![]() The Theater an der Wien even hosted the first-ever performance of Beethoven’s only opera. He lived and worked here for a while several of his compositions – including three symphonies – premiered here, too. The connection to Beethoven is even stronger. (Schikaneder’s famous role immortalised in stone) Nip around the side of the building to see the old Papagenotor entrance, which immortalises a key scene in the opera: Not only does the Theater an der Wien put on works by the world’s great composers, but the institution has a strong historical connection to several of these musical geniuses.Įmanuel Schikaneder, who you’ll remember built the place, actually wrote the libretto to Mozart’s The Magic Flute and played the role of Papageno himself. ![]() In its modern guise, the house has built an excellent reputation and become a significant player on the global opera scene.įor example, the Theatre an der Wien won a 2016 International Opera Award for a new production of Peter Grimes and received nominations in the awards’ 2019 Opera Company and 2020/2021 Education & Outreach categories. Afterwards, the Theater an der Wien slowly morphed into a successful venue for musicals before reopening as a dedicated opera house in 2006. The Staatsoper even moved in here for a while while its own house was rebuilt post WWII. Perhaps appropriately, then, productions are held in other locations at the moment while the main building undergoes major renovations. A brief historyĪ fellow named Emanuel Schikaneder built the original theatre in 1801 (more on him later).Ī chequered history then followed, with an ever-changing repertoire of musical and theatrical styles and genres, occasional periods of disuse, periods of great popularity (like today), and various rebuilds, refits and refurbishments. Now, the Staatsoper may hold the number 1 spot when it comes to opera houses in Vienna, but the Theater an der Wien certainly beats its illustrious colleague on one measure: age. So the water’s still there, but below the Naschmarkt open-air market opposite. The building certainly used to be close to the river, but engineers sent the Wien underground over 100 years ago. Theater an der Wien means “Theatre on the River Wien”, which might surprise you if you saw the place: there’s no water in sight.
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