Theater an der Wien

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Theater an der Wien (Papageno gate in Millöckergasse)
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Theater an der Wien (Papageno gate in Millöckergasse)

The Theater an der Wien (The Theatre on the Wein River) is a historic theatre in Vienna, originally designed in the Empire style. It was created by the Vienese theatrical impresario Emanuel Schikaneder, who is best known as Mozart's librettist and collaborator on the opera Die Zauberflöte which premiered in 1791. The theatre opened on 13 June 1801 with a prologue written by Schikaneder, followed by a performance of the opera "Alexander" by Alexander Teyber.

Although "Wien" is part of the name of the theater, it actually refers to the name of the Wien River (Wienfluss), which once flowed by the theater site. Thus "an der Wien" refers to "on the banks of the Wien". Today the river is covered over in this location, and the spot houses the Naschmarkt, an open-air market

Schikaneder had been granted an imperial licence in 1786 to build a new theatre, but it was only in 1798 that he felt ready to act on this authorization. The building was designed by the architect Franz Jäger and construction was completed in 1801. It has been described as "the most lavishly equipped and one of the largest theatres of its age."[1].

Only a part of the original building is preserved: the "Papageno gate" is a memorial to Schikaneder, who is depicted playing the role of Papageno in The Magic Flute, a role he wrote for himself to perform. He is shown with his three children, playing the Three Boys in the same opera.

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[edit] Premieres at the theatre

As a prominent theatre in an artistically vital city, the Theater an der Wien has been the location for the premieres of many works of theatre and music that endure to this day, among them:

Theater an der Wien (entrance wing towards Naschmarkt)
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Theater an der Wien (entrance wing towards Naschmarkt)

[edit] Years of decline and post-War revival

The theatre experienced a golden age during the flourishing of Viennese operetta, and from 1945 to 1955, it was one of the temporary homes of the Vienna State Opera, whose own building had been destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II.

In 1955, the Theater an der Wien was closed for safety reasons. It languished unused for several years, and by the early 1960s, the threat had emerged that it would be converted to a parking garage (this was the same era of "urban renewal" that in America nearly destroyed Carnegie Hall).

Fortunately, in 1962 the theater found a new and successful role for itself as a venue for contemporary musical theater. Many English-language musicals have had their German premieres there. In 1992, the musical Elisabeth (about Franz Joseph's wife, Elisabeth of Bavaria aka Sissi), premiered there. The musical Cats played for seven years.

[edit] Revival as a full time opera house

In the Mozart bicentenial year, the Theater an der Wien presented a series of major Mozart operas and it has since become a full-time venue for opera and other forms of classical music under the direction of Roland Geyer. The first opera to be given was Mozart's Idomeneo.

Geyer is quoted as saying that he wishes to "present cutting edge directors and interesting productions" [2], and his three main areas of focus will be on Baroque opera, contemporary opera, and Mozart.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Emanuel Schikaneder" in Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians
  2. ^ Anne Midgette, "In Mozart's Backyard, A Fraught Rebirth of an Opera House", New York Times, 26 November 2006

[edit] External links

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