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Wien, 9. Bezirk (the art of historical buildings of Vienna), Vienna People's Opera (Volksoper), Opéra populaire (Vienne), La Ópera Popular de Viena (Währinger Gürtel/Währinger Straße/Fuchsthallergasse), The Sound of Music

Vienna Volksoper

The Volksoper is after the Vienna State Opera, the second-largest opera house in Vienna. The program includes operettas, operas, musicals and ballet.

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)

Volksoper seen from Währing street

History

Founding and time as spoken theater

The Jubilee City Theatre woodcut from the Leipzig magazine of 19 January 1899

1897 Karl Lueger was appointed mayor of Vienna. The architectural thought - ie the redesign of Vienna - was the prevailing social, economic and political trend in this as ring road time known era. In the same year the emperor anniversary Municipal Theatre Association (Kaiserjubiläums-Stadttheater-Verein) was founded by committed citizens of the City of Vienna to set up with the objective of the 50th Jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1898 a theater for the performance of German speaking pieces in Waehring.

In addition to this club significantly involved was also the Christian Social dictrict leader of Währing Anton Baumann because the building until 1905 stood in the 18th District. The theater association commissioned the architect Alexander Graf with the implementation of the building, which together with the architect Franz Freiherr von Krauss built the Emperor's Jubilee City Theatre in just 10 months.

The total costs were estimated at 650,000 guilders before construction begins. This amount was financed through shares, which were sold like hot cakes. With some delay, the construction work was started in March, 1898. The high pressure of time led to a violation of the construction costs by approximately 25%, or 160,000 guilders. This missing amount was not subsidized by public authorities, but was imposed the director Adam Müller-Guttenbrunn in the form of a lease rate increase.

Another shadow over the opening on 14 December 1898 cast the fact that the emperor himself stayed away from the opening of the house, as his wife Elizabeth had been killed three months earlier. After this bad start of the theater followed after not yet five years in 1903, the first bankruptcy .

The musical theater from 1903 until the postwar years

The Jubilee City Theatre at the time of opening, 1898

On 1 September 1903, Rainer Simon took over the directorate. He for himself had completed his apprenticeship with famous singers such as Julius Stockhausen or composers like Engelbert Humperdinck. A clear goal in mind, although he would indeed continue the popular German speaking parts in the sense of its predecessor, but put the first steps towards musical theater. During the 1904/05 season - in which for the first time appeares in the subtitle Volksoper, too - Simons introduced the first comic operas. Due to the great public appeal, Simons already ventured 1906-1908 the leap to the big opera. From 1908 the venue operated only under the name Volksoper.

After many highly successful years, finally in 1925 the Volksoper massively had to fight with the effects of inflation. After some brief closures and various rescue attempts by the working groups Volksoper was closed on 5 July in 1928 and only on 5 November 1929 reopened as New Vienna Schauspielhaus. 1938 took over the city of Vienna the now Urban Vienna Volksoper (Städtische Wiener Volksoper) later renamed Opera House of the City of Vienna. Towards the end of the Second World War the Volksoper became, for several months, the second largest cinema of the city with 1,550 seats, since after 1 September 1944 for all theaters was ruling prohbition of theater performances and there were some Viennese cinemas already destroyed by air raids.

After the Second World War, the Volksoper served as temporary quarters for the destroyed Staatsoper. After the opening of the restored State Opera building in 1955, the People's Opera became again independent musical theater with operas, operettas and musicals. In the same year, the Volksoper was integrated into the Austrian Federal Theatre.

Recent history

Under the director Karl Dönch took place in 1973 a first major reconstruction of the theater house.

1979 Robert Jungbluth has initiated in his former role as Secretary General of the Federal Theatre Association for the Volksoper a guest performance in Japan. It was the first operetta which was performed in Japan. In 1984, followed an American tour.

September 1991 to June 1996, the Staatsoper and the Volksoper were under joint command. During this time singers were hired for both houses simultaneously. The season was, however, autonomous, since both platforms serve different priorities.

The People's Opera as stage house of the Austrian theater became with the Federal Law on the reorganization of the Federal Theatre (Federal Theatre Organisation Act) in 1998 a legally independent company. 1999 took place the establishment of the "Volksoper Wien GmbH" as a 100% subsidiary of the Federal Theatre Holding GmbH.

Since 1 September 2007 is the Volksoper Vienna conducted by Kammerschauspieler Robert Meyer as director and artistic director. Rainer Schubert acts as Deputy Director. At the same time Mag. Christoph Ladstätter was appointed Chief Financial Officer. Diethmar Strasser acts as artistic director of operations, and Gerrit Prießnitz is the musical director of studies.

Robert Meyer is pursuing a consistent policy of reform. Its goal is to position the Volksoper again as "the musical theater in Vienna" to enhance the operetta and to a wider audience.

Iron Curtain

An iron curtain of the Vienna Volksoper

On the Iron Curtain, the dedication of the house of the 50th anniversary of the reign of Franz Joseph I. By the two year figures 1848, on your left, and 1898, on your right, good recognisable. This was painted by Karl Schuller and Georg Janny.

The curtain is showing in the center front Vindobona. The man in the right half of the picture is supposed to symbolize the citizens of Vienna. By removal of the blindfold this one now should be able to see the beautiful muses, too.

Before the war, the curtain was cleared away and was then lost until it reappeared in the 1990s in the attic of the Theater an der Wien.

Facts and Figures

Spectators and house

Current seating plan of the Volksoper

At three different levels to visitors a total of 1261 seating and 72 standing places, and 2 wheelchair places are available. From September to June, there is, with few exceptions, every day a performance. The most important figures in recent years:

Season Performances Visitors avg seat utilization employees

2004/2005 [2 ] 287 293 695 75.41 % unknown

2005/2006 [3 ] 276 280 520 74.77 % 524

2006/2007 [ 4] 281 289 721 78.34 % 523

2007/2008 [ 5 ] 291 325 491 85.77 % 526

The for maintenance activities responsible federal-Holding has spent in the fiscal year 2006/2007 for a facade renovation of the historic building Volksoper EUR 1.1 million.

Specifications

Lighting and views to the orchestra pit at the Volksoper

The orchestra pit is equipped with two electrically powered lifting platforms. The load capacity is 500 kg/m² (front single podium, stage-sided double-decker panel) and is height adjustable from 0 to 2.65 feet below stage level.

The existing red velvet curtain head is hydraulically liftable and raff. The gathering speed is 0.15 to 3.0 m/s, the lifting speed is up to 2 m/s.

The sound curtain of aluminum frame also operates hydraulically. The additional capacity of 300 kg with a point load of 150 kg. The lifting speed as sound curtain is up to 0.8 m/s. The lifting speed as heavy truck is up to 0.5 m/s.

The hydraulically operated Schleierzug has a load capacity of 350 kg with a point load of 150 kg.

The stage area is 480 square meters with a maximum of 500 kg / m² load . The usable platform width is 17.2 meters and the depth of the stage from the front edge to the portal sliding gate are 19 meters.

Volksoper from the belt

The stage surface is made of a rotatable and raisable core disk having a diameter of 7.20 m in the middle, and a rotatable annular disc having an outer diameter of 15 meters of the core slices. Furthermore, there are three hand-operated, stationary personal meditations.

Organizational Structure

Since 1999, the Vienna Volksoper belongs to 100 % to the Federal Theatre holding just like the Staatsoper GmbH Vienna and Burgtheater GmbH. Another subsidiary is the theater GmbH which belongs to 51.1 % to the Federal Theatre Holding. The remaining 48.9% hold the three stage companies in equal parts (each 16.3%). Together with the Vienna State Opera, the Volksoper is subordinaded the independent consortium Ballet of the Vienna State Opera and Volksoper. Directors

Adam Müller- Guttenbrunn (1898-1903)

Rainer Simons (1903-1917)

Raoul Mader (1917-1919)

Felix Weingartner (1919-1924)

August Markowsky/Fritz Stiedry (1924 )

Hugo Gruder-Guntram/Leo Blech (1925 )

Frischler Hermann (1925-1928)

Jacob Feldhammer/Otto Preminger (1929-1931)

Leo Kraus (1931-1933)

Karl Funny-Prean/Jean Ernest (1934-1935)

Alexander Kovalevsky (1935-1938)

Anton Baumann (1938-1941)

Jölli Oskar (1941-1944)

Juch Hermann (1946-1955)

Salmhofer Franz (1955-1963)

Albert Moser (1963-1973)

Karl Dönch (1973-1986)

Eberhard Waechter (1987-1992, 1991-1992 also the director of the Vienna State Opera)

Ioan Holender (1992-1996, also the director of the Vienna State Opera)

Klaus Bachler (1996-1999)

Dominique Mentha (1999-2003)

Rudolf Berger (2003-2007)

Robert Meyer (from 2007)

Premieres

The Kuhreigen, Musical Theatre by Wilhelm Kienzl, 23 November 1911

Love chains, opera in three acts by Eugen d'Albert, 12th November 1912

The Testament, musical comedy by William Kienzl, on 6 December 1916

The lucky hand, drama with music by Arnold Schoenberg, on 14 October 1924

This is the first love affair, operetta by Eysler, 23 December 1934

On the green meadow, operetta by Jara Benes, on 9 October 1936

Spring Parade, operetta by Robert Stolz, on 5 March 1964

Felix. Or of someone who set out to learn to shudder, and jazz opera by Klaudia Kadlec (libretto ) and Max Nagl (music) after the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm on 23 June 2002

Honorary members

Klaus Bachler

Franz Bauer-Theussl

Rudolf Bibl

Adolf Dallapozza

Otto Fritz

Hans Grötzer

Karlheinz Haberland

Johannes Heesters (since 1984)

Michael Heltau (since 2004)

Robert Herzl (since 1998)

Ioan Holender

Renate Holm

Mirjana Irosch

Wolfgang Schultze

Dagmar Koller

Erich Kuchar

Guggi Löwinger

Sigrid Martikke

Peter Minich

Sonja Mottl Dönch

Helga Papouschek

Herbert Prikopa (since 1986)

Harald Serafin

Wicus Slabbert (since 2005)

Christiane Sorell

Helmut Süß

Paul Walter Rudolf Wasserlof

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volksoper_Wien

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Uploaded on April 13, 2016
Taken on April 10, 2016