwanensee« and »Eugen Onegin« on »Staatsopern-Mittwoch« at Vienna's Rathausplatz - Wiener Staatsoper
»Schwanensee« and »Eugen Onegin« on »Staatsopern-Mittwoch« at Vienna's Rathausplatz.
Posted: Thu, 27 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Safety curtain
For many decades, the opera house has been the venue of the Vienna Opera Ball. It is an internationally renowned event, which takes place annually on the last Thursday in Fasching. Those in attendance often include visitors from around the world, especially prominent names in business and politics. At the beginning of the 2005–2006 season, the ballet companies of the Staatsoper and the Vienna Volksoper were merged under the direction of Gyula Harangozó, which led to a reduction in the number of performers in the resulting ensemble. This has resulted in an increase in the number of guest stars engaged to work in the ballet. The practice of combining the two ballet companies proved an artistic failure, and Harangozó left when his contract expired in 2010.
History of the building
The list of famous opera stars who performed here might be considered Wagnerian in length. One of them – Placido Domingo – once received an 80-minute standing ovation for his Othello (a world record). Anyone wishing to get a good look around Vienna’s State Opera House has two choices. Either buy a ticket for a performance (cheaper than you think) or take an in-house guided tour.
During a 40-minute tour, you will learn a lot of interesting facts about the history of the house, its architecture and the opera business. From the foyer, you will walk up the grand staircase through the state rooms (Tea Salon, Marble Hall, Schwindfoyer, Gustav Mahler Hall) to the auditorium (with a view of the stage). Its reconstruction, completed in 1955, was financed by taxes, contributions, and U.S.
h anniversary season
During guided tours, you can take a peek behind the scenes of the mighty opera house. The State Opera was erected between 1863 and 1869 as one of the first prestigious buildings on the then newly-created Ringstrasse boulevard. The 120-meter long intermission halls of the State Opera connect to frame the main staircase.
Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian makes belated Metropolitan Opera debut as Madame Butterfly
Creating a magical setting they open their floor to anyone who is looking for a wonderful night. One of the top socialite events that is filled with gorgeous individuals. However, scoring a ticket is not an easy undertaking, and comes with the pressure to dress up like a royal. If you are up to the challenge the opera house promises to offer you an experience you will never forget. The opera house also has an opera school for boys and girls between the ages of eight and fourteen, which takes place in the afternoons after regular school. The children are introduced to music theatre and the prospect of becoming opera singers.
The building was designed by the Viennese architects August von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll. At the time, however, the building was heavily criticized by the public and was considered an architectural disaster, leading the sensitive van der Nüll to commit suicide. Just two months later, Sicardsburg died of a heart attack, meaning that both architects did not live to see the completion of the building. The traditional coffee house with Viennese charm is a popular meeting place for music lovers, opera artists and visitors to the opera.
Crossroads of History: Ancient Jordan with Dan Snow
When visiting Vienna, a night at the Vienna Opera is therefore an absolute must. We guarantee you a breathtaking experience with the selected program from Concert Vienna, because it is not without reason that opera has been one of the most outstanding art forms in the world for centuries. The English tour should usually be available at all scheduled times, and everything was very well-organised and swift on my visit; the opera tour is one of many tours of historical buildings available in Vienna. The nearby Vienna State Opera Museum displays a series of exhibitions relating to the building and its history since 1955. See my advice on getting tickets, including the inexpensive option of standing space, where a night at the opera can cost little more than a morning coffee. The opera house greeted its first visitors in 1869 as the Hofoper (court opera) for a performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
The Vienna State Opera offers a diverse program of operas and ballet works. The best-known names in opera create magical moments – in the opera house with the largest repertoire in the world. The capacity of the auditorium is now 2,284 instead of the previous 2,881.
In the interim, performances of the State Opera were held at the Vienna Volksoper (Folk Opera) and the Theater an der Wien. The outstanding musical director of the period after World War II was the conductor Herbert von Karajan. For the re-opening of the renovated State Opera, a glamorous opera festival was prepared, in which over the space only 4 weeks, 8 premieres played on stage. On the morning of the 5th November, the day of the celebratory re-opening, there was a ceremony.
Due to the appalling conditions at Theater an der Wien, the opera company leadership tried to raise significant quantities of money to speed up reconstruction of the original opera house. Many private donations were made, as well as donations of building material from the Soviets, who were very interested in the rebuilding of the opera. The mayor of Vienna had receptacles placed in many sites around Vienna for people to donate coins only. In this way, everyone in Vienna could say they had participated in the reconstruction and feel pride in considering themselves part owners. In the meantime, the opera company, which had at first been performing in the Volksoper, had moved rehearsals and performances to Theater an der Wien, where, on 1 May 1945, after the liberation and re-independence of Austria from the Nazis, the first performances were given.
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