Vienna State Opera

Ok, now i see rhat The Magic Flute is at the Volksoper (?) Theater and not at the Staatsoper......on 2 Dec. Is the Volksoper (?) A good place to see and opera too? There is a ballet at the Staatsoper which would be great for me...for hubby, not so much.

The Volksopera is a major opera house in Vienna, although not quite as famous or grand as the State Opera. I'm sure that their production of Magic Flute will be most enjoyable. The State Opera has translations on the back of the seats, with the ability to select from several languages, including English; I think that the Volksopera has projected surtitles, and they may not be in English for all performances--maybe you can find that out on their website. There may be a summary of the story in a program, but you can easily fine one online and if you aren't familiar with the story, that would be very helpful. What ballet is being performed? That might help you decide between the two theaters.

It looks like a 3 part ballet, not necessarily any ONE particular ballet. On the State Opera website there is a video and it really looks good....here is the description from their website:

"THOSS | WHEELDON | ROBBINS
Stephan Thoss, Christopher Wheeldon, Jerome Robbins
„Interdisciplinary” would be a good way of describing the thematic framework of this performance. With „The Four Seasons“ Jerome Robbins created a ballet to music by Giuseppe Verdi which makes a direct reference to opera. „Fool’s Paradise“ by Christopher Wheeldon, by contrast, is based on music by Joby Talbot which was originally composed for a film. Finally, „Blaubarts Geheimnis“ is based on music by Philip Glass which was intended both as a film score and for concert performance."

Am I correct in assuming that the Vienna Philharmonic will be playing the score?

Since the The Magic Flute is considered a Singspiel (musical), it is right in the Volksoper's wheelhouse.
Looks like individual ticket for this will go on sale November 1 and the best seats are 89 EUR, so it is a very good bargain compared to big time opera houses, especially since the theater holds only about 1300.

Saw 'The Magic Flute' at the Volksoper in Autumn 1992. Would imagine it would be just as good in 2016.

The Vienna Philharmonic would most likely be playing for the ballet performances, and a varied program might be of more interest than one long ballet. But you can't go wrong with Magic Flute, either. If tickets for the Volksoper are less expensive, that might be the deciding point. Another thing to consider is what seats are available when they go on sale. In most opera houses, both in the US and in Europe, a lot of tickets are sold by subscription in advance, so what is left for general sale may not be the greatest seats. So see what kind of seats are available when they go on sale. But either way, go to one of them--the houses are wonderful and you'll have fun in any event. I recently bought tickets for La Scala (coincidentally also for Magic Flute) the first day general sales began, and while I didn't get the best seats, I'm sure it will be a great experience.

Since my daughter danced competitively for 10 years we may lean toward the ballet. Now to convince hubby that he would enjoy it (and I think he would as some of it looks to be other forms of dance as well). We really want to spend time at the State Opera House and having the philharmonic play is icing on the cake. Plus, it's only a few blocks from our hotel.

I think you will really enjoy seeing a ballet at the Opera House but I suspect the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera will be accompanying. The Vienna Philharmonic performs at the Musikverein.

I splurged on a ticket for the ballet and I really enjoyed the experience of sitting in one of the boxes when I visited last year. The opera website lets you choose your seats and you can also see how many seats are remaining.

So is there somewhere on the website that indicates what TIME the shows start or do most of them start at the same time each evening? I emailed the RS folks and our last group event is a walk of Vienna starting at 5pm.

"I know Rick recommends just buying standing room tickets"

Do realize that this is based on his not being an opera or ballet aficionado, and gearing his recommendation to those of his readers who also are not. Note that he says "for me, three hours is a lot of opera," and that's part of why he recommends standing room - so you can leave after you've had your fill, if you're not sure you'll like it. If you are a real fan, you'll want real seats.

This is true for many of Rick's recommendations - they're for the visitor with "average" interest. If you have higher than average interest, you'll need a different plan.

I am going to Vienna for the first time and am seeing Die Fledermaus at the Volksoper row 6 seat 12 for 89 Eur. So you can get very good seats, I called the Volksoper directly to buy my seat. Whatever you choose the ballet or the Magic Flute, it will be excellent. But do buy either tickets as soon as you can. If the box office starts selling on Nov 1, buy it that day if possible. I waited a while as I did not know I was going to buy tickets to see this. But once I started looking at all Vienna has to offer I bought three different performances as everything looked wonderful.

Going to the ballet will be wonderful. I did not see the ballet being performed when I am there in September. I am going on the GAS tour and staying four extra nights. As Mrs Eb said, buy directly from the box office and if you call them, they do speak english and can help you with the seats. On the theatre web site and find the seating plan. I did that with the Volksoper and was able to talk to the woman at the box office where to seat and what was already sold out.

Have a great time. Are you going on the RS 8 day Vienna, Munich tour?

Best,
Ann

We are on that 8 day tour, Ann! Can you tell what time the shows address at the Weiner Staatsoper? I don't see anywhere on the website that indicates what time the productions start. Our Royal Vienna walk starts at 5pm, which makes a 6:30 pm production difficult to attend. I believe that is the time The Magic Flute starts at the Volksoper, which is also farther away from the city center.

Otherwise I may have to book on Sunday, after our tour...I was trying to keep that evening free for carousing ;)

I looked again at the Spanish Riding School for that sunday at 11am and I was shocked at the amount of tickets that have already been sold. And they are fairly expensive. I have read that the side seats weren't as good?

They do not indicate times for any performances past October 31. I don't know why they can't commit to a time now. I'd check back monthly. Ballets in September and October are all between 7 and 8 PM.

Thanks, Sam. I don't have any reason to expect the start times would be any different for December!

Tthe Magic Flute the performance begins at 18:30 --- 21:30 PM --- which means it is from 6:30PM to 9:30PM --- 3 hours which is the same length of time my performance is, but mine starts at 7PM. They are wonderful but they do run long. There will be 2 or 3 short intermissions.

I think the 8 day tour will be wonderful. Please let me know what you decide to buy. But it does appear you can buy the tickets now for the Magic Flute. So if you really know you want to see this, then do buy it soon. As the best seats go first. Don't wait like I did. But I did not know I was going .

I did buy the very best ticket for the Spanish Riding school and they are too expensive but I am going alone and have no one to ask and since I am spending the time alone in Vienna, I wanted to do something special with my time.

Have a great trip.

Wiener Philharmoniker are a subset of the Vienna State Opera orchestra. Playing in the opera orchestra is a steady job with state funding; every now an then a group of players play on their own under the name Wiener Philharmoniker, at times when there is no opera performance; but having played in the opera orchestra for at least three years is a prerequisite for playing in the Philharmoniker. As playing in the Philharmoniker is a sort of extra job on top of the opera job, the number of concert they play as Philharmoniker is reduced; occasional tickets are difficult to find, a subscription to the whole symphony season has a waiting list in the order of several years.

There is a tremendous amount of confusion going on here. The Volksoper is not the Staatsoper. The Volksoper is a venue quite far from the center and should not be confused the the vastly more famous Staatsoper. I am 100% certain that the philharmonic will not be playing at the Volksoper.

I'll jump in here as a member of the NYC contingent and also agree with Harold completely . I would also add that Lachera's definition of The Wiener Philharmoniker is spot on , The Opera is the bread and butter work and admission to the Philharmonic is only extended after a three year probationary period . As far as what one indulges in at a performance , there are several things to be mindful of - Vienna is , evidently , one of the world class venues for " classical " music . " Classical " is usually used in a broad sense , not in the sense that " classical " refers to works of the period of Haydn and Mozart , that of the period of The Enlightenment . As music moves into later Beethoven , the style moves from classical to Romantic . My point here is that when choosing a performance , the choice should rest with the level of knowledge of the concertgoer . A novice listener who purchases a ticket to a concert of music by composers of " The Second Vienna School " might be confused and disappointed at a performance . When making a choice , knowledge of the program is essential . I am , as example , a Mahler fan , but Mahler is not everyone's cup of tea ( or coffee , since we are in Vienna ! ) . Insofar as the quality of performance is concerned , Vienna , like New York , has a large and highly skilled coterie of free lance musicians who staff the different venues , there is no room for substandard playing . Many of these free lancers comprise the Ballet and Volksoper as well as filling seats in The Staatsoper and Philharmoniker as required by large orchestrations ( Wagner and Richard Strauss operas , for example . So , the quality of performance at " Die Fledermaus " will be at the same high level as a performance of " Der Rosenkavalier " . It's really a question of what the auditor's tastes and desires are .

There is a tremendous amount of confusion going on here. The Volksoper is not the Staatsoper. The Volksoper is a venue quite far from the center and should not be confused the the vastly more famous Staatsoper. I am 100% certain that the philharmonic will not be playing at the Volksoper.

i understand they are two different theaters, Emily. I also noticed that the Philharmonic is playing at the Wiener Musikverein. So many great choices of wonderful music and opera in Vienna....how does one choose? I will sit tight and wait for times to be posted for our available evenings......and even if we are unable to attend any of them, we'll just have to return ;)

Yes, you are spoiled for choice in Vienna with excellent music options. Worth noting, I think that the vast majority of Viennese, however, never set foot in these venues as it is something quite geared towards the upper class and/or tourists.