Guided tours

vienna opera house

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. Established in the late 19th century, these opera houses are renowned for their impressive performances of both classical and contemporary works. 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.

Art and Architecture Tour

Animal Farm Premieres Calendar & Tickets - Wiener Staatsoper

Animal Farm Premieres Calendar & Tickets.

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Either buy a ticket for a performance (cheaper than you think) or take an in-house guided tour. Today, the Vienna State Opera is one of the leading and most important opera houses in the world and a cultural landmark in Vienna. If you don’t attend a performance, I recommend the in-house tour that takes you through the building and out behind the surprisingly large stage.

The Wiener Staatsoper

I often use it as a reference to guide people to other locations. The years 1938 to 1945 were a dark chapter in the history of the opera house. Under the Nazis, many members of the house were driven out, pursued, and killed, and many works were not allowed to be played.

Who owns the Vienna State Opera House?

vienna opera house

Every performance at the Vienna State Opera is reviewed by an independent company in the opera publication Der Neue Merker[9] (The New Judge) which is printed in about 2000 copies. This is unusual in that most opera magazines prefer to concentrate on new productions and premieres. There is an online version[10] parallel to the publication, which receives (as of March 2007) an average of 10,000 visitors a week, and therefore is one of the most successful German-language opera portals. Herbert von Karajan introduced the practice of performing operas exclusively in their original language instead of being translated into German.

From the 2010–2011 season a new company was formed called Wiener Staatsballet, Vienna State Ballet, under the direction of former Paris Opera Ballet principal dancer Manuel Legris. On the one hand, it did not seem as grand as the Heinrichshof, a private residence which was destroyed in World War II (and replaced in 1955 by the Opernringhof). Eduard van der Nüll committed suicide, and barely ten weeks later Sicardsburg died from tuberculosis so neither architect saw the completion of the building. The opening premiere was Don Giovanni, by Mozart, on 25 May 1869. The opera house was the first major building on the Vienna Ringstrasse commissioned by the Viennese "city expansion fund". Work commenced on the house in 1861 and was completed in 1869, following plans drawn up by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll.

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. 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 company recruits singers for children's roles in its productions from this opera school. Twice every season there is a special matinée performance of the opera school.

In order to achieve a good acoustic, wood was the favoured building material, at the advice of, among others, Arturo Toscanini. In addition, the number of seats in the parterre (stalls) was reduced, and the fourth gallery, which had been fitted with columns, was restructured so as not to need columns. The façade, entrance hall and the "Schwind" foyer were restored and remain in their original style. The front section, which had been walled off as a precaution, however, remained intact including the foyer, with frescoes by Moritz von Schwind, the main stairways, the vestibule and the tea room. The State Opera was temporarily housed at the Theater an der Wien and at the Vienna Volksoper. The somewhat coarser-grained Kelheimerstein (also known as Solnhof Plattenstein) was intended as the main stone to be used in the building of the opera house, but the necessary quantity was not deliverable.

While the opera stage runs from July to August, the rest of the year covers extra opera niches such as concerts and dance performances. Secondly, being a newly renovated opera house, it offers state-of-the-art technology that adds to your overall experience. Lastly, the theatre produces and stages a great number of modern operas and other classical operas with a modern twist. Moreover, the opera house believes in maintaining the same cast, so you will be sure of what to expect from each performance.

He also strengthened the ensemble and regular principal singers and introduced the policy of predominantly engaging guest singers. He began a collaboration with La Scala in Milan, in which both productions and orchestrations were shared. This created an opening for the prominent members of the Viennese ensemble to appear in Milan, especially to perform works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Strauss.

While the building was constructed, it did not officially open to the public until 1869 – and played Mozart on the premiere night. Since then the Vienna opera house has gained endless love, all thanks to the artistic influence it has had on the world. There are three other Vienna opera houses that you should know about. Vienna Opera Theater an der Wien Volksoper Vienna Chamber Opera. The Vienna State Opera House represents the city’s main opera house.

For example, the State Opera House has some 180,000 costumes at its disposal and 200 stagehands work every day to make those backstage changes. Instead, evening showings present a musical performance of one kind or another. You probably pass the Staatsoper on your travels around the city centre; it actually marks the start of my suggested walking tour of Vienna. You can spot the building in other productions, too, like the Jack Ryan TV series, the The Recruit TV series, or the Sachertorte and The Woman in Gold movies. The public reaction at the time was broadly negative, and this criticism likely contributed to the untimely death of both architects before the official opening.

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