Vienna Opera: the history of the famous theater

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Vienna Opera is one of the most famous and largest opera houses in the world, whose history begins in the middle of the nineteenth century. Located in the center of Vienna, it was originally called the Vienna Court Opera and was renamed in 1920 with the establishment of the First Republic of Austria.

The building, built between 1861 and 1869 in neoclassical style by the architects Eduard van der Nüll and August Sicard von Sicardsburg, was the first major building on the Rigenstraße. Well-known artists worked on the interior decor, among them - Moritz von Schwind, who painted frescoes in the box based on the opera "The Magic Flute" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the foyer - based on the works of other composers. The Vienna Opera was solemnly opened on May 25, 1869 with the creation of Mozart's Don Giovanni. The performance was attended by Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Amalia Eugenia Elisabeth.

The opera building was initially not highly appreciated by the public. Firstly, it was opposite the magnificent Heinrichshof mansion (destroyed during the Second Worldwar) and did not produce the proper effect of monumentality. Secondly, the level of the ring road in front of the building was raised by one meter after the start of its construction, and it looked like a "settled box".

The Vienna Opera reached its peak under the leadership of the outstanding composer and conductor Gustav Mahler. Under him, a new generation of world-famous vocalists grew up, such as Anna von Mildenburg and Selma Curz. Becoming director of the theater in 1897, he changed the outdated scenery, attracted the talent and experience of remarkable artists (among them - Alfred Roller) to form a new aesthetics of the stage, corresponding to modernist taste. Mahler introduced the practice of dimming stage lighting during performances. All his reforms were kept by his successors.

During the American bombing at the end of World War II, the building was badly damaged. After much discussion, it was decided to restore it in its original style, and the refurbished Vienna Opera was reopened in 1955 with Ludwig van Beethoven's Fidelio.

Today the theater does modern productions, but they are never experimental. It is closely associated with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which is officially listed as the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Vienna Opera. This is one of the busiest opera houses in the world. Every year 50-60 operas are staged, at least 200 performances are shown. The main repertoire of the Vienna Opera includes some works little known to the general public, such as Cavalierroses” and “Salome” by Richard Strauss.

Tickets for performances are expensive. This is due to the large number of lodges. It should be taken into account that there is practically no slope in the stalls, so you can pay from 160 euros for a seat somewhere in the eighth row, but you can hardly see what is happening on the stage. The acoustics are excellent, especially on the upper levels of the building. There are still standing places (more than 500) located directly behind the stalls, but they are only available on the day of the performance, while tickets for the boxes and stalls go on sale thirty days before each performance, and the easiest way to order them is through the site, which owns the Vienna Opera.

Dress code as such is not respected as more than half of the seats are occupied by tourists, a diverse audience, although you can see that people are dressed more elegantly in the boxes.