The Theater an der Wien enchanted for over two centuries with its excellent acoustics and authentic and intimate atmosphere and is one of the most beautiful and traditional stages in Vienna.
Emanuel Schikaneder, a versatile genius, actor, organizational talent, theatrical impresario and above all librettist of the Magic Flute, had his theater built in 1801 in the spirit of Mozart on the Vienna River. Always open to the new, this exceptional theater has had a series of world premieres, including Beethoven's only opera "Fidelio".
Theater an der Wien History
The theater was inaugurated in 1801 and was one of those managed by the Viennese impresario Emanuel Schikaneder, who is best known as Mozart's librettist in the opera The Magic Flute (1791). He had received an imperial authorization to build a new theater already in the 1786, but only in 1798 did he manage to build the new room. The building was designed by the architect Franz Jäger in empire style (it was later redesigned) and completed in 1801. It was described as "the richest in content and one of the largest theaters of its time."
In 1807 the theater was taken over by a group of nobles led by Count Ferdinand Palffy, who purchased the theater in 1813. During its management, which lasted until 1826, he staged operas, ballets and for the first time in Vienna, pantomime and variety, losing a lot of money in elaborate shows that forced him to sell the theater at auction in 1826.
The theater had a golden age during the flowering of the Viennese operetta. From 1945 to 1955, it was one of the temporary theaters of the Wiener Staatsoper, whose theater was destroyed by Allied bombing during the Second World War.
In 1955 it was closed for security reasons and remained so for many years, until the early 1960s, as it had to be transformed into a multi-storey car park (the same thing that happened in the United States with Carnegie Hall). On May 30, 1962 it was inaugurated with Die Zauberflöte directed by Herbert von Karajan with Wilma Lipp, Graziella Sciutti, Fritz Wunderlich, Erich Kunz and Eberhard Waechter.
Fortunately, in 1962, a new role was found for the room which became a venue for contemporary musical performances. Many English-language musicals had their premiere in German-speaking countries at the Theater an der Wien.
In 2006, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, the Theater an der Wien presented a series of works most representative of the great musician. This involved its full-time use for opera and other forms of classical music under the direction of Roland Geyer. The first work to be represented was Idomeneo with Neil Shicoff as the protagonist and Peter Schneider on the podium.