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Home > Die Wiener Staatsoper > Architektur |
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Today the Middle Box is accessible to the pubic. It gives an impressive view of the horseshoe shaped auditorium, which had to be completely rebuilt after the Second World War. The re-building of the auditorium, new stairways to the former 3rd gallery, all the public cloak rooms and the interval rooms in the upper levels were entrusted to Erich Boltenstern, Professor at the technical college and at the Academy for the plastic arts in Vienna, as the result of a competition. The architects Otto Prossinger, Ceno Kosak and Felix Cevela designed the interval rooms on the 1st level. The basic Italian theatre design, with three box levels and two open levels (balcony and gallery) was maintained, according to the plans of Sicardsburg and van der Nüll. Boltenstern limited his changes to slightly lifting the 3rd gallery (today the Balcony). The columns on the 3rd and 4th gallery levels were eliminated as there was no longer any structural need for them. In their place a free floating ceiling construction was chosen which dramatically improved sightlines.
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From the original capacity of the auditorium, which was 2,881 places, only 2,282 places remain (of which 1,709 are sitting, 567 are standing, 4 are wheelchair, and 4 are accompanying places). The reduction in the number was necessary due to stricter building, fire and safety regulations. The front of the boxes, constructed from reinforced concrete, were covered with wood for acoustical reasons (the acoustics of this Vienna opera house is of unequalled brilliance). The number of access doors to the hall was increased and handicapped access improved. Some of the upper level seats with obstructed view were equipped with lights for reading. The traditional red-gold-ivory colours of the auditorium were maintained, but the sumptuous interior was replaced by a timeless classic design. Paintings, reliefs, and columns no longer decorate the auditorium and for safety reasons the large centre chandelier was replaced by a lighting wreath made from crystal. This lighting fixture weighs 3,000 kilograms and contains 1,100 light bulbs. This fixture has a diameter of 7 meters, is 5 meters high and has access for a lighting technician to carry our maintenance work on the lighting wreath.
Prof. Rudolf Eisenmenger designed the so called iron curtain which separates the auditorium from the stage. It displays a scene from Gluck’s opera ‘Orpheus and Eurydice’. In early 1998 the firm Museum in Progress was entrusted with the creation of a series of 5 large, temporary paintings for the Staatsoper —one for each season. The realization and attaching of the pictures takes place using a specially developed process so that both the Eisenmenger picture, as well as the new work, are guaranteed to be conserved in optimal condition. With the creation of an exhibition room in the Wiener Staatsoper this historical building assumes its responsibility towards contemporary artistic developments.
Every evening the orchestra pit accommodates the musicians of possibly the world’s best known ensemble. The Weiner Philharmoniker orchestra members are recruited from the members of the Staatsoper orchestra. The orchestra pit is 123 m2 can hold around 110 musicians. It is fitted with an adjustable floor so that the height can be varied. The purpose of this is to achieve acoustical effects and to make possible the use of the front stage when fewer musicians are needed in the orchestra pit.
The entire building is fitted with a seemingly old-fashioned, but effective climate control. Fresh air from the nearby city park is sucked in through an underground tunnel. In winter the air is warmed and in the warmer seasons the air is blown over ice blocks (which are incidentally made in the House) thereby cooling the air. The opera like the Burgtheater, is district heated.
Three iron curtains serve as security in case of fire: the main curtain which divides the stage from the auditorium and two further curtains which can be closed on the side and back stages. Above all the construction of the new part of the house was done with the utmost safety in mind: the former wood ceiling was replaced by one made from reinforced concrete. Instead of the former slate roof with wooden shingles in between there is now a fire, water and windproof copper skin—thereby finally fulfilling a wish of the architect van der Nüll—on a thin reinforced concrete shell. On the roof a public terrace was created, which serves not only an additional escape route but also as an ideal interval space for the warmer times of the year. Since September 1999 this large terrace accommodates the Mobilkom tent for children—a theatre on top of a theatre.
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