Vienna State Opera
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll, and designs by Josef Hlávka. The opera house was inaugurated as the "Vienna Court Opera" (''Wiener Hofoper'') in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph I and
Empress Elisabeth of Austria Elisabeth (born Duchess Elisabeth Amalie Eugenie in Bavaria; 24 December 1837 – 10 September 1898), nicknamed Sisi or Sissi, was Empress of Austria and List of Hungarian consorts, Queen of Hungary from her marriage to Franz Joseph I of Austri ...
. It became known by its current name after the establishment of the First Austrian Republic in 1921. The Vienna State Opera is the successor of the old Vienna Court Opera (built in 1636 inside the
Hofburg The Hofburg () is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty in Austria. Located in the Innere Stadt, center of Vienna, it was built in the 13th century by Ottokar II of Bohemia and expanded several times afterwards. It also ser ...
). The new site was chosen and the construction paid by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1861. The members of the Vienna Philharmonic are recruited from the Vienna State Opera's orchestra. The building is also the home of the Vienna State Ballet, and it hosts the annual Vienna Opera Ball during the carnival season.


History


History of the building


Construction

The opera house was the first major building on the Vienna Ringstrasse commissioned by the Viennese "city expansion fund". Work commenced on the house in 1861 and was completed in 1869, following plans drawn up by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll. It was built in the
Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...
style by the Czech architect and contractor Josef Hlávka. The Ministry of the Interior had commissioned a number of reports into the availability of certain building materials, with the result that stones long not seen in Vienna were used, such as Wöllersdorfer Stein, for plinths and free-standing, simply-divided buttresses, the famously hard stone from Kaisersteinbruch, whose colour was more appropriate than that of
Kelheim Kelheim () is a town and municipality in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the Kelheim (district), district Kelheim and is situated at the confluence of the rivers Altmühl and Danube. Kelheim has a population of around 16,750 (2020). His ...
erstein, for more lushly decorated parts. The somewhat coarser-grained Kelheimerstein (also known as Solnhof Plattenstein) was intended as the main stone to be used in the building of the opera house, but the necessary quantity was not deliverable. Breitenbrunner stone was suggested as a substitute for the Kelheimer stone, and stone from Jois was used as a cheaper alternative to the Kaiserstein. The staircases were constructed from polished Kaiserstein, while most of the rest of the interior was decorated with varieties of
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
. The decision was made to use
dimension stone Dimension stone is natural stone or Rock (geology), rock that has been selected and finished (e.g., trimmed, cut, drilled or ground) to specific sizes or shapes. Color, Texture (geology), texture and pattern, and surface finish of the stone are ...
for the exterior of the building. Due to the monumental demand for stone, stone from Sóskút, widely used in
Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
, was also used. Three Viennese masonry companies were employed to supply enough masonry labour: Eduard Hauser (still in existence today), Anton Wasserburger and Moritz Pranter. The foundation stone was laid on 20 May 1863.


Public response

The building, however, was not particularly well-received by the public. For one, it lacked the grandeur of the Heinrichshof, a private residence destroyed during World War II and later replaced in 1955 by the Opernringhof. Additionally, the opera house’s construction was overshadowed by an unexpected issue: the level of the Ringstraße in front of the building was raised by a metre after construction had already commenced, the latter was likened to "a sunken treasure chest" and, in analogy to the military disaster of 1866 (the Battle of Königgrätz), was deprecatingly referred to as "the 'Königgrätz' of architecture". Eduard van der Nüll committed suicide, and barely ten weeks later Sicardsburg died from tuberculosis so neither architect saw the completion of the building. The opening premiere was ''
Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...
'', by
Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
, on 25 May 1869. Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) were present.


WW II bombing and redesign

Towards the end of World War II, on 12 March 1945, the opera was set alight by an American bombardment. The auditorium and stage were destroyed by flames, as well as almost the entire décor and props for more than 120 operas with around 150,000 costumes. The front section, which had been walled off as a precaution, however, remained intact including the foyer, with
fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
es by
Moritz von Schwind image:Moritz von Schwind 2.jpg, 200px, Moritz von Schwind, c. 1860. Moritz von Schwind (21 January 1804 – 8 February 1871) was an Austrian painter, born in Vienna. Schwind's genius was lyrical—he drew inspiration from chivalry, folklore, and t ...
, the main stairways, the vestibule and the tea room. The State Opera was temporarily housed at the Theater an der Wien and at the Vienna Volksoper. Lengthy discussion took place about whether the opera house should be restored to its original state on its original site, or whether it should be completely demolished and rebuilt, either on the same location or on a different site. Eventually the decision was made to rebuild the opera house as it had been, and the main restoration experts involved were Ernst Kolb (1948–1952) and Udo Illig (1953–1956). The Austrian Federal Chancellor Leopold Figl made the decision in 1946 to have a functioning opera house again by 1949. An architectural competition was announced, which was won by Erich Boltenstern. The submissions had ranged from a complete restructuring of the auditorium to a replica of the original design; Boltenstern decided on a design similar to the original with some modernisation in keeping with the design of the 1950s. In order to achieve good acoustics, wood was the favoured building material, on the advice of, among others,
Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...
. In addition, the number of seats in the parterre (stalls) was reduced, and the fourth gallery, which had been fitted with columns, was restructured so as not to need columns. The façade, entrance hall and the "Schwind" foyer were restored and remain in their original style. In the meantime, the opera company, which had at first been performing in the Volksoper, had moved rehearsals and performances to Theater an der Wien, where, on 1 May 1945, after the liberation and re-independence of Austria from the Nazis, the first performances were given. In 1947, the company went on tour to London. Due to the appalling conditions at Theater an der Wien, the opera company leadership tried to raise significant quantities of money to speed up reconstruction of the original opera house. Many private donations were made, as well as donations of building material from the Soviets, who were very interested in the rebuilding of the opera. The mayor of Vienna had receptacles placed in many sites around Vienna for people to donate coins only. In this way, everyone in Vienna could say they had participated in the reconstruction and feel pride in considering themselves part owners. However, in 1949, there was only a temporary roof on the Staatsoper, as construction work continued. It was not until 5 November 1955, after the Austrian State Treaty, that the Staatsoper could be reopened with a performance of
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
's ''
Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...
'', conducted by Karl Böhm. The American Secretary of State,
John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles (February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat who served as United States secretary of state under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 until his resignation in 1959. A member of the ...
, was present. The state broadcaster ORF used the occasion to make its first live broadcast, at a time when there were only c. 800 televiewers in the whole of Austria. The new auditorium had a reduced capacity of about 2,276, including 567 standing room places. The ensemble, which had remained unified until the opening, crumbled in the following years, and slowly an international ensemble formed.


History of the Company After the Second World War

In 1945, the Wiener Mozart-Ensemble was formed, which put on guest performances and became known particularly for its singing and playing culture. The Austrian conductor Josef Krips was the founder and mentor, who had only survived the Nazi era (given his Jewish heritage) thanks to luck and help from colleagues. At the end of the war, Krips started the renovation of the Staatoper, and was able to implement his aesthetic principles, including the departure from the Romantic Mozart ideal with a voluminous orchestral sound. Instead, qualities more associated with chamber music were featured, as well as a clearer, lighter sound, which would later come to be known as "typically Viennese". Singers who worked with Krips during this time were Erich Kunz, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Wilma Lipp, among others. As early as 1947, the Mozart-Ensemble was playing guest performances at the
Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...
in London, with Mozart's ''Don Giovanni''. Richard Tauber, who had fled from the Nazis, sang ''Don Ottavio''; three months later he died, and was remembered for singing with "half a lung" in order to fulfil his dream, many other artists became associated with the Mozart-Ensemble, for example Karl Böhm, but their role was still greatly peripheral, in a straightforward or assisting role. This was the beginning of Krips' worldwide career, which would take him to the most prominent houses in the world. Until his death in 1974, Krips was regarded as one of the most important ''Maestri'' (conductors/music directors) of the Staatsoper. On 1 July 1998, a historical broadcast took place, as Austria undertook its first presidency of the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
. ''Fidelio'' was broadcast live from the Vienna State Opera to the 15 capital cities of the EU. File:StateOperaViennaNightBackside.jpg, Rear of the opera house, showing the stage wings File:Vienna state opera stairs.jpg, A marble staircase between the main entrance and the first floor File:Vienna State Opera - Inside.jpg, One of the lobbies File:Wien - Staatsoper, Teesalon.JPG, Emperor's private room File:Wien - Staatsoper, Zuschauerraum.JPG, The auditorium File:Wien - Staatsoper, Zuschauerraum mit Bühne.JPG, View from the auditorium to the stage File:Viyana Devlet Operası Binasının Dışı.jpg, Exterior of the building File:Vienna - Vienna Opera Backstage - 9706.jpg, Backstage area


Today


The company

The Vienna State Opera is closely linked to the Vienna Philharmonic, which is an incorporated society of its own, but whose members are recruited from the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera. The is one of the busiest opera houses in the world producing 50 to 60 operas in a
repertory A repertory theatre, also called repertory, rep, true rep or stock, which are also called producing theatres, is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation. United Kingdom ...
system per year and ten ballet productions in more than 350 performances. It is quite common to find a different opera being produced each day of a week. The employs over 1000 people. As of 2008, the annual operating budget of the was 100 million euros with slightly more than 50% as a state subsidy. The company's 2019 production of Olga Neuwirth's opera ''Orlando'' marked the first production of an opera by a female composer in the history of the Vienna State Opera.


Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...
was one of the many conductors who have worked in Vienna. During his tenure (1897–1907), Mahler cultivated a new generation of singers, such as Anna Bahr-Mildenburg and Selma Kurz, and recruited a stage designer who replaced the lavish historical stage decors with sparse stage scenery corresponding to modernistic, Jugendstil tastes. Mahler also introduced the practice of dimming the lighting in the theatre during performances, which was initially not appreciated by the audience. However, Mahler's reforms were maintained by his successors.


Herbert von Karajan

Herbert von Karajan introduced the practice of performing operas exclusively in their original language instead of being translated into German. He also strengthened the ensemble and regular principal singers and introduced the policy of predominantly engaging guest singers. He began a collaboration with
La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...
in Milan, in which both productions and orchestrations were shared. This created an opening for the prominent members of the Viennese ensemble to appear in Milan, especially to perform works by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
and
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
.


Ballet companies merge

At the beginning of the 2005–2006 season, the ballet companies of the Staatsoper and the Vienna Volksoper were merged under the direction of Gyula Harangozó, which led to a reduction in the number of performers in the resulting ensemble. This has resulted in an increase in the number of guest stars engaged to work in the ballet. The practice of combining the two ballet companies proved an artistic failure, and Harangozó left when his contract expired in 2010. From the 2010–2011 season a new company was formed called ''Wiener Staatsballet'', Vienna State Ballet, under the direction of former
Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...
principal dancer Manuel Legris. Legris eliminated Harangozós's policy of presenting nothing but traditional narrative ballets with guest artists in the leading roles, concentrated on establishing a strong in-house ensemble and restored evenings of mixed bill programs, featuring works of
George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...
, Jerome Robbins, Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, and many contemporary choreographers, as well as a reduced schedule of the classic ballets.


140th anniversary season

2009 marked the 140th anniversary of the Vienna Opera House. To celebrate this milestone an idea designed to reach out and embrace a new audience was conceived. A giant 50 sqm screen was placed on the side of the opera house facing Kärntner Straße. In four months live broadcasts of over 60 famous operas were transmitted in this way, including performances of '' Madama Butterfly'', '' The Magic Flute'' and ''
Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...
''. This successful venture brought a new wave of operatic excitement to the many tourists and locals who experienced this cultural event. During daytime the screen displays a replica of the Opera House's façade, as it obstructs a considerable part of the building, along with information about upcoming performances.


The opera house and children

The Vienna State Opera is particularly open to children: under Holender's direction (he has three children of his own), the opera house has become well known for its children's productions, which are performed in a tent on the roof of the Staatsoper. Recent examples include '' Peter Pan'', ' (''The Dream Gobbler''), '' Der 35. Mai'' (''The 35th of May''), C. F. E. Horneman's ''Aladdin'', '' Bastien und Bastienne'' and ''Wagners Nibelungenring für Kinder'' (''Wagner's Ring for children''). In addition to this, there is a production of ''The Magic Flute'' every year for 9- and 10-year-olds, decorated like the Opernball. The opera house also has an opera school for boys and girls between the ages of eight and fourteen, which takes place in the afternoons after regular school. The children are introduced to music theatre and the prospect of becoming opera singers. The company recruits singers for children's roles in its productions from this opera school. Twice every season there is a special matinée performance of the opera school. In 2006, the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, they performed a 20-minute miniature opera ''Der kleine Friedrich'' arranged from songs of Mozart by Janko Kastelic and Claudia Toman.


"Standing room only" audience

Eighty minutes before each performance, cheap standing room tickets are sold (). These are popular with all age groups, and now have an almost legendary regular clientele, which is merciless in showing its displeasure with a performance loudly and unambiguously, but is even louder in voicing approval.


''Der Neue Merker''

Every performance at the Vienna State Opera is reviewed by an independent company in the opera publication ''Der Neue Merker'' (''The New Judge'') which is printed in about 2000 copies. This is unusual in that most opera magazines prefer to concentrate on new productions and premieres. There is an online version parallel to the publication, which receives (as of March 2007) an average of 10,000 visitors a week, and therefore is one of the most successful German-language opera portals.


Opera ball

For many decades, the opera house has been the venue of the Vienna Opera Ball. It is an event, which takes place annually on the last Thursday in Fasching. Those in attendance often include visitors from around the world, especially prominent names in business and politics. The opera ball receives media coverage from a range of outlets. The opera ball in 1968 was the occasion for a protest, at which the organisation was criticised for being "elite" (due to the high prices), "conceited" (due to the opulent display of wealth for the newspapers and cameras) and "reactionary" (for upholding an allegedly outdated culture). There was violence between the demonstrators and the police.


Safety curtain

"Safety Curtain" is an exhibition series conceived by the non-profit art initiative museum in progress, which has been transforming the safety curtain of the Vienna State Opera into a temporary exhibition space for contemporary art since 1998. A jury ( Daniel Birnbaum and Hans-Ulrich Obrist) selects the artists whose works are attached to the safety curtain by means of magnets and are shown during the course of a season. Artists up to date: Pierre Alechinsky, Tauba Auerbach, John Baldessari, Matthew Barney, Thomas Bayrle, Tacita Dean, Cerith Wyn Evans, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Richard Hamilton,
David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English Painting, painter, Drawing, draughtsman, Printmaking, printmaker, Scenic design, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considere ...
, Christine & Irene Hohenbüchler, Joan Jonas, Martha Jungwirth, Jeff Koons, Maria Lassnig, Oswald Oberhuber, Giulio Paolini, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Rosemarie Trockel, Cy Twombly, Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems and Franz West.


Directors/General managers

In chronological order, the directors (or general managers) of the Staatsoper have been: * Franz von Dingelstedt (1867–70) * Johann von Herbeck (1870–75) * Franz von Jauner (1875–80) * Wilhelm Jahn (1881–97) *
Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...
(1897–1907) * Felix Weingartner, Edler von Münzberg (first term, 1908–11) * Hans Gregor (1911–18) *
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
/ Franz Schalk (1919–24) * Franz Schalk (1924–29) * Clemens Krauss (1929–34) * Felix von Weingartner (second term, 1935–36) * (1936–40) * Heinrich Karl Strohm (1940–41) * Lothar Müthel (1941–42) * Karl Böhm (first term, 1943–45) * Franz Salmhofer (1945–54) * Karl Böhm (second term, 1954–56) * Herbert von Karajan (1956–1964) * Egon Hilbert (1964–68) * Heinrich Reif-Gintl (1968–72) * Rudolf Gamsjäger (1972–76) * Egon Seefehlner (first term, 1976–82) * Lorin Maazel (1982–84) * Egon Seefehlner (second term, 1984–86) * Claus Helmut Drese (1986–91) * Eberhard Wächter (1991–92) * Ioan Holender (1992–2010) * Dominique Meyer (2010–2020) * Bogdan Roščić (2020–present)


Artistic/Music Directors

*
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
(1919–1924) * Bruno Walter (1936–1938) * Claudio Abbado (1986–1991) * Seiji Ozawa (2002–2010) * Franz Welser-Möst (2010–2014) * Philippe Jordan (2020–present)


Prominent artists who have appeared at the Staatsoper


Singers

*
Theo Adam Theo Adam (1 August 1926 – 10 January 2019) was a German operatic bass-baritone and bass singer who had an international career in opera, concert and recital from 1949. He was a member of the Staatsoper Dresden for his entire career, and s ...
* Ain Anger * Giacomo Aragall * Agnes Baltsa * Polly Batic * Gabriela Beňačková * Ettore Bastianini * Piotr Beczała * Teresa Berganza * Walter Berry * Jussi Björling * Franco Bonisolli *
Montserrat Caballé María de Montserrat Bibiana Concepción Caballé i Folch or Folc (12 April 1933 – 6 October 2018), also known as Montserrat Caballé (i Folch), was a Spanish operatic soprano from Catalonia. Widely considered to be one of the best sopranos ...
* Maria Callas * José Carreras * Enrico Caruso * Mimi Coertse * Franco Corelli * José Cura * Oskar Czerwenka * Giuseppe Di Stefano * Plácido Domingo (50th jubilee in May 2017) * Otto Edelmann * Anny Felbermayer * Juan Diego Flórez * Mirella Freni * Ferruccio Furlanetto * Elīna Garanča * Nicolai Gedda * Angela Gheorghiu * Nicolai Ghiaurov * Tito Gobbi * Edita Gruberová (40th jubilee in September 2008, 50th jubilee in June 2018) * Thomas Hampson * Hans Hotter * Gundula Janowitz * Maria Jeritza * Gwyneth Jones * Sena Jurinac * Vesselina Kasarova * Jonas Kaufmann * Angelika Kirchschlager *
Alfredo Kraus Alfredo Kraus Trujillo (; 24 November 192710 September 1999) was a distinguished Spanish tenor from the Canary Islands (known professionally as Alfredo Kraus), particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles. He was ...
* Elisabeth Kulman * Erich Kunz * Selma Kurz * Christa Ludwig (final operatic performance in ''Elektra'', 1994) * Éva Marton * Anna Moffo * Anna Netrebko * Birgit Nilsson * Jessye Norman * Jarmila Novotná * Hasmik Papian * Luciano Pavarotti * Alfred Piccaver * Johannes "JJ" Pietsch * Lucia Popp * Hermann Prey * Leontyne Price * Gianni Raimondi * Ruggero Raimondi * Maria Reining * Leonie Rysanek *
Matti Salminen Matti Kalervo Salminen (born 7 July 1945) is a Finnish operatic bass, now retired, who has sung at the most important opera houses of the world, including the Metropolitan and Bayreuth Festival. He is distinguished by an imposing figure a ...
* Elisabeth Schwarzkopf * Renata Scotto * Cesare Siepi * Giulietta Simionato * Bo Skovhus * Nina Stemme * Lise Davidsen * Michail Svetlev * Giuseppe Taddei *
Martti Talvela Martti Olavi Talvela (4 February 1935 – 23 July 1989) was a Finnish operatic bass. Born in Hiitola, Finland (now in the Republic of Karelia), the eighth of ten children
* Richard Tauber * Renata Tebaldi * Bryn Terfel * Rolando Villazón * Eberhard Wächter * Otto Wiener * Fritz Wunderlich * Heinz Zednik


Conductors

* Claudio Abbado * Kurt Adler * Gerd Albrecht * Ernest Ansermet *
Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...
* Bertrand de Billy * Karl Böhm * Semyon Bychkov * Riccardo Chailly *
André Cluytens Augustin Zulma Alphonse "André" Cluytens (, ; 26 March 19053 June 1967)Baeck E. ''André Cluytens: Itinéraire d’un chef d’orchestre.'' Editions Mardaga, Wavre, 2009. was a Belgian-born French conducting, conductor who was active in the conce ...
* Colin Davis * Victor de Sabata * Hubert Deutsch * Antal Doráti *
Christoph von Dohnányi Christoph von Dohnányi (; born 8 September 1929) is a German conducting, conductor. Biography Youth and World War II Dohnányi was born in Berlin, Germany to Hans von Dohnanyi, a German jurist of Hungarian ancestry, and Christine von Dohnan ...
* Gustavo Dudamel * Wilhelm Furtwängler *
John Eliot Gardiner Sir John Eliot Gardiner (born 20 April 1943) is an English conductor, particularly known for his performances of the works of Johann Sebastian Bach, especially the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage of 2000, performing Church cantata (Bach), Bach's church ...
* Daniele Gatti * Gianandrea Gavazzeni * Michael Gielen * Leopold Hager * Daniel Harding * Nikolaus Harnoncourt *
Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advo ...
* Heinrich Hollreiser` * Philippe Jordan * Carlos Kleiber * Erich Kleiber * Berislav Klobučar * Hans Knappertsbusch * Clemens Krauss * Josef Krips * Rafael Kubelík * Jan Latham-Koenig * Erich Leinsdorf * Lorin Maazel * Charles Mackerras * Ernst Märzendorfer *
Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor :wikt:emeritus, emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father ...
* Dimitri Mitropoulos * Francesco Molinari-Pradelli * Pierre Monteux * Rudolf Moralt * Lovro von Matačić * Riccardo Muti * Andris Nelsons * Roger Norrington * Daniel Oren * Antonio Pappano * John Pritchard * Simon Rattle * Hugo Reichenberger * Fritz Reiner * Hans Richter * Mario Rossi * Nello Santi * Michael Schønwandt * Leif Segerstam * Tullio Serafin * Giuseppe Sinopoli *
Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...
* Georg Solti *
Horst Stein Horst Walter Stein (2 May 1928 – 27 July 2008) was a German conductor. Biography Stein was born in Elberfeld, Germany; his father was a mechanic. At school in Frankfurt, he studied piano, oboe, and singing. Later, he continued studies ...
* Pinchas Steinberg *
Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...
* Otmar Suitner * Robert Stolz *
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...
* Christian Thielemann *
Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...
* Silvio Varviso *
Marcello Viotti Marcello Viotti (29 June 195416 February 2005) was a Swiss classical music conductor, best known for opera. Viotti was born in Vallorbe, in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, to Italian parents. He studied cello, piano and singing at th ...
*
Antonino Votto Antonino Votto, sometimes spelt Antonio Votto, (30 October 1896 – 9 September 1985) was an Italian operatic conductor and vocal coach. Votto developed an extensive discography with the La Scala, Teatro alla Scala in Milan during the 1950s, when ...
* Bruno Walter *
Felix Weingartner Paul Felix Weingartner, Edler von Münzberg (2 June 1863 – 7 May 1942) was an Austrian Conducting, conductor, composer and pianist. Life and career Weingartner was born in Zadar, Zara, Kingdom of Dalmatia, Dalmatia, Austrian Empire (now ...
* Alberto


Directors, set designers, and costume designers

Opera title and year of debut at the Vienna State Opera in parentheses: * Gae Aulenti
(''Il viaggio a Reims'', 1988) * Boleslaw Barlog (''Salome'', 1972) * Sven-Eric Bechtolf (''Arabella'', 2006) * Ruth Berghaus (''Fierrabras'', 1990) * Milena Canonero (''Il trittico'', 1979) * Robert Carsen (''Jérusalem'', 1995) * Giulio Chazalettes (''Attila'', 1980) * Luciano Damiani (''Don Giovanni'', 1967) * Dieter Dorn (''Die Entführung aus dem Serail'', 1979) * August Everding (''Tristan und Isolde'', 1967) * Piero Faggioni (''Norma'', 1977) * Jürgen Flimm (''Der ferne Klang'', 1991) * Götz Friedrich (''Moses und Aron'', 1973) * Ezio Frigerio, (''Norma'', 1977) * Josef Gielen (''Madama Butterfly'', 1957) * Peter J. Hall (''Le nozze di Figaro'', 1991) * Karl-Ernst Herrmann (''Die Entführung aus dem Serail'', 1989) * Václav Kašlík (''Idomeneo'', 1971) * Jorge Lavelli (''Der Prozess'', 1970) * Alfred Kirchner (''Khovanchina'', 1989) * Harry Kupfer (''Die schwarze Maske'', 1986) * Lotfi Mansouri (''La fanciulla del west'' 1978) * Gian Carlo Menotti (''La Cenerentola'', 1981) *
Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, comedian and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 19 ...
(''Le nozze di Figaro'', 1991) * Giancarlo del Monaco (''La forza del destino'', 1989) * Hans Neuenfels (''Le Prophète'', 1998) * Hermann Nitsch (''Hérodiade'', 1995) * Adrian Noble (''Alcina'', 2010) * Timothy O'Brien (''Turandot'', 1983) * Tom O'Horgan (''Les Troyens'', 1976) * Laurent Pelly (''La fille du régiment'', 2007) * Pier Luigi Pizzi (as stage designer: ''La forza del destino'', 1974; as director: ''Don Carlo'', 1989) * Jean-Pierre Ponnelle (''Manon'', 1971) * David Pountney (''Rienzi'', 1997) * Harold Prince (''Turandot'', 1983) * Gianni Quaranta (''Samson et Dalila'', 1988) * Günther Rennert (''Il barbiere di Siviglia'', 1966) * Luca Ronconi (''Il viaggio a Reims'', 1988) *
Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...
(''Faust'', 1985) * Filippo Sanjust (''Ariadne auf Naxos'', 1976) *
Johannes Schaaf Johannes Schaaf (7 April 1933 – 1 November 2019) was a German film, theatre and opera director and actor. Several of his films have been internationally recognized. His focus shifted to opera in the 1980s and he worked with many of the leading i ...
(''Idomeneo'', 1987) * Otto Schenk (''Jenůfa'', 1964) * Yuval Sharon (''Tri Sestri'', 2016) *
Franca Squarciapino Franca Squarciapino (born 1940) is an Italians, Italian costume designer recognized for her exceptional work in theatre and film. She won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in 63rd Academy Awards, 1990 for her work on ''Cyrano de Bergerac (1 ...
(''Norma'', 1977) * Peter Stein (''Simon Boccanegra'', 2002) * Giorgio Strehler (''Simon Boccanegra'', 1984) * Josef Svoboda (''Idomeneo'', 1971) * István Szabó (''Il trovatore'', 1993) * Carl Toms, (''Faust'', 1985) *
Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, theatre and opera director, and screenwriter. He was one of the fathers of Italian neorealism, cinematic neorealism, but later ...
(''Falstaff'', 1966) * Antoine Vitez (''Pelléas et Mélisande'', 1988) * Wieland Wagner (''Lohengrin'', 1965) * Margarete Wallmann (''Tosca'', 1958) * Anthony Ward (''Alcina'', 2010) * Herbert Wernicke (''I vespri siciliani'', 1998) * Peter Wood (''Macbeth'', 1981) * Franco Zeffirelli (''La bohème'', 1964)


See also

* Carltheater * Ringtheater * Theater am Kärntnertor


References


External links

*
(Archives)

Wiener Staatsoper at Google Cultural Institute
{{Authority control Opera houses in Vienna Josef Hlávka buildings Ballet venues Cultural venues in Vienna Music venues completed in 1869 State Opera Theatres completed in 1869 1869 establishments in Austria 19th-century architecture in Austria