or (

Carinthia Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...

n Gate Theatre) was a prestigious

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

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. ...

during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Its official title was (Imperial and Royal Court Theatre of Vienna).

History

The theatre was built in 1709 to designs by

Antonio Beduzzi Antonio Maria Nicolao Beduzzi (1675 – 4 March 1735) was an Italian theater engineer, painter, and architect who flourished in Vienna at the turn of the 17th century. He was born in Bologna in 1675. He succeeded Ludovico Ottavio Burnacini, Burnaci ...

on a site near the former Kärntnertor, on the grounds of the present

Hotel Sacher Hotel Sacher is a five-star luxury hotel in Vienna, Austria, facing the Vienna State Opera in the city's central Innere Stadt district. It is famous for the specialty of the house, the Sachertorte, a chocolate cake with apricot filling. There is ...

. The expenses of building the theatre were borne by the City of Vienna, and it was intended (as

Eva Badura-Skoda Eva Badura-Skoda (née Halfar; 15 January 1929 – 8 January 2021) was a German-born Austrian musicologist. Biography Born in Munich, Eva Halfar studied at the Vienna Conservatory and took courses in musicology, philosophy, and art history at ...

notes)Badura-Skoda 1973 to be "frequented by the Viennese population of all classes". However, at the command of the emperor, the first performances were of Italian operas, an elite form of entertainment. In 1711, the theatre was redirected to its original purpose when it was placed under the direction of Josef Stranitzky, who put on a variety of entertainment, often embodying a German version of the Italian

commedia dell'arte Commedia dell'arte was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Theatre of Italy, Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is a ...

. The theatre was managed by Stranitzky's widow after his death. In 1728, court artists Borosini and Selliers, who had performed

intermezzi In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...

in both German and Italian, became the Kärntnertortheater's directors. From 1742 to 1750, the theatre was leased to Selliers alone. In 1752, however,

Maria Theresa Maria Theresa (Maria Theresia Walburga Amalia Christina; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position suo jure, in her own right. She was the ...

withdrew the imperial privilege, placing the theatre under the direct scrutiny of the magistrates of Vienna. The first theatre burned in 1761 and was rebuilt by court architect

Nicolò Pacassi Nicolò Pacassi (5 March 1716 – 11 November 1790), also known as Nikolaus Pacassi, was an Italian-Austrian architect. He was born in Wiener Neustadt in Lower Austria in a family of merchants from Gorizia. In 1753, he was appointed court archi ...

; two years later it reopened, again under protective privilege, as the (Imperial and Royal Court Theatre of Vienna). From the early nineteenth century,

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

s were added to the repertory, as well as Italian and German operas. From 1811 to 1814,

Ignaz Franz Castelli Ignaz Franz Castelli (6 March 1781 – 5 February 1862) was an Austrian dramatist born in Vienna. He studied law at university, and then entered government service. During the Napoleonic invasions his patriotism inspired him to write stirri ...

served as ''Hoftheaterdichter'' (poet of the court theatre). From 1821, the Italian

impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

Domenico Barbaia Domenico Barbaia (also spelled Barbaja; 10 August 1777 – 19 October 1841) was best known as an opera Italian impresario. An energetic man, Barbaia, who was born in Milan, began his career by running a coffee shop. He made his first fortune b ...

added the venue to the string of theatres under his management and presented

Italian opera Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous ope ...

Replacement

Beginning in 1861, the Vienna Court Opera House (now the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, 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 ...

) was built on the adjoining grounds. It was completed in 1869, and in 1870, the former theatre was razed, making way for the apartment building that became the

Gerhard Bronner Gerhard Bronner (23 October 1922 in Favoriten, Vienna – 19 January 2007 in Vienna) was an Austrian composer, writer, musician and a cabaret artist, known for his contribution to Austrian culture in the post-World War II period. Life Born to ...

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

used the name (New Theatre at the Kärntnertor) from 1959 to 1973, before adopting its present name.

First performances of operas and other works

During its heyday, several composers conducted the theatre orchestra, including the young

Franz Lachner Franz Paul Lachner (2 April 180320 January 1890) was a German composer and conductor. Biography Lachner was born in Rain am Lech to a musical family (his brothers Ignaz, and Vinzenz also became musicians). He studied music with Simon Sec ...

and

Ferdinando Paer Ferdinando Paer (1 June 1771 – 3 May 1839) was an Italian composer known for his operas. He was of Austrian descent and used the German spelling Pär in application for printing in Venice, and later in France the spelling Paër. Life He was bor ...

. * 1753 (perhaps 1751): ''

Der krumme Teufel ''Der krumme Teufel'' (''The Lame Devil'' or "The Limping Devil", 1751 or 1752), Hob. 29/1a, was Joseph Haydn's first opera. This German-language comic opera in the genre of Singspiel was commissioned by its librettist, leading comic actor , from ...

'' (''The Lame Devil''), a comic opera by the young

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

, now lost, that established his early reputation * 1764 (18 October): ''L'olimpiade'' by

Florian Leopold Gassmann Florian Leopold Gassmann (3 May 1729 – 21 January 1774) was a German-speaking Bohemian opera composer of the transitional period between the baroque and classical eras. He was one of the principal composers of ''dramma giocoso'' immediat ...

* 1766 (25 May): ''Il viaggiatore ridicolo'' by Florian Leopold Gassmann * 1774 (4 April): ''

Thamos, King of Egypt ''Thamos, King of Egypt'' (or ''King Thamos''; in German, ''Thamos, König in Ägypten'') is a play by , for which, between 1773 and 1780, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote incidental music, K. 345/336a, of an operatic character. The autograp ...

'', a play by Tobias Philipp, Baron von Gebler, with music 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 ...

* 1787 (7 March): Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25 in C, K. 503 * 1795 (14 October): '' Palmira, regina di Persia'' by

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian composer and teacher of the classical period (music), classical period. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subje ...

* 1799 (3 January): ''

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays ''Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

'' by Antonio Salieri * 1799 (28 February): ''Camilla'' by

* 1799 (12 July): ''Il morto vivo'' by Ferdinando Paer * 1800 (2 June): ''Cesare in Farmacusa'' by

* 1800 (2 September): ''Ginevra degli Almieri'' by Ferdinando Paer * 1800 (22 October): ''L'Angiolina'' by Antonio Salieri * 1800 (18 December): ''Poche ma buone'' by Ferdinando Paer * 1801 (6 June): ''Achille'' by Ferdinando Paer * 1814 (23 May): ''

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 ...

'' (final version as performed today) by

Ludwig van 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 ...

* 1821 (7 March):

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

's song "

Erlkönig "Erlkönig" is a German poetry, poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It depicts the death of a child assailed by a supernatural being, the Erlking, a king of the fairy, fairies. It was originally written by Goethe as part of a 1782 ''Singspiel' ...

" * 1822 (4 December): ''Libussa'' by

Conradin Kreutzer Conradin Kreutzer or Kreuzer (22 November 1780 – 14 December 1849) was a German composer and conductor. His works include the operas ''Das Nachtlager in Granada'' and incidental music to ''Der Verschwender'', both produced in 1834 in Vienna. ...

* 1823 (25 October): ''

Euryanthe ''Euryanthe'' ( J. 291, Op. 81) is a German grand heroic-romantic opera by Carl Maria von Weber, first performed at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna on 25 October 1823.Brown, p. 88 Though acknowledged as one of Weber's most important operas, ...

'' by

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...

* 1824 (7 May): Beethoven's Ninth Symphony * 1829 (11 August): The Viennese début as pianist of

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 Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

Björling (2002, 8) * 1837 (9 March): ''

Das Nachtlager in Granada ''Das Nachtlager in Granada'' (''The Night Camp in Granada'') is a romantic opera in two acts by Conradin Kreutzer. The libretto is by based on Johann Friedrich Kind's 1818 drama of the same name. Performance history The premiere of a first vers ...

'' (second version with recitatives) by Conradin Kreutzer * 1842 (19 May): ''

Linda di Chamounix ''Linda di Chamounix'' is an operatic '' melodramma semiserio'' in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Gaetano Rossi. It premiered in Vienna, at the Kärntnertortheater, on 19 May 1842. Performance history ' ...

'' by

Gaetano Donizetti Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 – 8 April 1848) was an Italian Romantic music, Romantic composer, best known for his almost 70 operas. Along with Gioachino Rossini and Vincenzo Bellini, he was a leading composer of the ''be ...

* 1843 (5 June): '' Maria di Rohan'' by Gaetano Donizetti * 1844 (3 February): ''Die Heimkehr des Verbannten'' by

Otto Nicolai Carl Otto Ehrenfried Nicolai (9 June 1810 – 11 May 1849) was a German composer, conductor, and one of the founders of the Vienna Philharmonic. Nicolai is best known for his operatic version of Shakespeare's comedy ''The Merry Wives of Wi ...

* 1845 (13 November): ''

Dom Sébastien ''Dom Sébastien, Roi de Portugal'' (''Don Sebastian, King of Portugal'') is a French grand opera in five acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The libretto was written by Eugène Scribe, based on Paul Foucher's play ''Don Sébastien de Portugal'' which pr ...

'' (revised version) by Gaetano Donizetti * 1845 (20 December): ''Der Tempelritter'' by Otto Nicolai * 1847 (25 November): ''

Martha Martha (Aramaic language, Aramaic: מָרְתָא‎) is a Bible, biblical figure described in the Gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of John, John. Together with her siblings Lazarus of Bethany, Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is descr ...

'' by Friedrich von Flotow * 1864 (4 February): '' Die Rheinnixen'' (''Les Fées du Rhin'') by

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ''The Tales of Hoffmann''. He was a p ...

References

Notes Sources * Badura-Skoda, Eva (1973). "The Influence of the Viennese Popular Comedy on Haydn and Mozart", ''

Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association In academia and librarianship, conference proceedings are a collection of academic papers published in the context of an academic conference or workshop. Conference proceedings typically contain the contributions made by researchers at the confere ...

'', pp. 185–189. * Björling, David (2002)
"Chopin and the G minor Ballade"

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Theater am Karntnertor Theatres completed in 1709 Karntnertor, Theater am Karntnertor, Theater am Karntnertor, Theater am 1709 establishments in the Habsburg monarchy 1709 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire 18th-century establishments in Austria Buildings and structures demolished in 1870 Demolished buildings and structures in Austria Defunct opera houses

History

Replacement

First performances of operas and other works

References

Further reading

External links