Vienna’s opera tradition goes back to the period of early Baroque, and in particular to the early 18th century, when opera performances took mainly place at the imperial court. In December 1857 the emperor Franz Joseph I decreed that the old inner city fortifications would have to be torn down and a broad boulevard, the Ring, with new magnificent buildings dedicated to the various cultural and political institutions would be built in their place. The court theatres for Drama and Opera would both be relocated on the Ring.
The new opera house was built by the Viennese architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg, who planned the actual building, and Eduard van der Nüll, who designed its interiors. Other impor tant artists were also involved in the project. Moritz von Schwind, for example, decorated the foyer which then took his name with splendid frescos, as well as the balcony just next to it with the famous paintings representing Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
On 25th May 1869 the house was ceremoniously opened with Mozart’s Don Giovanni in the presence of the Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife, Empress Elisabeth. Thanks to the artistic charisma of the theatre under its first directors Franz von Dingelstedt, Johann Herbeck, Franz Jauner and Wilhelm Jahn, its popularity itself also grew. A first climax came under the direction of Gustav Mahler (18971907), who completely renewed the obsolete performance system, gave new strength to the spirit of community in the theatre, and engaged important emerging artists (among which Alfred Roller) in order to create a new aesthetics of the stage.
A black chapter in the history of the opera house is represented by the years between 1938 and 1945, when many members of the theatre were persecuted, banished and assassinated by the national socialisms and many operatic works could no longer be performed.
During World War II the house was almost totally destroyed during a bombing raid and it was questionable whether the institution would survive after that. The Viennese, who during the war had maintained an active cultural life, were deeply shocked by the fact that the symbol of Austrian music tradition was now laying down in ashes.
But the spirit of opera was not destroyed. Already on 1st May 1945 the State Opera in the Volksoper was opened with a magnificent performance of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. To this followed on 6th October 1945 the reopening of the Theater an der Wien, which had been promptly restored, with a performance of Fidelio. There were thus two theatres where the performances could take place in the 10 years that followed, while the opera house itself was restored with all available means. Already on 24th May 1945 the state secretary for public buildings, Julius Raab, announced the rebuilding of the opera house and that the work would be in the hands of the Austrian architects Erich Boltenstern and Otto Prossinger. Only the main façade, the grand staircase, the emperor’s tea room and the SchwindFoyer had been spared from the bombs. The house, with its new auditorium and modernized stage machineries, reopened with a performance of Fidelio on 5th November 1955. The reopening ceremonies were covered by the Austrian television and seen by the entire world as a symbol of the newly born Second Republic. On the occasion of this reopening the following operas were first represented in the newly rebuilt opera house: Don Giovanni on 6th November, Die Frau ohne Schatten on 9th November, Aida on 11th November, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg on 14th November and Der Rosenkavalier on 16th November 1955.
Throughout its history the greatest interpreters have performed in this opera house, and impor tant masterpieces have been represented here as world premiere, i.e. Jules Massenet’s Werther, Richard Strauss’s Viennese version of Ariadne auf Naxos as well as his Die Frau ohne Schatten, Alfred Schnittke’s Gesualdo and most recently Aribert Reimann’s Medea. Next to Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Clemens Krauss, Karl Böhm, Herbert von Karajan (who enforced for instance the tradition of performing operas in the original language) and Lorin Maazel belong to the most notable directors of the opera house.
The most important achievements in the last two decades, under the direction of Ioan Holender, included the foundation of the Opera School for Children (in 2001), the installation of the devices for the subtitles in the auditorium (in 2001) and the so called Opera live on the Square project with live broadcast of several performances on Herbert von Karajan Square (in 2009).
THE WIENER STAATSOPER TODAY
Today the Wiener Staatsoper counts as one of the most important opera houses in the world, and above all it is the one with the widest repertoire. The season runs from September to June and offers more than 300 performances of more than 60 different operas and ballets. The artistic pillars of this opera house are a regular ensemble of singers (about 60 soloists), the ballet ensem ble (the Wiener Staatsballett – Vienna National Ballet – with about 80 of its dancers in the Wiener Staatsoper), the orchestra – its musicians represent both the 148 members of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra in personal union and the Wiener Philharmoniker / Vienna Philharmonic as a private association –, the choir and the stage orchestra. All this is constantly supplemented by numerous international guest singers, dancers and conductors.
Also the Ballet Academy belongs to the Wiener Staatsoper; here children between 10 and 18 years of age receive a comprehensive practical and theoretical stagedance education. Equally important is the Opera School for Children, where children talented for singing are offered their entrance in the operatic world and which also supplies the children choir for several performances.
Since 1st September 2010 Dominique Meyer is Director of the Wiener Staatsoper; Manuel Legris is Director of the Wiener Staatsballett.
One of the top priorities of the Staatsoper administration is to maintain and revitalize the rep ertoire, while at the same time systematically expanding it with new works.
Following Handel’s Alcina the first baroque opera to be shown at the house on the Ring for nearly 50 years and Donizetti’s Anna Bolena in the 2010/11 season, premières of Janáˇcek’s From the House of the Dead and Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny followed in the 2011/12 season. In the 2012/2013 season Henze’s Pollicino was first performed at the opera Lecouvreur and Janáˇcek’s The Cunning Little Vixen, as well as the world première of Naske’s Das Städtchen Drumherum in the children’s opera tent. The programme for the 2014/2015 season featured the Austrian première of Thomas Adès’s The Tempest. In the 2015/2016 season Janáˇcek’s Věc Makropulos and Eötvös’s Tri Sestri will be performed for the first time at the Wiener Staatsoper. Doderer’s Fatima, oder von den mutigen Kindern, commissioned by the Wiener Staatsoper, will also have its world première.
THE 2015/2016 SEASON
There are five opera premières scheduled at opera house on the Ring for the 2015/2016 season: Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth (4th October 2015), Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel (19th November 2015), Leoš Janáˇcek’s Věc Makropulos (13th December 2015), Péter Eötvös’s Tri Sestri (6th March 2016), Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot (28th April 2016) and the world première of the children’s opera Fatima, oder von den mutigen Kindern by Johanna Doderer (23rd December 2015).
Ballet Director Manuel Legris will be putting on three premières at the Wiener Staatsoper: the threepart evening Thoss | Wheeldon | Robbins (29th October 2015) with Blaubarts Geheimnis (excerpt, choreography: Stephan Thoss – music: Philip Glass), Fool’s Paradise (choreography: Christopher Wheeldon – music: Joby Talbot) and The Four Seasons (choreography: Jerome Robbins – music: Giuseppe Verdi) and Le Corsaire (20th March 2016, choreography: Manuel Legris – music: Adolphe Adams among others). In June the 2016 Nureyev Gala will be presented (26th June 2016).
From the 2015/2016 season, the Wiener Staatsoper will for the first time perform childrens’ operas in the premises of the “Stadttheater in der Walfischgasse” (instead of the children’s opera tent on the roof): the productions of Albert Lortzing’s Undine as well as Iván Eröd’s Pünktchen und Anton will be shown.
The wideranging programme comprising 54 operas (incl. operas for children) and 9 ballets is complemented by the following, wellestablished event series:
– Matinee series Ensemblematinee on Sunday: on six different dates, young ensemble singers
will be showcased outside the regular performance schedule.
–Solistenkonzerte: internationally prominent performers present attractive concert
programmes in five evening concerts.
– Kammermusik-Reihe der Wiener Philharmoniker: in ten matinées, members of the Vienna
Philharmonic present a diverse programme of chamber music in rotating ensembles.
– Matinee series Kontrapunkte: Prof. Dr. Clemens Hellsberg will be moderating two round table
discussions about current cultural topics.
On 4th February 2016, the 60th Opera Ball will take place: the opera house will be transformed again into a gigantic ballroom, where two performances of The Magic Flute for children will be given the following day.
These extensive activities will be rounded off by various further matinées.
On the occasion of the season opening on the 4th September 2015, Rigoletto will be broadcast live on the Wiener Rathausplatz in the context of the Film Festival, and on the 6th September, the popular Open Day is taking place. Live Opera on the Square will again feature a selection of around 20 opera and ballet performances per month that will be transmitted live on Herbert von Karajan Square outside the opera house in September, April, May and June. In addition, all performances from 26th December to 3rd January as well as the New Year’s Concert of the Wiener Philharmoniker will also be screened live on the square. Die Fledermaus on 31 December will be a contribution to the City of Vienna’s New Year’s Eve Trail.
In the 2015/2016 season, 45 performances will be broadcast live over the internet with excellent picture and sound quality on the computer, SmartTV or mobile devices worldwide in the context of the innovative and prizewinning offer WIENER STAATSOPER live at home. Viewers can switch between two channels at any time: an overall view of the stage and a live opera or ballet film with closeups and moving cameras.
The Wiener Staatsoper has developed this new technology for a live schools programme on selected dates in order to make its portfolio available to large numbers of young people throughout Austria and abroad: Wiener Staatsoper live at school. This will enable students to discover the opera house and its many professions, experience live rehearsals, and watch live broadcasts of opera or ballet performances together in the morning during school hours thanks to timeshifted broadcasts.
For detailed information please visit: www.wienerstaatsoper.at/presse
FACTS AND FIGURES
– The Wiener Staatsoper has 1709 seats and 567 standing places, 4 places for wheelchair users and their companions in the stalls as well as further places for wheelchairs in the gallery.
– In the season 2015/2016 more than 350 performances are on the programme, of which 234 are opera (incl. one operetta) and 51 ballet performances, 5 concerts, 6 singing matinees, 10 chamber music matinees, 13 further matinees as well as over 40 children’s operas n the Walfischgasse and several dance demonstrations of the ballet academy.
– About 950 people are employed at the Opera House, including technical (about 360 employees) and stage staff, the board of management and the administration staff.
– To the orchestra of the Wiener Staatsoper belong 148 musicians, 41 to the stage orchestra; the choir of the Wiener Staatsoper is composed of 92 singers.
– 203 soloists (on the sole operatic side) and 34 conductors will perform in 201516 at the Wiener Staatsoper.
– 103 dancers belong to the Wiener Staatsballett, 79 of which are associated with the Wiener Staatsoper and 24 with the Volksoper Wien.
– The cheapest tickets for opera and ballet performances cost € 3,– respectively € 4,– (in the gallery’s or the balcony’s standing rooms).
