!!!Staatsoper

State Opera: The first opera house, the Vienna Court Opera, was built 
as the first monumental building of artistic importance on the 
Ringstrasse from 1861-1869 by A.  Sicard von Sicardsburg and E. van 
der  Nuell in neo-Romantic style. The architects were severely 
criticised, people spoke of a "sunken box" or "another 
Battle of Sadowa", which caused van der Nuell to commit suicide, while 
Sicardsburg died of a heart attack two months later. The predecessors 
of the State Opera were the  Kaerntnertortheater (situated 
approximately on the site of today´s Hotel Sacher) and the 
Hofburgtheater (Imperial Palace Theatre) on Michaelerplatz square ( 
Burgtheater). The State Opera opened with "Don Giovanni" 
(performed in German) by W. A. Mozart on May 25, 1869.

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During World War II (on March 12, 1945) the stage was destroyed 
by bombs and the building gutted by fire. The foyer and the loggia, 
with frescoes by M. v.  Schwind, the main stairways, the 
vestibule and the tea room were spared. Almost the entire decor and 
properties, the equipment for more than 120 operas with around 150,000 
costumes were destroyed. The State Opera opened its temporary stages 
at the  Theater an der Wien and at the  Volksoper on October 6, 1945.

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The reconstruction of the State Opera was carried out from 1948-1955 
by E.  Boltenstern (auditorium, stairways, cloakrooms, upper lounges), 
C. Kosak (Gobelin Hall), O. Prossinger and F. Cewela (side passages 
and Marble Hall), R. H.  Eisenmenger (Safety Curtain) and H.  
Leinfellner (marble inlays in the bar room). The re-opening of the 
State Opera took place on November 5, 1955 with Beethoven´s 
"Fidelio" under K.  Boehm. The State Opera can accommodate 
2,276 people (previously 2,324), offering 1,709 seats and standing 
room for 567. The stage is one of the largest in Europe.

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The members of the Vienna  Philharmonic Orchestra are chosen from the 
Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera. The Vienna State Opera, one of 
the most illustrious opera houses in the world, looks back on a long 
tradition ( Opera); the artistic highlights from the late 19%%sup th/% 
 and early 20%%sup th/%  centuries are closely connected with its 
history and its directors (in particular G.  Mahler, H. Gregor, F.  
Schalk and R.  Strauss).

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Great conductors of the State Opera, some of whom also worked as 
directors, were G. Mahler, F.  Weingartner, F. Schalk, R. Strauss, C.  
Krauss, K. Boehm, H. von  Karajan, L.  Maazel, C.  Abbado, Hans  
Richter, B.  Walter, W.  Furtwaengler, R. Muti and others. The 
era of G. Mahler in particular marked the beginning of an outstanding 
development: Mahler took on new stars (such as A.  Bahr-Mildenburg, S. 
 Kurz and L.  Slezak) and, in the person of A.  Roller, recruited a 
stage designer who changed the lavish historicist stage decor into a 
sparse stage scenery corresponding to Jugendstil (art nouveau) and 
modern style. Mahler also introduced the practice of having no 
lighting whatsoever in the auditorium during performances, which was 
not appreciated by the audience. Mahler´s determined reform 
policy was continued by his successors (especially by F. Schalk and R. 
Strauss).

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Until the directorship was taken over by H. von Karajan, the high 
standard of the opera productions was guaranteed by maintaining a 
permanent ensemble (particularly famous was K. Boehm´s 
"Vienna Mozart Ensemble"), which was, however, reduced 
during the 1960s in favour of the internationally common practice of 
engaging guest stars. Under the management of I.  Holender (since 
1992) the State Opera began to build up a permanent ensemble again. 
Since the Austrian Federal Theatres became a holding company in 1999 
the State Opera has been run as a limited liability company 
(Ges. m. b. H.).

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The State Opera Ballet is also inextricably linked with the State 
Opera. Great ballet masters in the imperial service, such as G. 
Angiolini and J. G. Noverre, influenced the European art of 
dancing as did the famous dancers of the 19%%sup th/%  century, Fanny  
Elssler and Maria  Taglioni. After 1850 Paolo Taglioni introduced the 
concept of "ensemble spirit" to the ballet company; his 
splendid ballets remained part of the programme until 1900. The ballet 
moved into the new opera house on the Ringstrasse in 1869 under ballet 
master K. Telle. His successor, J. Hassreiter, prepared 48 new ballet 
performances (e.g. "Die Puppenfee" by J. Bayer) and 
enhanced the status of the State Opera´s own ballet school 
(today ballet school of the Federal Theatres). One of the outstanding 
dancers of the 20%%sup th/%  century is G.  Wiesenthal, famous for her 
expressive form of classical dance. H. Kroeller, who became 
choreographer in 1924, was responsible for the excellent production of 
the ballets "Josephs Legende" and "Schlagobers" 
(by R. Strauss). His successors as choreographers were the soloists T. 
Birkmeyer and W.  Fraenzl (famous for his performances of the Viennese 
waltz) and, in 1942, Erika  Hanka, whose work aimed at a combination 
of classical ballet and modern interpretive dance. A highlight in the 
history of the State Opera Ballet was the engagement of R.  Nureyev 
who, as dancer and choreographer, worked closely with the Vienna 
ensemble between 1964 and 1988 and greatly influenced its future 
development.

!Literature
M. Graf, Die Wiener Oper, 1955; H. Kralik, Die Wiener 
Oper, 1962; F. Hadamowsky, Die Wiener Hoftheater (vol. 2: 
Die Wiener Hofoper), 1975; 100 Jahre Wiener Oper am Ring, 1969; V. 
Keil-Budischowsky, Die Theater Wiens, 1983; A. Seebohm, Die Wiener 
Oper, 1986; W. Sinkovicz and A. Zeininger, Das Haus am Ring, 1996; F. 
Endler, Karajan an der Wr. Oper, 1997; A. Oberzaucher, Wr. 
Staatsopernballett, 1997: E. W. Partsch, Die Aera G. Mahler, 
1997.


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