How long has the Vienna Volksoper existed? What was its original name and what was the reason for its establishment? What does it specialize in today? What is the difference to the State Opera?
The Volksoper Wien builds bridges between tradition and renewal, between past and future, between nostalgia and utopia. It is a house in which artists tell stories in operetta, opera, musicals and ballet and in which a wide variety of audiences are seduced, invited to reflect and where they can laugh without restraint. It is a “folk opera” in the truest sense of the word. Since September 2022, director Lotte de Beer has been the director of the Volksoper and Omer Meier Wellber its music director.
Founded as the Kaiser Jubiläums-Theater
The Vienna Volksoper was founded in 1898 as the Emperor’s Jubilee Theater to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph’s accession to the throne . However, the monarch did not attend the opening on December 14, 1898, as his beloved Sisi had been murdered in Geneva just three months earlier and he was still in mourning.
The construction was made possible by the founding of the Kaiserjubiläum-Stadttheater-Verein . The building was erected in just 10 months by the two architects Alexander Graf and Franz Freiherr von Krauß and cost more money than estimated. Initially, it was only dedicated to German spoken theater.
At the end of the 19th century, Viennese operetta became increasingly popular and the Volksoper provided the ideal setting for it. Johann Strauss Sohn and Franz von Suppé were typical representatives of operetta, which experienced its “Golden” and “Silver Era” in Vienna at the very time the Volksoper opened.
Known as the Volksoper since 1904
In 1903, operas and musical comedies were added to the repertoire and in 1904 the name Volksoper. 1907 Tosca was first performed and was followed in 1910 by Salome. Names of singers such as Leo Slezak or Richard Tauber are associated with the Vienna Volksoper. Alexander Zemlinksy was first conductor in 1906.
Many successful years followed until the world economic crisis of 1929 also made itself felt at the Volksoper. It was closed for a short time and reopened as the Neues Wiener Schauspielhaus. In 1938 , the City of Vienna took over the house and renovations were carried out, including a “Führerloge” . This involved an all-round conversion with better acoustics. Stucco work in the auditorium was removed, as was the main curtain. Today, only the entrance and the intermission foyer are halfway to their original state.
Towards the end of the Second World War in 1944 , there was a ban on performances at the Volksoper for some time. When several Viennese cinemas were destroyed, it was converted for a few months into a large movie theater with room for 1,550 people.
In the shadow of the Vienna State Opera, the Volksoper developed into a smaller but highly respected opera house. After the Second World War, where it was spared destruction, it served as an alternative home for the State Opera until 1955.
Well-known directors were Eberhard Waechter (1987-92), Ian Holender (1992-96) and Klaus Bachler (1996-99). The current director since 2007 is Robert Meyer, a castle actor who wants to revitalize operetta as it was in the old days.
Today, the Volksoper Wien is the house for operetta, opera, musicals and ballet. It is the
The theater on Währinger Gürtel has a capacity of around 1,337 people and, like the State Opera, belongs to Bundestheater Holding.
Time Travel Tip: The Volksoper is an inexpensive alternative to the State Opera, there is also standing room and the box seats are very inexpensive, even if the view in the 2nd row is sometimes obstructed.
