History of the Vienna State Opera

In December 1857, an imperial decree was published in the Wiener Zeitung announcing the demolition of Vienna's city walls and the construction of the Ringstrasse. This new boulevard was to be lined with important buildings and would have a lasting impact on Vienna's urban landscape. The first of the public building projects was a new opera house. In July 1860, a competition was held to design this new opera house. The requirement was for a building for around 2,500 spectators, suitable for both opera and ballet performances. The task was ambitious: The opera house was to be a monument worthy of the imperoal capital of Vienna.

Of the 35 designs submitted, the Viennese architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll came out on top. Among the competitors were architects from all over Europe, including the architect of London's Royal Opera House and rivals from Berlin and Dresden. The construction manager Josef Hlávka, a student of the two winning architects, was responsible for the construction. Originally planned for 1864, completion was delayed several times so that the opera house was not opened until 1869.

The opera house already came under public criticism during the construction phase. The differences in planning between the city planning department and the opera house construction management meant that the building was slightly lower than the Ringstrasse due to its location and was soon derided as a "sunken box". The notorious columnist Ludwig Speidel commented caustically: "despite the most charming details, the building as a whole lies on its site as heavy and sinking into the ground as an elephant in digestion". The mixture of Gothic and Renaissance elements was also mocked, as the following rhyme illustrates:

Tragically, public criticism weighed heavily on the two architects: Van der Nüll, who suffered from depression and a brain tumor, committed suicide before the building was completed, and Sicard von Sicardsburg also died shortly afterwards. In memory of the two architects, their profile portraits are now prominently displayed above the grand staircase of the opera house.

The construction costs of the opera amounted to 6,116,647.61 guilders. Emperor Franz Joseph personally influenced some of the details. For example, he decided that scenes from popular operas should be depicted on the lunettes in the Schwindfoyer, which was named after the painter Moritz von Schwind. The emperor personally changed the design to a scene from Norma and instead wanted a depiction from Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf's Doctor and Apothecary, which can still be seen there today.

The decision dragged on until just before the opening. In the end, Don Giovanni was chosen, not least because it was argued that the opera house, which was financed by "the people's tax money", should be opened with a German opera. One month before the opening, the decision was officially made.

The first director of the new opera house, Freiherr von Dingelstedt, was regarded as an experienced theater director and organisational talent. He was a supporter of a splendidly decorated theater and managed to organise the relocation of the ensemble from the old Kärntnertortheater and the opening of the new house on the Ring without a hitch. Under his direction, a varied repertoire was established, which included Mozart operas as well as works by Wagner and delighted Viennese audiences.

In the following decades, the artistic importance of the house grew steadily. A first high point was reached around the turn of the century under Gustav Mahler. Mahler renewed the performance system, strengthened the ensemble spirit and introduced a precise, new aesthetic to the stage, which had a lasting impact on the image of Viennese opera.

After the end of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and the founding of the First Republic, the name of the opera house also changed. At first it was renamed "Operntheater" until the name "Wiener Staatsoper", which is used today, was finally adopted. The Vienna State Opera remains a symbol of Viennese culture to this day and is an important opera house with an international reputation.

When the National Socialists seized power in 1938, life and culture in Vienna changed dramatically, especially at the famous Vienna State Opera. The "Anschluss" to the National Socialist German Reich immediately brought devastating consequences for cultural life, especially for the Vienna State Opera. Numerous artists and employees, especially those of Jewish origin or politically unpopular, were persecuted, ostracized and removed from the opera house. This persecution had an impact on the entire company - from stage technology to management. At the same time, Nazi artists and protégés loyal to the regime found their place at the Vienna State Opera.

Immediately after March 13, 1938, lists were drawn up of artists and employees who were to be furloughed, dismissed or forced to retire. This systematic persecution and expulsion was an unprecedented attack on the cultural identity of the house. The artistic diversity and open forms of expression that characterized the house were replaced by a repressive regime that severely restricted and controlled artistic freedom.

In the course of National Socialist censorship, not only were artistic collaborators removed, but numerous works were also banned. Works by Jewish composers and librettists, including well-known works such as Wozzeck, Les Contes d'Hoffmann, La Juive and Die tote Stadt, were no longer allowed to be performed. The censorship had a fatal impact on the repertoire and the creative diversity of the theater. At the same time, Nazi-conformist works and propaganda pieces were included in the repertoire. For example, Rudolf Wille's "Königsballade", an opera with National Socialist content, had to be premiered under duress, but remained a failure due to the lack of audience interest.

One of the more bizarre episodes in the history of the Staatsoper during this period was the premiere of Richard Strauss' Friedenstag on 10 June 1939. This opera, which deals with peace, was performed in the presence of Adolf Hitler, symbolizing the perverse intertwining of art and ideology at the time. Interestingly, a singer at this performance criticised the situation in a private act and wrote the word "war" on one of his piano scores, which is a subtle form of resistance.

With the outbreak of the Second World War and the theater closure from June 1944, regular performances at the Staatsoper were severely restricted. Many believed that Wagner's Götterdämmerung was the last performance in the old house, but in fact individual performances continued to take place in the following months. However, the definitive last performance before the destruction of the house was Martha by Friedrich von Flotow on January 5, 1945 - a symbolic act at the end of a century of artistic flourishing.

On May 1, 1945, the State Opera opened in the Volksoper with a performance of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro.

On October 6, 1945, the hastily restored Theater an der Wien was reopened with Beethoven's Fidelio. Over the next ten years, the Theater an der Wien served as a replacement venue while the main building was extensively rebuilt. State Secretary Julius Raab had already announced the reconstruction of the Vienna State Opera on May 24, 1945.

Only the main façade, the grand staircase and the Schwindfoyer were spared from the bombing. With a new auditorium and state-of-the-art stage technology, the Vienna State Opera was ceremoniously reopened on November 5, 1955 under Karl Böhm with Beethoven's Fidelio. The celebrations were broadcast on Austrian television and were seen around the world as a symbol of the new beginning of the Second Republic.