THE THEATER AN DER WIEN
The Theater an der Wien is one of Vienna’s most beautiful and historically significant theatres. Built in 1801 in the spirit of Mozart by his librettist Emanuel Schikaneder, it has seen many historic world premieres, including Beethoven’s only opera Fidelio. To coincide with the celebrations marking Mozart’s 250th birthday, the Theater an der Wien was reopened in 2006 as “the new opera house” of the City of Vienna. As part of Vereinigte Bühnen Wien, a company of the Wien Holding group, the stagione opera house has been setting new artistic standards ever since as it delves deep into over 400 years of musical life in Europe, from the early Baroque to the present day. In the 2022/23 season, the internationally acclaimed opera director Stefan Herheim takes on overall responsibility for opera productions at the MusikTheater an der Wien.
MusikTheater an der Wien - Team
the THEATER AN DER WIEN
For over two hundred years, the Theater an der Wien has embodied the revitalisation of musical theatre.
The list of major operas, singspiele, operettas and musicals that received their premiere here is long. Emanuel Schikaneder, the impresario who founded the theatre, had it built in 1801 to reflect the spirit of Mozart.
Since then, contemporary and entertaining stagione musical theatre rooted between tradition and innovation has been presented with a mission that is embraced by visionary artists and specialist ensembles. The members of the leading artistic team see themselves as ambassadors and pioneers of universal musical drama as they put together eclectic programmes containing works both early and modern along with seldom, or never-before, performed rarities from many different eras and genres which are staged as intriguing and exciting new productions and virtuoso concert performances.
Since March 2022, extensive refurbishment of the historic venue has been under way in order to preserve the unique history and aura of the Theater an der Wien. While this refurbishment is going on, the theatre will stage its productions in Halle E of Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier for two seasons, starting in autumn 2022. The opera house is scheduled to reopen in renewed splendour in the autumn of 2024.
KAMMEROPER
The second venue in the heart of Vienna
The Wiener Kammeroper on Fleischmarkt was established in 1953 and is an integral part of cultural life in Vienna. Following the withdrawal of grants from central government in 2011, a new strategy for staging productions at the Kammeroper was adopted by the opera’s executive body with the agreement of the municipality of Vienna: responsibility was passed to the Theater an der Wien, adding the wide-ranging repertoire of intimate chamber opera performed by ensembles of young singers to the historic theatre’s programme.
As part of the Kammeroper’s restructuring from the 2022/23 season under new director Stefan Herheim, the MusikTheater an der Wien is intensifying its efforts to promote young talents with the introduction of the CAMPUS initiative. Under this new scheme, the spotlight is still very much on highly talented young artists who, however, are no longer tied to a particular ensemble. Instead, students from various European universities and conservatories will appear regularly on stage in suitable roles alongside established singers. In this way, the young artists will benefit from the older performers’ experience and can take part in master classes. In addition, there is a new format for night owls: LATE NIGHT offers a programme ranging from musical cabaret to jazz, from improvisation to chansons, from the baroque to the ballroom – in fact, anything is possible!
MUSEUMSQUARTIER | HALLE E
The new venue during refurbishment of the THEATER AN DER WIEN
Built in 1853/1854 as the winter riding arena in the former imperial stables, Halle E began to emerge as one of Vienna’s foremost cultural venues back in 1985. Apart from hosting performances during festivals such as Wiener Festwochen and ImPulsTanz, Halle E, with its successful blend of Baroque and modern architecture in the heart of the MuseumsQuartier in central Vienna, is also the ideal location for functions, congresses and presentations.
The extensive renovation and modernisation is set to run for over two years, during which the MusikTheater an der Wien will stage its productions in Halle E for two seasons, beginning in autumn 2022.
TEAM
Here you will find full details of the individual departments as well as the employees’ contact details.
HISTORY
The Theater an der Wien, built in 1801 by Emanuel Schikaneder in the spirit of Mozart, is one of Vienna’s most historically significant theatres. As one of the city’s oldest theatres it has staged numerous world premieres of major stage works and has seen legendary performances by celebrated artists. Ludwig van Beethoven, for instance, was kapellmeister here for two years and his Fidelio received its world premiere here in 1805. The classic Viennese popular theatre of Johann Nestroy and Ferdinand Raimund was honed to perfection at the Theater an der Wien, while the masterpieces of the golden and silver eras of operetta, especially the famous Fledermaus by Johann Strauss and Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow, were first heard here before going on to delight audiences around the world. Immediately after World War II, the theatre became an opera house again for ten years. The Vienna State Opera moved its productions here, its own building having been badly damaged in the bombing.
In 1965, under director Rolf Kutschera, the era of musicals began at the Theater an der Wien, with the majority of the productions being German-language versions of Broadway shows. Significant milestones in this era were the premiere of the German version of Cats in 1983 and the world premiere of the musical Elisabeth in 1992. Many other successful first performances of musicals and German-language premieres followed until 2005. In 1987 the Theater an der Wien was incorporated into Vereinigte Bühnen Wien GmbH, the company which also includes the Raimund Theater and the Ronacher.
In 2006, following this long musical era, the Theater an der Wien was turned into the opera house of the City of Vienna. Since then, productions have been staged in the innovative stagione system. From 2006 to 2022 the theatre was managed by artistic director Roland Geyer who established the Theater an der Wien in the big league of Europe’s most successful opera houses. From the 22/23 season Stefan Herheim takes over the post of artistic director at the MusikTheater an der Wien.
