The Vienna Opera House is the center of European culture. Vienna State Opera

The Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener Staatsoper, until 1918 the Vienna Court Opera) is the largest opera house in Austria, one of the centers of musical culture in Europe. The court opera in Vienna arose in the middle of the 17th century, opera performances were staged in various theaters. In 1861, construction began on a special building for the Vienna Opera, designed by architects A. Z. von Sicardsburg and E. van der Nüll; the building was completed by 1869 and solemnly (in the presence of Franz-Josef and Sissi) opened on May 25 with Mozart's opera Don Giovanni. Until 1918, the theater was under the auspices of the Habsburgs and was called the Court Opera House (German: Wiener Hof-Operntheater). In the 1920s unofficially, they began to call it the state opera, but it received the official name of the Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener Staatsoper) only in 1938, with the beginning of the Anschluss.

During World War II, K. Kraus, W. Furtwängler, and K. Böhm led productions of works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Verdi. In 1938 the premiere of Strauss' opera The Day of Peace took place, and by 1944 all his operas had been staged.
In 1945, as a result of an American bombing, the theater building was partially destroyed. Restoration work continued until 1955, and, finally, on November 5, 1955, the theater was opened with a production of Beethoven's Fidelio (conducted by K. Boehm). At the same time, the tradition of annual balls at the Vienna Opera was renewed.
The directors of the Vienna State Opera were musicians, directors and, especially in the second half of the 20th century, professional administrators. According to historical tradition, in addition to administrative functions, they also performed the function of artistic leadership, in particular, they determined the repertoire of the theater. The director-musician also performed the duties of the chief conductor (music director). Since 1986, the positions of director-administrator and musical director (he is also chief conductor), as a rule, have not been combined in one person.
Among the outstanding musicians who headed the Vienna Opera were Gustav Mahler (1897-1907), Felix Weingartner (1908-1911 and 1935-1936), Franz Schalk (1919-1929, and until 1924 together with Richard Strauss), Clemens Kraus ( 1929-1934), Karl Böhm (1943-1945 and 1954-1956), Herbert von Karajan (1956-1964), Lorin Maazel (1982-1984).
In 1986-91. the director of the theater was K. H. Drese, the music director was Claudio Abbado. In 1991-1992 the famous singer Eberhard Wächter was the director. In 1992-2010 the director was Ioan Holender, the music director was Seiji Ozawa.
Since September 1, 2010, Dominique Meyer has been the director of the Vienna Opera, and Manuel Legris has been the choreographer.

Musical leadership in 2010-14 conducted by Franz Welser-Möst. Since September 2014, the position of music director has been vacant.

Information

• Based: 1869
• City: Vienna
• A country: Austria
• Address: Opernring 2
• Architect: Zickardsburg, August Zickard von

Vienna State Opera one of the leading operas in Europe, and its history makes a significant contribution to Vienna's conquest of the honorary title of capital of music. The orchestra was created on the basis of the Vienna Philharmonic. Along with the state ballet, the Vienna Opera has its own ballet company.

The Vienna State Opera has a repertoire system: more than 50 productions are included in the game plan. Therefore, the Opera can give performances almost daily for 10 months a year.

How to get to the Vienna Opera
The Vienna State Opera is located in the center of Vienna at Opernring 2.
By metro U1, U2, U4 to Karlsplatz station.

How to dress for the Vienna Opera
The guests of the Vienna Opera are dressed very differently - there is no clear dress code.
Locals try to dress appropriately - in beautiful dresses or suits.
We recommend dressing smartly and elegantly, especially if you have good seats in the theater.

Guided tours of the Vienna State Opera
Guided tours of the Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper)
45 minutes long are held from Tuesday to Sunday (several times a day) and include a tour of the entrance foyer, main staircase, tea room, marble hall, Moritz Schwind foyer, Gustav Mahler hall and auditorium. During the tour, the guide tells interesting facts about the Vienna Opera, the history and architecture of the building.
Guided tours of the Vienna Opera are available in German, English, Italian, French, Spanish and Russian. The cost of the tour is 6.00 € without visiting the museum
Vienna Opera.
Tickets are purchased immediately before the tour.

Subtitles
Each seat at the Vienna Opera has a small screen (mounted on the chair in front of it) that shows subtitles of the performance (opera). They are broadcast in German and English.
The director of the Vienna State Opera announced that subtitles in Russian will appear in the theater in the 2014-15 season.

"Standing" tickets
Stand-up tickets can be purchased at all performances of the Vienna Opera.
They are sold directly at the opera house 80 minutes before the start of the performance.
For shows that are in high demand, you should get in line much earlier. One person can buy no more than 2 tickets.

At the Vienna State Opera, the standing places are very well located, practically opposite the stage, at the level of the underwear under the "imperial" box, and you can see better from them than from cheap seats, but you can't take empty seats.
Price: parterre - 4.50 euros, balconies - 3.50 euros

Recently went to Tosca! Great cast and production. Place was full. Truly iconic venue. This is a must see when you visit Vienna. Had great seats in Row 14. They were a bit pricey but worth it! Buy them early so you don't miss out.

Vienna State Opera, Austria: description, photo, location on the map, how to get

Vienna State Opera- one of the most revered centers of musical culture in the world.

The opera house is located in the heart of Vienna, the capital of Austria, and was built in the middle of the 17th century. This is one of the 1000 best places in the world according to our website.

Over 60 musical performances are prepared by the Vienna Opera during its theatrical season, which puts it in first place in terms of the density of operas and ballets. The repertoire of the opera is extremely diverse and covers not only modern genres, but also musical styles of different eras.

The opera house appeared not so long ago, but immediately became one of the most elegant buildings of the famous Ringstrasse.

The theater season lasts 285 days a year. One of these days is dedicated to the annual Vienna Ball, when the main stage magically turns into a ballroom and hundreds of debutants perform in front of the country's president himself.

For a long time, the famous Herbert von Karajan was the artistic director of the theater, and Hans Richter was once the chief conductor. Tchaikovsky's operas "The Queen of Spades", "Eugene Onegin", Verdi's opera "Otello" and many operas from the Mozart cycle were staged on this stage.

And today, in this theater, the world's best directors and directors from year to year demonstrate their skills to the Viennese public. You can get to the opera house on several subway lines leading to the Karlsplatz station.

Photo attraction: Vienna State Opera

Vienna State Opera on the map:

Here you can listen to the aria of the best opera singers, watch a ballet and a choir performance to the accompaniment of a symphony orchestra.

The Vienna Opera House is recognized as the musical center of Europe. Such outstanding musicians as Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert and many others worked in this city.

Mozart's Don Giovanni was the first piece staged at the Vienna Opera.
Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph spoke so unflatteringly about the interior and exterior decoration of the building that he brought the designer to a heart attack, and the architect to suicide. Meanwhile, the theater has unsurpassed acoustic properties.
Modern residents of Vienna treat the opera building much more reverently.

The theater is considered by many to be one of the most majestic buildings in Austria. The interior decoration is striking in spaciousness and luxury.

The facade of the opera is decorated with five muses patronizing the Vienna Opera: Love, Heroism, Comedy, Fantasy and Drama.
The theater has a seating capacity of 1,709, plus standing and disabled spaces.

On the back of each chair there are small screens with real-time translation of the libretto.

More than 120 performances are held on the square in front of the theater every year. All of them are completely free to the public.
The theater hosts guided tours lasting less than an hour, allowing you to look behind the scenes.
Balls are traditionally held in the theater every winter.

How to get there

The theater building is located at Opernring, 2. The nearest metro station is Karlsplatz.

Trams No. 1 and No. 2 run to the Vienna Opera. Buses No. 25, 26, 36, 38, as well as L, 59A and 360.

It is convenient to get here by car. An opera ticket entitles you to leave your car in the underground parking of the Ringstrassengalerien shopping center for 8 hours for only 7 euros. To do this, the parking ticket will need to be validated in a special machine in the theater lobby.

Tickets to the Vienna Opera

Tickets can be bought online or at the box office at Kertnerstrasse 40.

Tickets start selling 30 days before the performance, and the average price fluctuates around 140-200 euros. The cost of a box can exceed 2000 euros.

Vienna Opera poster

The repertoire of the theater includes more than fifty productions. The season lasts 10 months and performances are given daily. These are mainly classical works by Austrian and foreign composers, but there are also modern productions.

Mozart's operas are considered to be the visiting card of the Vienna Opera House, since it is with the work of this composer that the creative history of the building begins.

The schedule of productions can be found on the official website of the Vienna Opera.

The pearl of European culture, especially music, is the Vienna State Opera, which is in the top three along with La Scala (Milan) and Covent Garden (London).

The focus of musical geniuses

The current one was the center of development of the musical direction known as the "Viennese Classical School", the main representatives of which were Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. Vienna is undoubtedly the most important center of world culture in general, but especially of music. And the embodiment of this statement, like nothing else, is the Vienna State Opera.

Since the middle of the 17th century, the capital of Austria has been the center of opera art, and since the 16th century, the court of the multinational state of the Habsburgs has been located here.

Urgent need for a special building

The Court Opera, which arose here, was originally located in various buildings, for example, in 1748 - in the Burgtheater, from 1763 - in the Kärntnertorteatre. But the need for opera among the inhabitants was so immeasurable, and the importance attached to it was so great that in the second half of the 19th century, the authorities decided to erect a special building that could house the Court Opera on a permanent basis. And in 1861 construction began. The opera house is being built according to the design of the famous Viennese architects Eduard van der Nüll (participated in the construction of the Vienna Arsenal) and August Sicard von Sicardsburg. The work was completed in 1869, and the current Vienna State Opera (until 1819, the year of the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - the Court Opera) opened with a production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera Don Giovanni.

A symbol of the splendor of the era

The Staatsoper (Die Wiener Staatsoper) was destroyed in 1945 by bombing. It was restored in 1955. A year later, the tradition of holding the famous Vienna Opera Balls was resumed.

In memory of the "Ere Ringstrasse", or the brilliant time of the reign of the Habsburgs, which he himself described as "the era of splendor and splendor", which began from the moment of the wedding of Marie-Louise - the daughter of Emperor Franz I - with Napoleon, which took place in 1810, until the fall of Great Austria Hungarian Empire in 1918. These balls are listed by UNESCO in the list of intangible cultural heritage. The first of these took place on December 11, 1877. The younger brother of the famous Johann Strauss Eduard conducted the orchestra. The most brilliant period of the Habsburg rule dates back to the moment of radical restructuring of the center of Vienna, when in two years the central Ringstrasse was laid, the grand opening of which took place on May 1, 1865, and then the huge Staatsoper building was built.

Building parameters

The Vienna State Opera, whose history was resumed after a ten-year break and a long restoration on May 11, 1955, began its new creative life with a production of Beethoven's opera Fidelio. Herbert von Karajan became the artistic director of the theater. The height of the restored building, made in the Neo-Renaissance style, is 65 meters, the hall is designed for 1709 seats. All the above data indicate that the Staatsoper is the largest opera house in Austria.

Main attraction

It is difficult to overestimate its significance for the inhabitants of Vienna - they are even sure that you can feel the real spirit of Vienna only by visiting the opera house. Everything has been done for this - for people who do not like this type of art, there are daily 45-minute excursions to the opera house, they start at 13-00, ticket prices vary from 2 to 5 euros.

Tourists are offered a tapestry foyer and a grand staircase, a tea room of Emperor Franz Joseph and a marble hall. Of course, visitors look around the huge magnificent auditorium and the hall of G. Mahler and the foyer of Moritz von Schwind.

most famous director

The names of composers are associated with Vienna, not only those mentioned above. The names of Schubert and Brahms, Gluck and Mahler, as well as the musical dynasty of Strauss are inseparable from this city. Many musical geniuses of the past and present were related to the Vienna Opera. I would especially like to mention Gustav Mahler, who for 10 years (1898-1908) was the director of the Staatsoper and, devoting himself entirely to work in this field, was forced to forget that he was also a brilliant composer and a talented singer. It was during the period of his directorship that Tchaikovsky's operas The Queen of Spades, Iolanta and Eugene Onegin were first staged on the famous stage.

In addition to him, during the existence of the Vienna Opera, its directors were Bruno Walter and Clement Kraus and Wilhelm Furtwängler, Karl Böhm and Lorin Matzel. The Vienna State Opera, along with the building of the Austrian Parliament and monuments to Mozart and Strauss, is one of the main attractions of the capital of this state.

External and internal decoration

What does this great building look like? Five bronze statues stand out on the richly decorated facade, personifying the muses patronizing the art of opera - these are Heroism and Love, Drama, Comedy and Fantasy. The author of these five sculptures is Ernst Henel.

The magnificent sculptures of the Muses are clearly visible from the windows of the Moritz Schwind foyer on the second floor. On the walls of this front foyer, fragments of the famous Singspiel opera (musical and dramatic genre, or “play with singing”) by Mozart “The Magic Flute” are imprinted.

The sad pages of the construction of the opera building

The subject of admiration for the inhabitants and guests of the Austrian capital - the Vienna State Opera (photo of the building is attached) in the second half of the 19th century was subjected to such harsh criticism, including from the Kaiser, that one of the authors of the project, the architect Vann der Noll, could not stand it, hanged himself.

And two months later, another co-author of the project, August Sikkardsburg, also died of a heart attack. It seems that this was not criticism, but harassment. The massive building, which at first offended the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe city's inhabitants about the "elegant" excess of stucco and sculptures, is the Vienna State Opera, the history of which was marked by such tragic events.

Great Contributors

But the acoustic properties of the building were originally magnificent and perfect! The interior of the opera is admirable. The foyer on the second floor is decorated with paintings by the artist Moritz von Schwind. The author of the sculptures framing the famous one is Josef Gasser. There are seven of them, all of them are allegories of fine arts. On the topmost platform there are beautiful frescoes created by Johann Preleitner.

Brilliantly selected repertoire

Of course, both then and now, the Vienna State Opera is a global phenomenon. Its repertoire includes more than 50 productions, which allows the famous theater to carry out daily productions throughout the season, which lasts 10 months a year. It should be noted that the repertoire is very diverse, there are also modern productions, but the Staatsoper is the keeper of the traditions of the Vienna School of Music - the classics are always present (for example, in February this year there were performances of Massenet's Manon and Rossini's The Barber of Seville), and his Mozart's operatic masterpieces are the calling card. Comprehensive data on the repertoire, with detailed daily placement of performances for all 10 months, with indications of performers and conductors, are widely available.

Ticket price and address

Ticket prices vary from 11 to 240 euros. However, there are lodges where seats are valued in the thousands of euros. Standing places are offered for any performance (there are more than 100 of them), tickets for which are sold an hour before the performance, and they cost from 2.5 euros. To attend a performance of the legendary Vienna Opera, but not pay big money for an entrance ticket, you can take advantage of listening to productions of category "B" (everyday performances with sparing prices). The Vienna State Opera, whose address (Opernring, 2) is known to every musician in the world, is located in the center, and you can get to it both by metro (lines U1, U2, U3, Karlsplatz stop), trams (No. 1, 2, 62, 65 and D) and bus 59A.

We are pleased to offer theater fans the organization of tours and services for booking tickets to the Vienna Opera.

Vienna State Opera- the largest opera house in the world, the center of the musical culture of Austria. The building of the Vienna Opera House is a monument of architecture; it stands out for its complex external decor and rich interior decoration.

On the stage of the Vienna Opera, classical operas and ballets are staged, vocal parts and symphonic works are performed. Every year, the world famous takes place within the walls of the Vienna Opera. More than a hundred couples in evening dresses and tailcoats open this ball. The honorary chairman of the ball is the President of Austria.

History of the Vienna Opera

In the middle of the 17th century, the first opera performances of the Italian troupe took place at the court of the Austrian emperor. It is to this period that the emergence of the Vienna Opera is attributed. The basis of the repertoire was made up of Italian operas. From the 2nd half of the 17th century, opera performances performed by the Austrian court troupe were performed on the stages of various theaters.

Since the middle of the 18th century, the activity of the court opera troupe has been associated with the development of the national opera style. Operas by W. A. ​​Mozart (The Abduction from the Seraglio, 1782), I. Umlauf (The Miners, 1778, etc.) and others are staged.

Since the beginning of the 19th century, the Vienna Opera has been staging the best works of German, Austrian, Italian and later French composers.

The building that currently houses the Vienna State Opera was built in 1869 by the architect August Zikkard von Zikkardsburg. The interiors of the building were designed by Eduard van der Nüll.

The theater opened with the opera "Don Giovanni" by Mozart. In 1875-97, productions by R. Wagner were staged at the Vienna Opera: the tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen (1877-79), Tristan and Isolde, the Mozart cycle, Othello, as well as operas by P. Cornelius, J. Massenet, E Humperdinck and others.

At the end of the 19th century, J. Bayer's ballets "The Puppet Fairy" and "The Sun and the Earth" were staged.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Vienna Court Opera became one of the best European opera houses. During these years, in addition to works by Mozart, Beethoven, Weber, Wagner, the repertoire of the Vienna Opera included works by R. Strauss, P. I. Tchaikovsky ("Eugene Onegin", "The Queen of Spades" and "Iolanthe").

After the formation of the Republic of Austria in 1918, the theater received its modern name - the Vienna State Opera.

In the 1920s and 1930s, the theatre's repertoire was based on works by Mozart (Idomeneo), Verdi (Don Carlos, Macbeth), R. Strauss (The Woman Without a Shadow, Salome, Helena of Egypt) , M. Ravel ("The Spanish Hour"), M. de Falla ("A Short Life"), Korngold's "The Miracle of Eliana", Schoenberg's "Happy Hand", Stravinsky's "Oedipus Rex".

During the Second World War, the building of the Vienna Opera was destroyed by bombing, the theater temporarily gave performances in the premises of the People's Opera.

Vienna Opera today

The 1955-1956 season opened in a restored building. Operas were staged: "Fidelio", "Don Giovanni", "Aida"; "Meistersingers" by Wagner and others. Among the best performances of the 50-60s: "Everyone does it this way", "The Marriage of Figaro" by Mozart, "Julius Caesar" by Handel, "Orpheus" by Gluck, "Cinderella" by Rossini, "Un Ballo in Maschera" ; the tetralogy "Ring of the Nibelung", "Tristan and Isolde" by Wagner, "The Bartered Bride", "Prince Igor"; "Ariadne on Naxos" and "Salome" by R. Strauss, "Lulu" by Berg, the triptych "Triumphs" and "Oedipus Rex" by Orff, "The Government Inspector" by Egk, "The Artist Mathis" by Hindemith, "Dialogues of the Carmelites" by Poulenc, etc.

The best singers of Austria and other countries performed at the Vienna Opera, including Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo A. and X. Konecny, M. Cebotari, E. Schwarzkopf, I. Zefried, X. Guden, L. Della Casa, S. Jurinac, A. Dermota, D. Fischer-Dieskau, J. Patzak, B. Nilson, M. Del Monaco, P. Schöfler, M. Lorenz and others. The largest conductors worked at the Vienna Opera - K. Kraus, R. Strauss, B. Walter, O. Klemperer, B. Furtwängler, J. Krips, V. De Sabata, K. Böhm, G. Karajan, D. Mitropoulos, L. Bernstein and others.

The Vienna Opera is considered to be the custodian of the best traditions of the Viennese classical school associated with the name of the brilliant W. A. ​​Mozart.

Wiener Staatsoper) takes pride of place in the list of the best opera houses in the world. Despite the fact that after the completion of construction, the architectural embodiment of the opera house was subjected to harsh criticism, very soon the building nevertheless received recognition.

opened its doors on May 25, 1869. The first production was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "". The premiere was attended by the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph, as well as Empress Elisabeth. Until 1918, the theater had the title Vienna Court Opera. Since its opening, every year the theater has attracted the attention of opera lovers more and more. During the First World War, the theater continued its work, however, its popularity declined sharply. At the end of World War II, the building was destroyed by bombing. The opera troupe continued to give performances, and at that time complex work began on the restoration of the opera house. Ten years later, the construction of the new building was completed. On November 5, 1955, a new Vienna State Opera.

Today, the Vienna Opera is considered one of the most beautiful theaters in the world. The Vienna Opera House has the widest repertoire in the world: during the 285 days of the opera season, at least 60 performances are staged at the theater. The ticket price varies from 12 to 212 euros. In past centuries, the opera house was a special gathering place for the nobility (aristocrats and other connoisseurs of luxury). Today the world has a much easier attitude to such "formalities" as one's own appearance when visiting cultural events. And yet, the Vienna Opera House is still that special place where you should come in a luxurious evening dress - after all, an exceptionally sophisticated and cultured audience gathers there. The inhabitants of Austria say that if a person has been to Vienna, but has not visited the Vienna Opera, then he has not really seen the city. After all, it is here, in the opera house, that temporal boundaries are erased, and the breath of old Austria is felt like that ...
In addition to opera performances, guests of the theater can visit 40-minute excursions, where they can hear a fascinating story about the history of the building and the specifics of the Vienna State Opera. The theater also has an opera museum, which constantly hosts various exhibitions related to premieres, the first performances of famous artists, major productions, beautiful costumes, scenery, programs and other documents from the theater's past. Not far from the museum, visitors can purchase photographs, videos, books and other souvenirs.

Interesting Facts:
- None of the architects of the Vienna Opera House lived to see the opening of his brainchild (Eduard van der Nüll committed suicide, and his friend August Sicard von Sicardsburg died soon after of a heart attack);
- The theater hosts the world-famous annual Viennese Ball (it is listed by UNESCO among the intangible cultural heritage of the world);
- In addition to the fact that the Vienna Opera has the largest repertoire among opera houses in the world, it also has the title of guardian of the best traditions of the Austrian classical school;

The main theaters of Vienna: drama theater, musical, puppet, ballet, opera, satire. Phones, official sites, addresses of theaters in Vienna.

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