Ladies and Gentlemen,
On 13 June 1801, the newly built Theater an der Wien opened its doors. We want to celebrate the 225-year existence of this historic venue and its importance for the development of musical theatre with a programme which – despite the cuts in our budget – features a wide variety of era-defining masterpieces, new works and rediscoveries. Together, they demonstrate not just the historic continuity and diversity of this unique art form, but also the optimistic view people have of its beauty, necessity and power to survive.
What our team aims to achieve with their dedication and diligence is always the magical moment when you, our audience, become part of this collective artistic event: musical theatre unites that which is in danger of drifting apart. In the 26/27 season we focus particularly on works that deal with the tyranny of power and what it means for society and individuals. The pioneers of opera already knew a thing or two about that and it rarely sounded more beautiful than in Francesco Cavalli’s La Calisto from 1651. Two centuries later, Richard Wagner could not have anticipated the demands of his “Gesamtkunstwerk” more impressively than in his romantic opera Der fliegende Holländer.
Because we can no longer use the Kammeroper, we have fewer staged productions at the MusikTheater an der Wien. This also unfortunately means the cancellation of our CAMPUS project for promoting young performers. To compensate, we’re focusing more on our young opera audience by presenting not only our major family opera The Little Prince but also two new staged works in the “Hölle” for children aged four and above.
The second half of the season sees the 200th anniversary of the death of a true giant who, as resident composer at the Theater an der Wien, began revolutionising the history of music. To mark this milestone, come and see Ludwig van Beethoven’s only opera in a production based on the two original versions first given here of one of the most momentous works in our theatre’s history: Leonore.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s fairy-tale-like satire The Golden Cockerel from 1909, with which the Russian director Maxim Didenko makes his first appearance in Vienna, seems like an ironic counterpoint to Beethoven’s “rescue opera”. Another director making her debut this season is Nadja Loschky. She will direct the masterpiece that started George Frideric Handel’s successful run in London in 1711: Rinaldo, an unbelievably beautifully told tale of perpetrators and victims in a war no one can win.
Those who favour a purely musical presentation of fascinating stories will enjoy our diverse programme of concert performances, which has been expanded for this season, as well as the numerous outstanding singers, conductors and ensembles, some of whom are regular guests on Linke Wienzeile, while others will appear here for the first time. The themes covered by the chosen works will be complemented and supported by intimate concerts, introductions and special events – both in the theatre’s “Himmel” (heaven) and down in its “Hölle” (hell).
At a time when political and economic power games are becoming increasingly impenetrable, our productions take on a new, pressing topicality. And that makes us look forward all the more to an artistic interaction with you and to joining you as we continue the cultural legacy of a unique municipal theatre in a unique city of culture.
On behalf of the entire team at the MusikTheater an der Wien and all our partners I extend a very warm welcome to our 26/27 season!
Stefan Herheim
Artistic Director
MusikTheater an der Wien