Figaro gets married in Tokyo

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From Vienna to Tokyo: "Figaro" and "Rosenkavalier" move to Bunka Kaikan with stage design, costumes and ensemble.

When a Spanish castle including a nocturnal garden, two Viennese palaces with sufficient staff and a pub go on tour, you know it's tour time at the Vienna State Opera. This time it's off to Tokyo for the tenth time, and two operas from the core Viennese repertoire will be performed: Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro andRichard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. What began with a first tour in 1980 has developed into a great partnership and friendship over the decades. So it is all the more gratifying to be able to return to Tokyo.

Major guest performances cast their shadows ahead. In the case of the State Opera: about four years ahead. This is when the first preparations for such a tour begin.

Specific questions arise right from the start:

  • How many musicians are needed for this or that opera work?
  • Which members of the ensemble will be involved?
  • How many employees from the technical departments need to go on tour?
  • And above all: what does this mean for the Haus am Ring?

If you are touring with complete staged productions, this must of course be taken into account in the actual season planning.

"In such a case, there are two schedules, the one at Haus am Ring and the one in Japan. Both are precisely coordinated. In the Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, for example, we perform Der Rosenkavalier as the second piece and Nozze di Figaro as the first, because Der Rosenkavalier is much more chorus-intensive, but the singers are still needed for Die Verkaufte Braut in Vienna until mid-October. Many choristers will only travel to Tokyo after the last performance of The Bartered Bride."

Stage sets and logistics

But it's not just casting issues that need to be clarified. Complete sets and costumes have to be shipped to Japan, neatly packed in large containers. " Figaro alone needs nine containers, each with a volume of 76 m³," says Markus Oberecker from the Technical Directorate. These were loaded onto ships early, i.e. before the summer break, to take them to Yokohama. Not only decorations, props, stage sets, costumes, wigs and the like are on their way, but also emergency materials for small repairs and adjustments. "Including components, paints and other materials to carry out quick repairs," says Oberecker. "And for all departments."

Numbers and dimensions

And, to give you a few more figures: 17 fully draped costume floats for Nozze and 23 for Der Rosenkavalier are on the way, each float one and a half meters long. That's a total of 60 meters of costumes. Of course, nothing can be forgotten when packing the containers, because most of it would simply be too big to send on its journey by plane afterwards. Markus Oberecker answers the expected question of whether he has sleepless nights with a professional smile.

People and organization

Once the ships are underway, the next step is to organize visas and work permits and book flights for the 305 people involved in the tour. Stephanie Wippel is also responsible for this, as well as for the precise travel plans: who has to be in Tokyo when, which technicians, which musicians, which soloists and which choristers are needed and when?

A mini state opera cosmos in Tokyo

And while the Haus am Ring in Vienna continues to perform as if there were no tour, "a mini state opera cosmos is being created in Tokyo. All departments are represented, from the artistic to the organizational," explains Wippel. "After all, rehearsal schedules have to be drawn up in Tokyo, artists have to be looked after and press and public relations work has to be done. There are also doctors and violin makers, orchestra inspectors and all the technical groups."

On-site support

Of course, all of this is supported by our colleagues from the organizer NBS Performing Arts Foundation, with whom the Vienna State Opera has been working for decades. Hotel bookings and other matters are also handled by local partners.

Community and experience

Stephanie Wippel knows that such a guest performance not only builds a bridge between countries, but also welds the employees of the Vienna State Opera together: "You stay in the same hotel, have breakfast together, spend a lot of time together and get to know each other in a completely different way. And that's always a wonderful experience!"

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