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When you enter through one of the main front doors of the lobby, which has been preserved in its original form, you get an immediate impression of the interior of the old opera house. Unaffected by the bombing were the whole main front, the main lobby, the central staircase, the Schwind Foyer and attached veranda, and the Tea Salon on the first floor. After that, sales always begin for the whole month, two months in advance on the first of the month.
A brief history
The building is also the home of the Vienna State Ballet, and it hosts the annual Vienna Opera Ball during the carnival season. For one night of the year, the Vienna State Opera transforms into a large dance floor – for the Vienna Opera Ball, considered to be the biggest meeting point in Austria for artists, politicians and businesspeople from around the world. Over a hundred debutant couples in long evening gown and tails open the ball of balls. Audience members can individually switch on subtitles – in German, English, Italian, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Japanese. The 2,021 displays at the seats also offer information about the cast and contents of the performance (in German or English). By the way, the subtitles are shown manually by pushing a button, since no two performances are identical in terms of tempo.
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The Vienna Opera House was one of the first major buildings as part of the Ringstrasse project. 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. 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. Herbert von Karajan introduced the practice of performing operas exclusively in their original language instead of being translated into German. He also strengthened the ensemble and regular principal singers and introduced the policy of predominantly engaging guest singers.
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Check out the Volksoper schedule to see what’s playing during your visit. Fortunately, the Staatsoper does provide an advance timetable, ticket info, and online booking opportunities here. We will send you the latest TV programmes, podcast episodes and articles, as well as exclusive offers from our shop and carefully selected partners.
[Translate to English:] Französischer Saal Staatsoper - Wiener Staatsoper
[Translate to English:] Französischer Saal Staatsoper.
Posted: Sat, 27 Apr 2024 09:06:21 GMT [source]
A highlight of the opera season is a reunion with star soprano Cecilia Bartoli when the Opéra de Monte-Carlo comes for its second guest performance at the State Opera in July 2024. There are also plans for a joint evening with Hollywood star John Malkovich. On November 2, 2004, the largest rehearsal stage in the Vienna State Opera, was renamed »Carlos Kleiber Probebühne« (Rehearsal Stage Carlos Kleiber).
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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. Guest performers, conductors, directors and others from the crème de la crème of the operatic universe complement the Staatsoper’s own team for selected productions. Like many of Vienna’s landmarks, the building owes its existence to the removal of the city fortifications in the mid-19th century and the opening up for construction of the park-like Glacis area that kept the suburbs at bay. Become a member of the Official Circle of Friends or the Circle of Friend of the Vienna State Ballet and enjoy a special connection to the Vienna State Opera.
The Vienna Philharmonic, a world-class orchestra, makes a significant contribution to the fact that musical entertainment is presented at the highest level in the breathtaking ambience of the State Opera. Grigorian is at the Met this season for five performances starting Friday, with the last one on May 11 to be shown live in movie theaters. But she’ll be back in future seasons to sing “Salome,” Janacek’s “Jenufa” — and no doubt more. Or you can admire a performance by the Lipizzaner at the Spanish Riding School. ConcertVienna also offers unforgettable New Year's Eve events to give you a festive start to the New Year.
Highlights of the 2023/24 season
The staircases were constructed from polished Kaiserstein, while most of the rest of the interior was decorated with varieties of marble. The Vienna State Opera is considered the opera house with the largest repertoire. In the summer months from 1991 to 1993, and during a six month period in 1994, the Vienna State Opera experienced extensive renovation work. In order to create more precise and trouble-free backstage operations, hydraulically operated lifting platforms and electromechanical lifts were installed using the latest technology. The power supply to the State Opera, which was previously sourced by the Hofburg, is now operated by two substations.
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With its traditional Viennese coffeehouse ambience and quickly served delicacies, the café attracts with enjoyment and cosiness, especially during the breaks in the performances. The historical highlight of the opera house is the Tea Salon, formerly the Emperor’s Salon, located between the staircase and the central boxes. The former Imperial box had been previously reserved for Vienna’s royalty and their guests. The freshly colored ceiling painting, »Die Musik auf Adlerschwingen« (»The Music on Eagles’ Wings«), by Karl Madjera, represents both lyrical and tragic music. One can also find sculptures by August La Ligne, wall embroideries from the Giani studio, and tapestries bearing the initials of Franz Joseph I. A ticket to the Vienna State Opera is a must-have for any trip to the city.
We invite you to be surprised by the wonderful cultural diversity that Vienna has to offer. For single visitors, online registration is recommended, in order to secure one of the 30 slots available on the chosen tour. That Domingo anecdote is one of many you might hear on a guided tour from the Staatsoper’s staff, as you drift through an institution dripping in history and decor.
While the sights impress, perhaps the real highlights are the stories, anecdotes and facts whipped out by the tour guide. 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. We slipped around the side of the stage to see just how incredibly large it is and just how many beams, escalators, ropes and mysterious technologies are there to shift scenes and setups when each evening brings a different opera. The advantage of the tour is you see one or two fascinating places that the opera goer cannot access. The Vienna State Opera House dates back to 20 December 1857, when Emperor Franz Josef made his intention to expand Vienna’s public buildings known. Incidentally, every seat and standing place inside has its own small screen displaying subtitles for the opera in question, with a choice of languages (including English and German, of course).
The world-famous opera house promises the finest musical enjoyment with a diverse program consisting of around 60 different operas and ballets per season. Rudolf Eisenmenger designed the iron curtain that separates the audience from the stage. In the spring of 1998, the State Opera commissioned the group »museum in progress« with creating a new picture for each season. This requires a specially developed process, which both guarantees the preservation of Eisenmenger's image, and shows the optimal quality of the newly created contemporary work. With the creation of contemporary museum space inside the Vienna State Opera, this traditional house shows its openness towards progressive artistic developments.
This room is the only one which was originally reserved for the imperial court, and which survived the destruction at the end of World War II. Once referred to as the Hoflogensalon, it served on special occasions as a salon of the Emperor. The design of the salon comes from Sicardsburg- and student of van der Null, Josef Storck. On the evening of the Gala Premiere of Fidelio was a similar picture, only there were many music enthusiasts around the opera, following the performance through speakers. 40 radio stations from all around the world were broadcasting, and this day, 5th November 1955 basically saw the birth of the still young Austrian television.
Built in 1869 to plans by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll, and reopened in 1955 following devastation in World War II, it offers its international audiences top-caliber music theater on some 300 days a year. To celebrate this milestone an idea designed to reach out and embrace a new audience was conceived. A giant 50 sqm screen was placed on the side of the opera house facing Kärntner Straße.
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 2006, the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, they performed a 20-minute miniature opera Der kleine Friedrich arranged from songs of Mozart by Janko Kastelic and Claudia Toman.
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