Editing Vienna State Opera (section)

==History==
[[File:Vienna State Opera House under construction-1865.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Vienna State Opera House under construction, 1865]]

===History of the building===
====Construction====
The opera house was the first major building on the Vienna [[Ringstrasse]] commissioned by the Viennese "city expansion fund". Work commenced on the house in 1861 and was completed in 1869, following plans drawn up by architects [[August Sicard von Sicardsburg]] and [[Eduard van der Nüll]]. It was built in the [[Neo-Renaissance]] style by the Czech architect and contractor [[Josef Hlávka]].

[[File:Hofoper 1869-05-25 Don-Juan.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Play bill for the opening performance of the new ''Opernhaus'', announcing the opening performance of ''[[Don Giovanni]]'' on 25 May 1869]]
[[File:Wiener Hofoper 1869.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Coeval watercolour painting of the opening performance ([[Kunsthistorisches Museum]])]]

The Ministry of the Interior had commissioned a number of reports into the availability of certain building materials, with the result that stones long not seen in Vienna were used, such as [[Wöllersdorf-Steinabrückl|Wöllersdorfer]] Stein, for plinths and free-standing, simply-divided buttresses<!--not sure of this word - dictionary gives "staves" (archaic)-->, the famously hard stone from [[Kaisersteinbruch]], whose colour was more appropriate than that of [[Kelheim]]erstein, for more lushly decorated parts. The somewhat coarser-grained Kelheimerstein (also known as [[Solnhof]] Plattenstein) was intended as the main stone to be used in the building of the opera house, but the necessary quantity was not deliverable. [[Breitenbrunn, Austria|Breitenbrunner]] stone was suggested as a substitute for the Kelheimer stone, and stone from [[Jois]] was used as a cheaper alternative to the Kaiserstein. The staircases were constructed from polished Kaiserstein, while most of the rest of the interior was decorated with varieties of [[marble]].

[[File:Staatsoper (ca.1898).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The ''Hofoper'', {{Circa|1898}}]]

The decision was made to use [[dimension stone]] for the exterior of the building. Due to the monumental demand for stone, stone from [[Sóskút]], widely used in [[Budapest]], was also used. Three Viennese masonry companies were employed to supply enough masonry labour: Eduard Hauser (still in existence today), Anton Wasserburger and Moritz Pranter. The foundation stone was laid on 20 May 1863.

====Public response====
The building, however, was not particularly well-received by the public. For one, it lacked the grandeur of the Heinrichshof, a private residence destroyed during World War II and later replaced in 1955 by the Opernringhof. Additionally, the opera house’s construction was overshadowed by an unexpected issue: the level of the Ringstraße in front of the building was raised by a metre after construction had already commenced, 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". Eduard van der Nüll committed suicide, and barely ten weeks later Sicardsburg died from tuberculosis so neither architect saw the completion of the building. The opening premiere was ''[[Don Giovanni]]'', by [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], on 25 May 1869. [[Franz Joseph I of Austria|Emperor Franz Josef]] and [[Elisabeth of Bavaria|Empress Elisabeth]] (Sissi) were present.

====WW II bombing and redesign====
[[File:Wien Goetterdaemmerung 1944-06-30.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Play bill of the last performance in the old building: ''[[Götterdämmerung]]'', 30 June 1944]]

Towards the end of World War II, on 12 March 1945, the opera was set alight by an American bombardment.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} 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. The front section, which had been walled off as a precaution, however, remained intact including the [[foyer]], with [[fresco]]es by [[Moritz von Schwind]], the main stairways, the vestibule and the tea room.  The State Opera was temporarily housed at the [[Theater an der Wien]] and at the [[Vienna Volksoper]].

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. 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).

The Austrian [[Chancellor of Austria|Federal Chancellor]] [[Leopold Figl]] made the decision in 1946 to have a functioning opera house again by 1949. An architectural competition was announced, which was won by Erich Boltenstern. 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. In order to achieve good acoustics, wood was the favoured building material, on the advice of, among others, [[Arturo Toscanini]]. 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. The façade, entrance hall and the "Schwind" foyer were restored and remain in their original style.

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 1 May 1945, after the liberation and re-independence of Austria from the Nazis, the first performances were given. In 1947, the company went on tour to London.

Due to the appalling conditions at Theater an der Wien, the opera company leadership tried to raise significant quantities of money to speed up reconstruction of the original opera house. Many private donations were made, as well as donations of building material from the Soviets, who were very interested in the rebuilding of the opera. The mayor of Vienna had receptacles placed in many sites around Vienna for people to donate coins only. In this way, everyone in Vienna could say they had participated in the reconstruction and feel pride in considering themselves part owners.

However, in 1949, there was only a temporary roof on the Staatsoper, as construction work continued. It was not until 5 November 1955, after the [[Austrian State Treaty]], that the Staatsoper could be reopened with a performance of [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s ''[[Fidelio]]'', conducted by [[Karl Böhm]].<ref>Tim Smith, [https://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/shows/viennaopera50/index.html "Vienna State Opera 50th Anniversary Reopening Gala: An Illustrious History"], p. 4, [[PBS]]. Retrieved 12 April 2013</ref> The American Secretary of State, [[John Foster Dulles]], was present. The state broadcaster [[Österreichischer Rundfunk|ORF]] used the occasion to make its first live broadcast, at a time when there were only c. 800 televiewers in the whole of Austria. The new auditorium had a reduced capacity of about 2,276, including 567 standing room places.<ref name="plan">{{cite web|title=Seating plan and admission prices|url=http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Content.Node/pageparts/stop_sitzplan.html|publisher=Vienna State Opera|language=de|access-date=17 July 2013}}</ref> The ensemble, which had remained unified until the opening, crumbled in the following years, and slowly an international ensemble formed.

===History of the Company After the Second World War ===
In 1945, the Wiener Mozart-Ensemble was formed, which put on guest performances and became known particularly for its singing and playing culture<!--I think what is intended by the German text is the "workplace culture"-->. The Austrian conductor [[Josef Krips]] was the founder and mentor, who had only survived the Nazi era (given his Jewish heritage) thanks to luck and help from colleagues. At the end of the war, Krips started the renovation of the Staatoper, and was able to implement his aesthetic principles, including the departure from the Romantic Mozart ideal with a voluminous orchestral sound. Instead, qualities more associated with chamber music were featured, as well as a clearer, lighter sound, which would later come to be known as "typically Viennese". Singers who worked with Krips during this time were [[Erich Kunz]], [[Elisabeth Schwarzkopf]] and [[Wilma Lipp]], among others.

As early as 1947, the Mozart-Ensemble was playing guest performances at the [[Royal Opera House]] in London, with Mozart's ''Don Giovanni''. [[Richard Tauber]], who had fled from the Nazis, sang ''Don Ottavio''; three months later he died, and was remembered for singing with "half a lung" in order to fulfil his dream, many other artists became associated with the Mozart-Ensemble, for example [[Karl Böhm]], but their role was still greatly peripheral, in a straightforward or assisting role.<!--not sure of this translation: "indem sie die Arbeit anderer lediglich fortführten"--> This was the beginning of Krips' worldwide career, which would take him to the most prominent houses in the world. Until his death in 1974, Krips was regarded as one of the most important ''Maestri'' (conductors/music directors) of the Staatsoper.

On 1 July 1998, a historical broadcast took place, as Austria undertook its first presidency of the [[European Union]]. ''Fidelio'' was broadcast live from the Vienna State Opera to the 15 capital cities of the EU.

<gallery mode="packed">
File:StateOperaViennaNightBackside.jpg|Rear of the opera house, showing the stage wings
File:Vienna state opera stairs.jpg|A marble staircase between the main entrance and the first floor
File:Vienna State Opera - Inside.jpg|One of the lobbies
File:Wien - Staatsoper, Teesalon.JPG|Emperor's private room
File:Wien - Staatsoper, Zuschauerraum.JPG|The auditorium
File:Wien - Staatsoper, Zuschauerraum mit Bühne.JPG|View from the auditorium to the stage
File:Viyana Devlet Operası Binasının Dışı.jpg|Exterior of the building
File:Vienna - Vienna Opera Backstage - 9706.jpg|Backstage area
</gallery>