Vienna State Opera

There was one thing I did in advance of our rather impulsive vacation in Vienna: I purchased tickets for a performance at the Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera), the world-famous opera house.

The opera house was on the Ringstrasse, very near our hotel. It was built 1861-69 in the time of Emperor Franz Joseph, in the Renaissance Revival style. The imposing exterior is impressive enough, but when we entered the main foyer with the grand staircase, we were blown away. It’s hard to describe the sheer opulence of the place. And it was still in its original form, looking much as it did 150 years ago.

Our seats were in the Mittelloge, the large central box once reserved for the emperor. The entrance was at the top of the grand staircase, and we walked through a convenient coat room to reach the box. We had wonderful seats with a good central view of the stage.

That night’s performance was The Winter’s Tale, a ballet based on the Shakespeare play, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, with a score composed by Joby Talbot. The beauty of ballet is that it tells a story in a universal language, with no translated subtitles needed. This ballet was phenomenal! We could feel King Leontes’ crazed jealousy and Queen Hermione's grief more clearly from their movements than we could from any dialog. The music propelled the story, performed by a huge orchestra of around 40 musicians. The staging was brilliant, with snowstorms brought to life by the percussionists and their distinctive wind machine.

There were two intermissions, during which we explored the interval halls. During the first interval, we drank champagne in the historic Schwindfoyer, lavishly decorated with busts of famous composers. We spent the second interval in the more modern Gustav Mahler hall, with its elaborate tapestries.

The Vienna State Opera was everything I had hoped for, and more. We agreed to return one day, in more elegant attire, for another memorable and magical night.