Day 20 Mahler and Finger Puppets

The first thing we did was tour the Staatsoper (the State Opera House). There are usually many different tours going on at once, each in a different language. The Opera House was originally built in the late 1800s, but was mostly destroyed by bombs in WWII. It was reconstructed in the 1950s, so it has a blend of Romantic and Art Deco decor. It is grand! The auditorium and most of the backstage area and intermission rooms are from the 1950s reconstruction and the front of the house is original to the 1800s. The Opera House only shows opera and ballet, but it is rented out in the summer for other performances such as the myriad of orchestra groups. These orchestras are geared toward tourists and roam the city center with traditional costumes and wigs to try to get you to buy tickets to their concerts. They are a totally separate group from the State Opera, and our tour guide explicitly said "They are not the Vienna Philharmonic." ...Whatever that means to you. :)

Waiting in the lobby

Silly tourist!

Very regal!

The light fixture in the auditorium, showcasing the influence of the 1950s

The auditorium

Backstage!

Behind the curtain

One of the intermission rooms

Mahler and Boday

R. Strauss and Lang

Gustav Mahler--he was director of the Opera and made some rules: no food or drink in the auditorium, turn the lights down, and do not enter/exit during the performance! Thank you Mahler!

Gustav Mahler's travel piano

The view from the most expensive seats--where the Emperor would sit!

For Ellen! I had to get a picture. It's also a music box that plays the music to Carmen!