Another Commemoration, this one for the “First House at the Ring”, the Vienna State Opera (140 years old in 2009).
Come and share in the celebrations outdoors.
The Ring is a 19th-century boulevard that circles old Vienna and is lined with grand and grandiose buildings. The Staatsoper is the oldest building on the Ring and the most important opera house of Vienna. It is also one of the most famous opera houses in the world, in which High Society meets when the fabulous Vienna Opera Ball takes place every February. Emperor Franz Josef opened the State Opera on May 25th, 1869 and the inaugural performance was Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”.
It was badly damaged in an air raid in March 1945, when fire gutted the building and destroyed the auditorium and stage. It re-opened on November 5th, 1955, after reconstruction, with a performance of “Fidelio” by Beethoven.
The Vienna State Opera has attracted eminent musicians over the years, among them Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Herbert von Karajan, and Claudio Abbado.
To commemorate the Opera’s 140 years, Vienna has planned a number of celebrations. Some of the Opera’s performances are being broadcast live on an LED video-wall on Herbert von Karajan Platz adjacent to the opera house during May, June, September and October 2009. These started with the performance on May 24, 2009, of Jules Massenet’s “Werther”, followed by a commemorative performance of “Don Giovanni” on May 25, 2009. During the interval of this special May 25th performance, the Austrian post office unveiled a commemorative postage stamp, and after the performance, Vienna State Opera director Ioan Holender gave a festive speech marking the 140th anniversary. He said that the purpose of these broadcasts is to win over people to opera, tourists and Viennese alike, who aren’t otherwise opera fans. “It’s not for dyed-in-the-wool opera fans, but those who wouldn’t otherwise venture into an opera house. We aim to awaken their interest.”
In Germany, Munich’s opera house regularly has ‘Opera for All’, where single operas are broadcast live on a giant screen during the city’s summer opera festival. But Holender predicts that Vienna will be the first city to organize these broadcasts on a regular or ’semi-permanent’ basis, with 50 to 60 screenings planned each season.
While in Vienna, we caught the tail-end of one of these screenings. Lots of people were enjoying the chance to experience an operatic performance ‘for free’, although it is sometimes possible to get cheap seats if you’re prepared to stand in a line for a few hours before the actual performance.
To learn more about its history you can visit the Vienna State Opera Museum, just a block away from the Opera House.
Photos, costumes, models of stage settings, programs, and interesting documents provide a journey through the times. The permanent exhibition, “Vienna State Opera: 140 Years of the House on the Ring, 1869 – 2009″, starts with the first director, Franz Freiherr von Dingelstedt, and ends with Ioan Holender, the current director. You can also find information on computers about every performance during the last 50 years: singers, conductors, directors, and stage and costume designers come to life, as do all the stage settings.
In addition, it’s possible to tour the Opera House, which I’ve done—a fun and very educational hour or so.
Address for the Museum: corner of Hanuschgasse and Goethegasse, opposite the Albertina Museum. Tel: 514 44-2100. Times: Tue – Sun 10am-6pm. Admission: 3 €, combination ticket with guided tour through the opera house: € 6.50
