The Vienna Opera Ball (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
: ''Wiener Opernball'') is an annual
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n
society
A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...
event which takes place in the building of the
Vienna State Opera in Vienna, Austria on the Thursday preceding
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and falls on the first day of Lent (the six weeks of penitence before Easter). It is observed by Catholics in the ...
(a religious holiday). Together with the
New Year Concert, the
ball is one of the highlights of the Viennese
carnival season.
History
The tradition of the ball goes back to 1814 during the time when the crowned heads of Europe and the aristocracy searched for entertainment after the
Napoleonic wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...
. The first ball in the opera house took place in 1877 as a ''
soirée''. The following balls were ''redoute'', a French term for
masquerade balls or costume parties, where the ladies wore their masks until midnight. From 1878 until 1899, such ''redoute'' balls took place around two to three times a year.
The first ''redoute'' after
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
took place in 1921, with proceeds going to the pension fund of the two state theaters. These events were called also called ''Opernredoute''.
The first ball to be named "Opera Ball" was held in 1935 under the honorary patronage of the
Federal Chancellor, but was suspended during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. It was revived after the war; it has been held annually ever since, with the exception of 1991, when it was cancelled due to the
Persian Gulf War, and 2021 and 2022, both due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Since 2008, Desirée Treichl-Stürgkh has been the chairman (supervising organizer) of the Vienna Opera Ball. It is the highlight of the season, with the heads of state and government, the political and industrial elite, members of the high society, and their guests attending. The price for the entry tickets is the highest of all the Viennese balls.
Starting in 1987, the ''Opernballdemo'', a
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...
demonstration along the
Ringstraße against the kind of
capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private ...
represented by, as the protesters see it, many of the elite attending the ball, has regularly taken place on the same night. There have been occasional outbreaks of violence. This has almost disappeared since 2011, with protests focusing on the nationalist ''Akademikerball'' instead.
In February 2020 the first same-sex couple were presented as debutante and escort at the ball. The two debutantes, Iris Klopfer and Sophie Grau, were from Germany. Klopfer wore the traditional white dress,
long white gloves, and tiara typical for female debutantes while Grau, who is
non-binary, wore the traditional black suit and tailcoats typical for male escorts.
Organization
Each year, almost overnight, the
auditorium
An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, communit ...
of the Vienna State Opera is turned into a large
ballroom
A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially historic ...
. On the eve of the event, the rows of seats are removed from the
stalls, and a new floor, level with the
stage, is built.
The dress code is
evening dress: white tie and tails for men; strictly floor-length
gowns for women.
White
opera gloves are still mandatory for female
debutantes at the Vienna Opera Ball.
The ball does not start until around 10 pm when the
Austrian president and his guests enter the imperial balcony. Their arrival is heralded by trumpets. The
Austrian national anthem is played followed by the
European anthem
"Anthem of Europe" is the anthem of both the European Union (EU) and Council of Europe. It is used to represent both the European Union and the whole of Europe; its purpose is to honour shared European values. The EU describes it as expressi ...
. There are performances of the state opera ballet company and classical arias sung by the opera stars. These are normally a small selection of Italian opera and famous Austrian pieces. The highlight of the opening ceremony is the introduction of 180
debutante couples. These are carefully selected young women and men who have successfully completed an application program and a strict classical dance choreography organised by the
Elmayer dance school. The debutantes are led into the opera house to the sounds of
Carl Michael Ziehrer
Carl Michael Ziehrer (more rarely spelled Karl Michael Ziehrer) (2 May 1843 – 14 November 1922) In the 8th edition the article title changed without comment to Ziehrer, Carl Michael. was an Austrian composer. In his lifetime, he was one of the ...
's ''Fächer
polonaise
The polonaise (, ; pl, polonez ) is a dance of Polish origin, one of the five Polish national dances in time. Its name is French for "Polish" adjective feminine/"Polish woman"/"girl". The original Polish name of the dance is Chodzony, meani ...
''. Dances are then, for example, the
Polonaise
The polonaise (, ; pl, polonez ) is a dance of Polish origin, one of the five Polish national dances in time. Its name is French for "Polish" adjective feminine/"Polish woman"/"girl". The original Polish name of the dance is Chodzony, meani ...
in A-Dur, Op. 40 by
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...
and Johann Strauss' ''Warschauer-
Polka
Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas.
History
Etymology
The te ...
''. The last dance of the debutantes is always the ''Blue Danube''
Viennese Waltz by
Johann Strauss II, after which the floor is opened to all guests.
The ball runs until 5 am. The opera house offers all access to the guests, with various other rooms and lounges open with different types of music and dance. There is catering on all floors offered by Café Gerstner, as well as a
hairdresser, an in-house
tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century.
History
Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
, and medical teams on standby.
Casinos Austria is one of the sponsors and offers
roulette.
Various dances moderated by the master of ceremony take place every two hours, such as the popular
cotillion. Although not officially allowed, towards the end the tradition is for the guests to take apart the flower decoration on the balcony and shower the remaining dancers with it on the main floor, or take it home.
In a joint venture,
ORF and
BR broadcast live from the ball for several hours each year.
In media
In
1995 Austrian writer
Josef Haslinger published a
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...
entitled ''
Opernball'' in which thousands of people are killed in a
Neo-Nazi
Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack ...
terrorist attack taking place during that society event. The novel was the basis of a
1998 made-for-TV movie by
Urs Egger with the same title.
The ball was featured in the postcard for San Marino in the
Eurovision Song Contest 2015. In it, San Marinese participants
Michele Perniola
Michele Perniola (born 6 September 1998), known also as 3x3n, is an Italian singer, best known for representing San Marino at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with his song "O-o-O Sole Intorno a Me" (O-o-O Sunlight all around me). He also r ...
and
Anita Simoncini
Anita Simoncini (born 14 April 1999) is a Sammarinese singer who represented San Marino in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2014 as a member of the girl group The Peppermints with the song " Breaking My Heart". She also represented San Mari ...
attend an evening at the ball.
Outside of Austria
"Viennese balls" outside of Austria are held in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
,
New York,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
,
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...
,
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...
, etc.
See also
*
Opernball (disambiguation) ''Opernball'' (German for Opera Ball) may refer to:
*''Der Opernball'', an 1898 operetta by Richard Heuberger
* ''Opernball'' (novel), a 1995 novel by Josef Haslinger
** ''Opernball'' (film), a 1998 television political thriller by Urs Egger based o ...
*
List of balls in Vienna
References
External links
Viennese Opera Ball ViennaViennese Opera Ball New York - Friday February 6, 2009Study about the Vienna Opera Ball by the Humaninstitut
{{Authority control
1936 establishments in Austria
Ballet in Austria
Balls in Austria
Debutante balls
Music festivals established in 1936
Spring (season) events in Austria