State Opera House

State Opera House, opera house in Vienna and the state opera of Austria, known locally as the Staatsoper. Conceived as a new home for the Imperial and Royal Court Opera House, the Staatsoper was the first building to be finished in Vienna's Ringstrasse redevelopment program that was initiated in 1857 by Austrian Emperor Francis Joseph I. This program included the razing of the protective walls that surrounded the innere Stadt (inner city) and the construction of the Ringstrasse, a long boulevard that encircles Vienna, in their place.

Designed by Eduard van der Nüll and August Siccard von Siccardsburg, the Staatsoper (then known as the Imperial and Royal Court Opera House) was inaugurated in May 1869 with a performance of the opera Don Giovanni by German composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Neither of the architects lived to witness the completion of the opera house. Following Francis Joseph I's criticism of the architecture of the Staatsoper, van der Nüll shot himself. Siccardsburg died of a stroke some months later.

The Staatsoper became a world center for opera, showcasing works by German composers Mozart, Richard Wagner, and Richard Strauss. Prominent conductors, such as Gustav Mahler and Felix Weingartner served as directors. Mahler was director from 1897 to 1907; Weingartner served in that role from 1908 to 1911, and again from 1935 to 1936. Richard Strauss served as joint director from 1919 to 1924.

During World War II (1939-1945) the Staatsoper received a direct hit in 1945 during an American air raid, and most of the building's interior was destroyed. The exterior walls, main staircase, the Imperial Tea Salon, and first floor foyer—with its frescoes by Moritz von Schwind depicting scenes from the opera Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)—remained unharmed. Erich Boltenstern, Otto Prossinger, Zeno Kosak, and Felix Cevela oversaw the reconstruction, which blended traditional and modern styles. In November 1955 the new Staatsoper was inaugurated with a performance of Beethoven's Fidelio, conducted by Karl Böhm. German conductor Herbert von Karajan became director in 1955 and held that post until 1964. Other notable directors include Lorin Maazel, who served from 1982 to 1984, and Claudio Abbado, who served from 1986 to 1991.