Festspielhaus St. Pölten
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The Festspielhaus St. Pölten is a Festival Theatre in St. Pölten, the capital of Lower Austria. It is located next to the Landesmuseum (museum of the country of Lower Austria), the Ausstellungshalle (exhibition hall), the Landesbibliothek (public library of the country of Lower Austria), the Landesarchiv (archive of the country of Lower Austria) and the Klangturm in the cultural district of St. Pölten.
The Festspielhaus was opened on March 1, 1997. Already one year later the house was regularly used for music theatre and dance. Artistic director of the Festspielhaus St. Pölten is Prof. Michael Birkmeyer, a former principal dancer of the Vienna State Opera. From 2009/2010 season on Joachim Schloemer will follow him in this position. The Festspielhaus St. Pölten is also residency of the Tonkünstlerorchester Niederöstereich, the orchestra of Lower Austria, which plays about 15 concerts, operas – contemporary and classic ones – and other performances in the Festspielhaus each year. Conducotrs like Richard Hickox, Kristjan Järvi, Mikhail Jurowski, Andrew Litton or Eiji Oue are leading the orchestra.
The Festspielhaus St. Pölten presents about 70 productions each season. Over 50,000 guests attend the Festspielhaus St. Pölten every year. About 3,000 people are owners of season tickets for the Festspielhaus St. Pölten.
The Festspielhaus aims to offer children and young people experience-orientated access to cultural programmes. It offers workshops, school performances, opera workshops and youth projects.
[edit] Architecture
The Festspielhaus St. Pölten was designed by Austrian architect Klaus Kada. It contains four halls, suitable for all different cultural events due to their diverse sizes. At the Festspielhaus St. Pölten one can attend orchestral concerts, dance, music theatre and chamber concerts, and occasionally also traditional world music and poetical circus. Traditionally, once a year the Festspielhaus invites the famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, but also other renowned international orchestras.
The Große Saal of the Festspielhaus has 1034 seats and a stage, which allows for music- and dance performances like the Bangarra Dance Theatre, Till Brönner, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Nacho Duato, Israel Galván, the Nigel Kennedy Quartet, The King's Singers, Mariza or The Puppini Sisters. For orchestral concerts there has been built a special acoustic shell. By means of subtle mechanical changes the Große Saal offers perfect conditions for dance and its outstanding acoustics provide the best preconditions for concerts and music theatre. The possible adjustments relate to the ceiling, the walls and the proscenium arch. The concert shell is an essential component of the acoustics.
The iron curtain of the Große Saal was designed by the artist Eva Schlegel. it separates the audience from the stage, is 20 m wide and 10.5 m high. It shows the biggest picture of the country and weighs 14.5 tons.
Besides the big hall there is the Haydn-Saal, a hall named after the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, holding 230 seats. Therefore the Haydn-Saal is an ideal venue for chamber concerts like the Aviv String Quartet, the Nash Ensemble or Red Priest. The Haydn-Saal can be adapted for a large variety of uses. A "stage direction gallery" at the east end of the hall holds the technical equipment. A special feature of this hall is its acoustic adaptability by means of acoustic slats at the south end. The seating is variable and can be extended up to 220 seats; its layout can be adapted to the respective event. If required, the acoustics and the lighting can be adjusted using mobile equipment.
For smaller performances and as a rehearsal stage, there are two other halls available: The Schönberg-Saal is primarily to be used as a rehearsal stage, but also serves as a concert or lecture hall. It is decorated throughout with black wood panelling. The glazed south façade can be completely darkened by means of wooden slats. The seating is flexible and can be adapted to various types of events (up to 100 seats).
The Sternensaal is directly above the Schönberg-Saal and has the same dimensions. It is primarily conceived as a ballet hall, but can also be used as a concert or lecture hall. The ceiling, partly constructed of glass, offers a spectacular view of the sky – hence the name "Sternensaal". The technical facilities are identical to those of the Schönberg-Saal.
