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© Wiener Staatsoper
The Dead City
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April 2027  | ||||||
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The Dead City – Erich Wolfgang Korngold | Opera
Opera in three acts
Text: Paul Schott (pseudonym of Julius and Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
after Georges Rodenbach
Language: German
Part 1 – approx. 90 minutes
Interval – 25 minutes
Part 2 – approx. 30 minutes
Full Synopsis
For years, Paul has lived in Bruges only for the memory of his dead wife, Marie. In a room of his house, which has become for him a “temple of the past,” he keeps all the objects that remind him of her, including a braid of her hair.
When his friend Frank visits him, Paul tells him about meeting a stranger who looks exactly like Marie. It is Marietta, a dancer performing in Bruges, who has accepted Paul’s invitation to visit him. She accepts his bouquet of roses and sings the old song “Glück, das mir verblieb,” accompanying herself on Marie’s lute. Increasingly, for Paul, the images of the dead Marie merge with those of Marietta. When he tries to embrace her, she slips away and leaves for rehearsal, but not without encouraging him to meet her again at the theatre.
Paul sinks into a deep dream in which Marie emerges from her portrait and reminds him of his fidelity. Suddenly, he finds himself on the quay in front of Marietta’s house. Frank appears, holding the key to her room. Paul strikes him down and takes the key. Marietta returns from the theatre with her troupe and improvises in the street, in honour of Count Albert, the resurrection scene from Meyerbeer’s opera Robert le diable, in which she plays Hélène, risen from the dead. Paul interrupts and accuses her of blasphemy. Marietta confronts her dead rival. After spending the night together, Paul is overcome with guilt. As a procession passes his house, Marietta mocks his piety. Finally, she seizes Marie’s braid of hair. Paul tries to take it back, throws Marietta to the ground, and strangles her.
Paul awakens from his dream. Marietta appears to retrieve the forgotten bouquet of roses. Frank also returns, and Paul decides to leave Bruges, the “city of the dead,” with him.
Program and cast
Paul: Klaus Florian Vogt
Marietta, dancer: Vida Miknevičiūtė
Frank, Paul’s friend: Andrè Schuen
Fritz, the Pierrot: Andrè Schuen
Conductor: Sebastian Weigle
Director: Willy Decker
Set and costume design: Wolfgang Gussmann
Vienna State Opera
Public Transport
Subway lines: U1, U2, U4
Trams: 1, 2, D, J, 62, 65
Buses: 59A
Local Railway: Badner Bahn
Stops: Karlsplatz / Opera
Taxi stands are available nearby.
Parking
Parking is only € 6, - for eight hours!
The Wiener Staatsoper and the ÖPARK Kärntner Ring Garage on Mahlerstraße 8, under the “Ringstraßengalerien”, offer the patrons of the Vienna State Opera a new, reduced parking fee. You can park in the Kärntner Ring Garage for up to 8 hours and pay only a flat fee of € 6, -. Just validate your ticket at one of the discount machines inside the Wiener Staatsoper. The normal rate will be charged for parking time greater than 8 hours. The validation machines can be found at the following coat checks: Operngasse, Herbert von Karajan-Platz, and the right and left and balcony galleries.
Important: In order to get the discount, please draw a ticket and do not use your credit card when entering the garage!
After devaluing your ticket in the Wiener Staatsoper you can pay comfortably by credit card or cash at the vending machines.
The machines accept coins and bills up to 50.- Euro. Parking time longer than 8 hours will be charged at the normal rate.
History
The structure of the opera house was planned by the Viennese architect August Sicard von Sicardsburg, while the inside was designed by interior decorator Eduard van der Nüll. It was also impacted by other major artists such as Moritz von Schwind, who painted the frescoes in the foyer, and the famous "Zauberflöten" (“Magic Flute”) series of frescoes on the veranda. Neither of the architects survived to see the opening of ‘their’ opera house: the sensitive van der Nüll committed suicide, and his friend Sicardsburg died of a stroke soon afterwards.
On May 25, 1869, the opera house solemnly opened with Mozart's Don Giovanni in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth.
The popularity of the building grew under the artistic influence of the first directors: Franz von Dingelstedt, Johann Herbeck, Franz Jauner, and Wilhelm Jahn. The Vienna opera experienced its first high point under the direction of Gustav Mahler. He completely transformed the outdated performance system, increased the precision and timing of the performances, and also utilized the experience of other noteworthy artists, such as Alfred Roller, for the formation of new stage aesthetics.
The years 1938 to 1945 were a dark chapter in the history of the opera house. Under the Nazis, many members of the house were driven out, pursued, and killed, and many works were not allowed to be played.
On March 12, 1945, the opera house was devastated during a bombing, but on May 1, 1945, the “State Opera in the Volksoper” opened with a performance of Mozart's THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO. On October 6, 1945, the hastily restored “Theaters an der Wien” reopened with Beethoven's FIDELIO. For the next ten years the Vienna State Opera operated in two venues while the true headquarters was being rebuilt at a great expense.
The Secretary of State for Public Works, Julius Raab, announced on May 24, 1945, that reconstruction of the Vienna State Opera would begin immediately. Only the main facade, the grand staircase, and the Schwind Foyer had been spared from the bombs. On November 5, 1955, the Vienna State Opera reopened with a new auditorium and modernized technology. Under the direction of Karl Böhm, Beethoven’s FIDELIO was brilliantly performed, and the opening ceremonies were broadcast by Austrian television. The whole world understood that life was beginning again for this country that had just regained its independence.
Today, the Vienna State Opera is considered one of the most important opera houses in the world; in particular, it is the house with the largest repertoire. It has been under the direction of Dominique Meyer since September 1, 2010.
© Wiener Staatsoper
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