Theater at the Kärntnertor

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The Kärntnertor-Theater as the German stage in Vienna in the 18th century

The Theater am Kärntnertor , also Kärntnertortheater or in the old spelling Kärnthnerthor-Theater , was a theater in Vienna intended for opera, ballet and drama . Together with the Burgtheater on Michaelerplatz, it can be seen as the forerunner of the Vienna State Opera .

history

Carl Wenzel Zajicek : The Kärntnertortheater in Vienna , historicizing representation (around 1900)
Franz Xaver Stöber : Stage and seating plan of the orchestra in the Kärntnertortheater, supplement to the Viennese magazine for art, literature, theater and fashion (1821)
Location of the Kärntnertortheater in the city model of Vienna (right from the center of the picture)

After a second location on the Freyung had been discarded for one of the two planned court theaters, the theater was built in 1709 on behalf of the Viennese magistrate near the former Carinthian Gate (roughly on the site of today's Hotel Sacher ) based on a design by Antonio Beduzzi . An Italian drama school opened it, and in the following period many German and Italian-language performances were staged. Until 1752 it was operated under imperial privilege , which Maria Theresa repealed, whereby the theater fell back to the magistrate.

In 1761 the theater was destroyed by fire and rebuilt by the court architect Nikolaus Pacassi and inaugurated two years later as the “Imperial and Royal Court Theater of Vienna”. Up until the beginning of the 19th century, both operas and plays were performed, then only ballets and Italian and German-language operas. So also were Mozart's operas played here. First and first performances usually took place in the Old Burgtheater on Michaelerplatz, since this house also served as a performance venue for all branches. Sometimes the same works were shown on consecutive days, first in one theater and then in the other.

From 1811 to 1814 Ignaz Franz Castelli was court theater poet at the Kärntnertortheater. The civil servant and composer Ignaz Franz von Mosel , Moritz Graf Dietrichstein and Georg Friedrich Treitschke and Joseph Kupelwieser also worked temporarily in the administration or as dramaturges at the court opera. From the end of 1821 the theater was leased to Domenico Barbaja , the impresario of the Teatro San Carlo in Naples , with the dancer Louis Duport acting as its administrator in Vienna . During this time Gioachino Rossini celebrated triumphant successes with his operas in Vienna. Wenzel Graf Gallenberg later also leased the house. Due to financial and organizational turmoil, it was closed twice over longer periods in the 1820s.

One of the highlights in history was the concert that Beethoven gave there on May 7, 1824. In its first performance in Vienna, parts of the Missa solemnis and the world premiere of the 9th Symphony , in which the soloists, the choir of the court theater and that of the Musikverein were also involved.

The Balochino era

Balochino and his partner Merelli took over the court theater for the first time as tenants in the 1830s. Due to the revolutionary events in Vienna, which culminated in the resignation of the Metternich government , the KK Hof Opera Theater was closed from March 13 to 17, 1848. Although the theater was able to reopen on March 18, the opening of the Italian Stagione , which was planned for April 1 and had already been announced, had to be omitted, as the mood of the population after the declaration of war by Piedmont's King Carlo Alberto on Austria (March 26) turned against Italy. The Italians' announcements were torn down from the walls, the tenant Balochino received threatening letters and resigned. The theater was managed by a committee consisting of members of the Kärntnertortheater, including some leading artists; the director of the Burgtheater , Franz Ignaz von Holbein , became the provisional head of the committee, the Kärntnertortheater lost the title of “Hofopertheater” and became a simple but privileged “opera theater” that continued to find financial support from the state treasury.

The Holbein era

On April 29th, a performance of the Magic Flute opened the new era, in which Giacomo Meyerbeer's Huguenots, among others, were first heard in the original version. From October 6th to November 12th, 1848, the theater had to be closed again due to the unrest that flared up again. In 1849 the theater came under court administration again, on April 1st Holbein was appointed administrator (director) - initially for one year, then until 1853.

From February 28, 1850, the theater was again given the designation "kk Hoftheater next to the Kärnthnerthore". The double function as director of the Burgtheater and the Kärntnertortheater soon overstrained Holbein, and at the end of December 1849 Laube succeeded him as director of the Burgtheater. The outstanding event of the Holbein era was the Vienna premiere of the Prophet , conducted by Meyerbeer himself (1850).

Maintaining the French repertoire was an urgent concern of the director: four operas by Auber saw their premieres, two by Adam and one by Halévy . The German opera was represented by premieres by Nicolai , Flotow , Hager , Dessauer , Füchs and Ernst Herzog von Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha . Verdi's Macbeth was also premiered in German.

Compared to the Balochino era, the decline in evenings made up of individual acts from different works is noticeable; the French vaudevilles that were once so popular were no longer given. Important commitments related to the sopranos Mathilde Wildauer , Louise Liebhart, Pink Csillag and Anne de Lagrange, the leading dancers were Elise Albert Bellon, Katti Lanner and Gustav Carey, as choreographers worked Giovanni Golinelli and Domenico Ronzani. Fanny Elßler ended her glamorous career in 1851. From 1851 an Italian stagione (under the direction of Merelli) was possible again, until 1859 vocal artists such as Giuseppina Medori, Anne Charton-Demeur, Adelaide Borghi-Mamo, Gaetano Fraschini, Emanuele Carrion or Achille Debassini as well as the prima ballerinas Fanny Cerito and Carlotta delighted Grisi the audience.

Verdi delivered the majority of the new operas with eight premieres, including Rigoletto , Il trovatore and La traviata , while the works of the Italian contemporaries Mercadante , Pacini , Ricci and others fell out. The Italians celebrated greatest successes with works by Mozart: Don Giovanni , Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte were performed in the original language for the first time in decades.

The Cornet era

Julius Cornet , who was defeated by Holbein in 1850 as an applicant for the administration of the Kärntnertortheater , became his successor in 1853. The Cornet era was characterized more by the resumption of older works by Luigi Cherubini , Gluck, Weber and Mozart than by novelties. Meyerbeer again celebrated the greatest success ( Der Nordstern , 1855), other premieres of Flotow, Thomas , Balfe or Dorn remained current events. Wagner's dramatic works remained banned from the repertoire of the court opera despite Cornet's efforts. However, excerpts from Lohengrin and the Faust overture were heard for the first time in the context of so-called “musical academies” .

The sopranos Therese Tietjens and Louise Mayer-Dustmann enriched the ensemble as well as Gustav Walter, Johann Nepomuk Beck, Carl Mayerhofer and Carl Schmid. Claudine Cucchi and Louis Frappart were the new dance stars, as a guest Marie Taglioni dJ shone in ballets by her father Paul Taglioni . In addition to this, Pasquale Borri and August Bournonville were active as choreographers. In 1854, Director Cornet dismissed Wilhelm Reuling , who had worked as Kapellmeister and composer of numerous singspiele and ballets at the theater since 1830. Cornet's own departure was disgraceful: In 1857 he had to vacate his post due to injurious behavior towards the staff and sued by a singer for libel.

1858-1870

He had hired his successor himself as Kapellmeister: Carl Florian Anton Eckert was appointed director, initially provisionally and then from November 1858 onwards. Under Eckert's direction, the first performances of Wagner's Lohengrin (1858) and Tannhäuser (1859) formed the outstanding events. Other novelties were less successful, such as Lortzing's Wildschütz or Verdi's Sicilian Vespers ; his troubadour , taken over into the German repertoire, however, developed into a long-running hit. From 1860 the new tenor favorite of the Viennese became Theodor Wachtel , in Felix Otto Dessoff they found a new Kapellmeister - after Eckert's resignation he also directed the “Philharmonic Concerts” that he took over into the Kärntnertortheater, which took place here from 1860 until the theater closed in 1870 Found home - from 1858 Franz Doppler acted as ballet music director, and Carl Telle as ballet director . The ballet ensemble celebrated successes with Carnevals adventures in Paris and Die Kaminfeger in London . Eckert - marked by a serious illness - was relieved of his office in September 1860. For a short time a provisional arrangement led by Kapellmeister Heinrich Esser and chief director Schober led the fate of the institute.

The first performance of Wagner's opera The Flying Dutchman took place in this era . The Italian Matteo Salvi , in 1860 the organizer of an artistically valuable, but financially unproductive Italian stage in the Theater an der Wien , was appointed director of the Court Opera on February 1, 1861. Initially, an advisory committee was set up to assist him. Eduard Hanslick also worked there . This soon dissolved, however, and Salvi remained one of the longest-serving directors in the history of the Vienna Opera until September 1867. Under him there were closed Italian seasons again in 1864/65, in 1866/67 at least Italian performance series with selected singing stars. Désirée Artôt , Enrico Calzolari , Camillo Everardi and Giovanni Zucchini were the audience's favorites. In addition to Verdi's Un ballo in maschera and La forza del destino , operas by Pedrotti and the Ricci brothers were premiered. In the German seasons there were premieres of Meyerbeer ( Dinorah , Die Afrikanerin ), Gounod's Faust and Lortzings Waffenschmied as well as the world premiere of Offenbach's Die Rheinnixen . New to the ensemble were Caroline Bettelheim , Ilma von Murska , Marie von Rabatinsky , Louis von Bignio and Hans Freiherr von Rokitansky . Flick and Flock , Countess Egmont and Monte-Cristo represented the taste of the times as “romantic ballet” or “magic ballet”.

On January 1, 1863, the court opera school, from which young members of the ensemble soon emerged, opened. Salvi, who often asked for permanent employment, became the real director of the court opera in June 1864, but he was not given the management of the new opera house, which was already being built at the end of 1861. Franz Dingelstedt took over the office of Salvi on October 1, 1867. Even if the opening of the new court opera on May 25, 1869 (with Don Juan ) was the most important event of the Dingelstedt era (1867–1870), the Kärntnertortheater also had artistic highlights during this period: Gounod's Romeo and Juliet and Thomas' Mignon were first performed. Dingelstedt himself staged Gluck's Iphigenie in Aulis in an arrangement by Richard Wagner . The singers Marie Wilt , Amalie Materna-Friedrich and Bertha Ehnn , the tenors Charles Adams, Georg Müller and Leonhard Labatt joined the ensemble, Johann von Herbeck was hired as conductor. Rossini's Wilhelm Tell was the last opera to be performed on April 17, 1870 . Soon after, the theater was demolished.

World premieres (selection)

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ For example Paers Leonora : First performance in Vienna: February 8, 1809 in the Kärntnertortheater. The repetition: February 9, 1809 in the Burgtheater .
  2. ↑ Constantin von Wurzbach : Reuling, Wilhelm . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 25th part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1873, pp. 346–350 ( digitized version ).
  3. ↑ Ferdinand Ritter von Seyfried, review of the theater life of Vienna since the last fifty years , 1864, self-published, p. 43: “An honor insulting process, exerted by the Imperial and Royal Court Opera singer Frln. Luise Meyer , later married Dustmann, in which he was convicted in two instances, was the reason that Cornet had to cede as director of the kk Hofopertheater. "
  4. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1794 to 1810. Vienna 2011, p. 332f.
  5. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1794 to 1810. Vienna 2011, p. 375ff.
  6. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1794 to 1810. Vienna 2011, p. 242f.
  7. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1794 to 1810. Vienna 2011, p. 212f.
  8. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1794 to 1810. Vienna 2011, p. 312f.
  9. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1794 to 1810. Vienna 2011, pp. 216f.
  10. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1794 to 1810. Vienna 2011, p. 253
  11. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1794 to 1810. Vienna 2011, pp. 198f.
  12. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1794 to 1810. Vienna 2011, pp. 338f.
  13. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1794 to 1810. Vienna 2011, p. 179ff.
  14. ↑ The Swiss family. In:  Theatericket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna) , March 14, 1809, p. 1 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wtz
  15. ↑ Fidelio. In:  Theatericket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna) , May 23, 1814, p. 1 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wtz
  16. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1810 to 1836. Vienna 2007, p. 122f.
  17. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1810 to 1836. Vienna 2007, pp. 144f.
  18. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1810 to 1836. Vienna 2007, p. 450
  19. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1810 to 1836. Vienna 2007, pp. 164f.
  20. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1810 to 1836. Vienna 2007, pp. 255f.
  21. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1810 to 1836. Vienna 2007, p. 169
  22. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1810 to 1836. Vienna 2007, p. 171
  23. ↑ Musical Academy. In:  Theatericket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna) , August 11, 1829, p. 1 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wtz
  24. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1810 to 1836. Vienna 2007, p. 478
  25. ^ The night camp in Granada. In:  Theatericket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna) , March 9, 1837, p. 1 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wtz
  26. ↑ Linda de Chamounix. In:  Theatericket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna) , May 19, 1842, p. 1 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wtz
  27. ↑ Maria di Rohan. In:  Theatericket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna) , June 5, 1843, p. 1 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wtz
  28. ↑ The return of the exile. In:  Theatericket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna) , February 3, 1844, p. 1 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wtz
  29. ↑ Dom Sebastian. In:  Theatericket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna) , February 6, 1845, p. 1 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wtz
  30. ↑ The Knight Templar. In:  Theatericket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna) , December 20, 1845, p. 1 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wtz
  31. ↑ Martha. In:  Theatericket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna) , November 25, 1847, p. 1 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wtz
  32. ↑ Michael Jahn, The Vienna Court Opera from 1848 to 1870. Tutzing 2002, pp. 90/91, 701.
  33. ^ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1849-11-22, page 1 .
  34. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Michael Jahn, Die Wiener Hofoper from 1848 to 1870. Tutzing 2002, p. 701.
  35. ^ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1850-01-12, page 1 .
  36. ↑ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater slip (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1851-01-30, page 1 .
  37. ^ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1851-06-24, page 1 .
  38. ^ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1852-06-09, page 1 .
  39. ^ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1856-02-12, page 1 .
  40. ^ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1853-05-25, page 1 .
  41. ↑ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1852-12-18, page 1 .
  42. ↑ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1857-05-29, page 1 .
  43. ^ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1858-01-08, page 1 .
  44. ^ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1858-06-10, page 1 .
  45. ^ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1860-05-05, page 1 .
  46. ^ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1861-02-23, page 1 .
  47. ↑ The Rhine Mermaids. In:  Theatericket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna) , February 4, 1864, p. 1 (online at ANNO ).Template: ANNO / Maintenance / wtz
  48. ^ Austrian National Library: ANNO, theater ticket (Opera and Burgtheater in Vienna), 1869-02-18, page 1 .

literature

  • Franz Hadamowsky : Die Wiener Hoftheater (Staatstheater) 1776–1966: List of the listed pieces with inventory and daily program. Part 1: 1776–1810, Vienna: Prachner 1966. The Vienna Court Theaters (State Theater) / Part 2. The Vienna Court Opera (State Opera); Vienna 1975.
  • Eleonore Schenk: The beginnings of the Vienna Kärntnertortheater (1710 to 1748) . Dissertation, Vienna 1969.
  • Eleonore Schenk: Planning and plans of the Vienna Kärntnertortheater . In: Contributions to the history of theater in the 18th century III , Vienna 1973, pp. 79–97, plans 111–115.
  • Gustav Zechmeister: The Viennese theaters next to the castle and next to the Kärntnerthor from 1747 to 1776. In the appendix: Chronological list of all world premieres and first performances . Böhlau, Vienna 1971, ISBN 3-205-03205-5 , ( Austrian Theater History Vol. 3, No. 2).
  • Franz Hadamowsky: Vienna - theater history: from the beginnings to the end of the First World War . Jugend und Volk, Vienna / Munich 1988, ISBN 3-224-16053-5 .
  • Michael Jahn : The Vienna Court Opera from 1848 to 1870. Personnel - performances - program . Hans Schneider, Tutzing 2002, ISBN 3-7952-1075-5 , (publications of the Institute for Austrian Music Documentation 27).
  • Michael Jahn: The Vienna Court Opera from 1836 to 1848. The Balochino / Merelli era . The apple, Vienna 2004, ISBN 3-85450-148-X .
  • Michael Jahn: The Vienna Court Opera from 1810 to 1836. The Kärnthnerthortheater as a court opera . The apple, Vienna 2007, ISBN 978-3-85450-286-9 .
  • Michael Jahn: The Vienna Court Opera from 1794 to 1810. Music and dance in the Burg- and Kärnthnerthortheater . The apple, Vienna 2011, ISBN 978-3-85450-311-8
  • Michael Jahn (ed.): Writings on Viennese opera history . Der Apfel, Vienna 2005ff., ZDB -ID 2251313-9 .
  • Michael Jahn (ed.): "Writings from the Vienna Opera Archive". The apple, Vienna 2012ff.
Lexicon entries

Web links

Commons : Kärntnertortheater  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 48 ° 12 ′ 14 ″  N , 16 ° 22 ′ 10 ″  E