Vienna State Opera

The Vienna State Opera is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road.

The Vienna State Opera presents a varied program of operas and ballet performances. In the opera house with the largest repertoire in the world, the most well-known names in opera produce magical moments.

The Vienna State Opera is one of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, with world-class productions and a daily program that includes about 50 operas and ballet works performed by the Vienna State Ballet. The operatic program’s diversity is unrivaled anywhere in the world.

The opera was opened in 1869 and it was originally not very popular with Viennese people, due to large construction works in the area and they even referred to the building as a “sunken treasure chest”. However, with tenure of Gustav Mahler from 1897, opera repertoire started attracting steady audience.

By the end of WWII, the opera building was partly destroyed during the bombing and it was restored only in 1955, when modern era of Vienna State Opera begins.

Herbert von Karajan started his tenure in 1957 and introduced few new practices: operas were performed exclusively in their original languages and he started collaborating with other opera houses, such as La Scala in Milan. This enabled both orchestras and ensembles to be shared between the opera houses and further enrich the performances.

Today, Vienna State Opera is an established institution with 100 milion Euro yearly budget and performances that are considered as one of the best in the world, both by general public and critics alike. The opera is also known for its efforts to make their performance available to the masses with affordable tickets and public broadcasts.

With its central position, Vienna State Opera is very popular attraction and great photo shoot opportunity for Vienna visitors.