![]() 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, after the liberation and re-independence of Austria from the Nazis, the first performances were given. The façade, entrance hall and the "Schwind" foyer were restored and remain in their original style. 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. In order to achieve a good acoustic, wood was the favoured building material, at the advice of, among others, Arturo Toscanini. 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. An architectural competition was announced, which was won by Erich Boltenstern. The Austrian Federal Chancellor Leopold Figl made the decision in 1946 to have a functioning opera house again by 1949. 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). ![]() 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. The State Opera was temporarily housed at the Theater an der Wien and at the Vienna Volksoper. The front section, which had been walled off as a precaution, however, remained intact including the foyer, with frescoes by Moritz von Schwind, the main stairways, the vestibule and the tea room. 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. Towards the end of World War II, on 12 March 1945, the opera was set alight by an American bombardment. Play bill of the last performance in the old building: Götterdämmerung, 30 June 1944 Emperor Franz Josef and Empress Elisabeth (Sissi) were present. The opening premiere was Don Giovanni, by Mozart, on. Eduard van der Nüll committed suicide, and barely ten weeks later Sicardsburg died from tuberculosis so neither architect saw the completion of the building. Moreover, because the level of Ringstraße was raised by a metre in front of the opera house after its construction had begun, 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". On the one hand, it did not seem as grand as the Heinrichshof, a private residence which was destroyed in World War II (and replaced in 1955 by the Opernringhof). The building was, however, not very popular with the public. Three Viennese masonry companies were employed to supply enough masonry labour: Eduard Hauser (still in existence today), Anton Wasserburger and Moritz Pranter. Due to the monumental demand for stone, stone from Sóskút, widely used in Budapest, was also used. The decision was made to use dimension stone for the exterior of the building. The building is also the home of the Vienna State Ballet, and it hosts the annual Vienna Opera Ball during the carnival season. The members of the Vienna Philharmonic are recruited from the Vienna State Opera's orchestra. The new site was chosen and the construction paid by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1861. ![]() The Vienna State Opera is the successor of the old Vienna Court Opera (built in 1636 inside the Hofburg). It became known by its current name after the establishment of the First Austrian Republic in 1921. 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. 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 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. The Vienna State Opera ( German: Wiener Staatsoper, IPA: ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. Karlsplatz, 1 2 D 62 71 Opernring, Bus 59A Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "Vienna State Opera" – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.
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