It is a sad fact that neither the chief architect of the opera house, August von Sicard Sickardsburg, nor the interior designer, Eduard van der Null, lived to see the opening of the theatre. The famous composer and conductor was also the director of the Vienna State Opera, and his works have been performed there more than 3,000 times. In 2019, the Vienna State Opera celebrated its 150th anniversary with a production of Richard Strauss's opera Die Frau ohne Schatten. The opening ceremony was televised, and the symbolism of the choice of work is easy to understand: the declaration of Austrian independence in May 1955 opened a new chapter in the history of the state. Beethoven's opera Fidelio was performed at the opening of the renovated theatre on 5 November 1955. The Volksoper served as a temporary stage until 1955, when the beautiful building on the Ringstrasse was completed. Nevertheless, on the first production after the liberation of Vienna from the Nazis took place - the State Opera Company performed on the stage of the Volksoper Wien. In March 1945, the theatre was destroyed in a bombing raid. When the Nazis came to power, many of the theatre's artists were dismissed, arrested or murdered, and works by undesirable authors disappeared from the repertoire. The worst moments in the history of the Vienna State Opera were the years of the Second World War. Mahler radically changed the approach to staging and, together with the artist Alfred Roller, developed a new aesthetic for the stage, recruited new conductors and enriched the repertoire (among other things, he staged Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin). His tenure lasted 10 years and was considered one of the best years for the opera. In 1897, the famous conductor and composer Gustav Mahler became director of the Vienna Opera. The first opera directors were the playwright and theatre director Franz von Dingelstedt, the composer and conductor Johannes Herbeck, the actor and theatre man Franz von Jauner and the conductor Wilhelm Jahn. Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth of Bavaria attended the performance. On the opening day of the opera house,, Mozart's opera Don Giovanni was performed. The building was designed by the architect August von Sicard Sickardsburg, and the interior was designed by Eduard van der Nüll. Two of the world's top opera singers, Stephen GOULD and Ricarda MERBETH appear as Florestan and Leonore, and one of the greatest dramatic bass baritones of his generation, Michael KUPFER-RADECKY plays the role of Don Pizarro.The Court Opera first appeared in Vienna in the 17th century, but it was not until the second half of the 19th century that it acquired its own building. IIMORI Taijiro, with his profound knowledge of German music, conducts the orchestra. The orderly, classical tonal quality of the work is replete with dramatic force, and brings catharsis with its final soaring chorus. Highlights include the Canon Quartet and Leonore's 'Abscheulicher! Wo eilst du hin?' ('Scum! Where are you off to so fast?') in Act 1, and Florestan's despairing aria, 'Gott! Welch Dunkel hier!' ('God! What darkness here') in Act 2. The Overture, which was also rewritten, and the 'O Welche Lust' ('Prisoners' Chorus'), are famous pieces often performed by themselves. ' Fidelio' was staged for the re-opening performance at the rebuilt Vienna State Opera after the Second World War in November 1955, the month after the end of Allied occupation.įor the nine years following the opera's publication in 1805, BEETHOVEN made repeated amendments to the score. With its theme of liberation for the sake of justice, love and freedom, and its finale evoking overwhelming emotions, ' Fidelio' shares with ' Aida' the status of a celebratory work staged the world over for special occasions such as the opening of a new performance venue. The opera ' Fidelio' is the sublimation of BEETHOVEN's idealistic spirit. We welcome Katharina WAGNER, great-granddaughter of Richard WAGNER and current Director of the Bayreuth Festival, to direct this work. ( Act I:70 mins, interval:30 mins, Act II: 60 mins)Īs a special production celebrating the New National Theatre Tokyo's twentieth anniversary, this is a new production of 'Fidelio', the sole opera by Ludwig van BEETHOVEN.

Vienna opera house tickets 2018