Vienna State Opera Research Articles

Музична драма Р. Вагнера «Парсіфаль» у режисерському прочитанні Кирила Серебреннікова

Research objective of the work is to analyze the last opera (“festive stage mystery”) of Richard Wagner’s creative legacy “Parsifal” directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, performed in the spring of 2021 at the Vienna State Opera, in which the director used a new approach to stage work. The methodology of the work is based on the analysis of the plot context proposed by the director and the symbolic elements used by him to give additional expressiveness to the material, as well as the principles used by the director for dramatic work with the author’s text. Among the works involved were works on the creative heritage of R. Wagner, namely B. Millington [14], A. Königsberg [3] and O. Naumova [8]; M. Cherkashina-Gubarenko, in which the author developed a method of structural analysis of the opera [9,10]; musical interpretation – V. Moskalenko [7]; philosophical and semantic principles of the functioning of art – T. Adorno [1], M. Buber [2], O. Losev [5] and others. The scientific novelty lies in the study of K. Serebrennikov’s interpretive version in terms of its plot solution and elements of the play, which have a complex compositional and semantic structure, combines issues of faith and forms that it can acquire in certain socio-cultural conditions. Conclusions. K. Serebrennikov changes the plot development of the play built by Wagner, complicates the dramatic structure of his production by using video and introducing a doubleactor, which exists in parallel with the singer, which allows you to create a multilayered action. In the vast majority of cases, new accents arise due to the involvement of missing in the original storylines, which are presented in detail in both the stage action and independent media component of the play, which reflected the personal experiences of the director, his religious and civic positions. Following the general concept of the author, the director interprets its content, which allows him to significantly dynamize the play.

From the Theatersperret of the allied administration: On the question of institutional resilience of theatre in the case of the Vienna State Opera and the Burgtheater, 1944-1945

From the Theatersperret of the allied administration: On the question of institutional resilience of theatre in the case of the Vienna State Opera and the Burgtheater, 1944-1945

Olga Neuwirth, Orlando. Wiener Staatsoper, December 2019.

The Vienna State Opera made headlines around the world last December, boasting that it had finally commissioned a full-scale opera by a female composer. Olga Neuwirth, known for her difficult, unrestrained character (both musical and personal), was a curious and adventurous choice for the Wiener Staatsoper, the embassy of a conservative cultural landscape and gatekeeper of highbrow art. Choosing Virginia Woolf's seminal novel about a poet who lives through the ages and who one day miraculously changes sexes was a fitting choice for this maverick, whose work blurs the lines between genius – in all its anachronistic complexities – and fremdschämend, the well-established German equivalent of the facepalm, always scoring particularly high on listicles of ‘quintessential German words’.

Modernization of the visual series as one of the means to preserve the relevance of the opera performance

The purpose of the article is to consuder the issue of the stagingprocess of the opera performance in the aspect of the evolution of thedirectorial thought of the last third of the XX – the beginning of the XXIcenturies, as well as to analyze of the involvement of moderntechnological possibilities of creation on the operatic stage of the visualseries and correspondence to the new demands of the audience of thetheater are considered. The question „What is an opera in our time – thehighest of theatrical arts, or the business industry?” is considered. Sincethe current opera house, as a phenomenon, began to lose interest of thepublic. The scientific novelty of the article is the urgency of the questionof modernization of the production of classical opera. The scope of operadirecting is the key in the article, because in it follows the intricaciesassociated with the development of technologies and visual means ofexpressiveness that have influenced the state of the most iconiccontemporary opera performances. The typization and classification ofdirecting concepts during the existence of the opera as a genre is followed.The article analyzed the tendencies of creating an opera performance inSoviet times and in modern times through the prism of visual aspects. Theperformances by P. Tchaikovsky's opera „Eugene Oneginˮ at theMetropolitan Opera in the USA and the Vienna State Opera are consideredand analyzed, it is a methods of investigation. The author of the articleoffers a comparative analysis of two directorial decisions of the productionof the opera to understand the possible options for the development ofdirecting creativity, since the theater of modernity in the context of theevolution of the genre depends on the time and preferences of the modernaudience. The conclusions indicate that this problem is being studied fromthe point of view of the correspondence of innovative directorial decisionswith the attraction of opportunities of modern opera theater to the author'soriginal source.

Geächtet, verboten, vertrieben: Österreichische Musiker 1934–1938–1945 ed. by Hartmut Krones

Reviewed by: Geächtet, verboten, vertrieben: Österreichische Musiker 1934–1938–1945 ed. by Hartmut Krones Vincent Kling Hartmut Krones, ed., Geächtet, verboten, vertrieben: Österreichische Musiker 1934–1938–1945. Schriften des Wissenschaftzentrums Arnold Schönberg 1. Vienna: Böhlau, 2013. 608 pp. Krones has assembled a wide-ranging set of essays on composers, performing musicians, managers, and publishers who were, as the title says, ostracized, barred from professional activity, or driven out during the two consecutive periods of Austrian fascism, the years of the Ständestaat and those of National Socialism. He hastens to discourage direct comparison between the “mere” stringency of the first period and the monstrosity of the second, but parallels are depressingly consistent through similar techniques of defamation, denial of funding or confiscation of existing resources, and blockage of access to publication and performance. The essays, most of them addresses from various conferences in Vienna, Linz, New York, Mexico City, and Jalapa—all under the auspices of the “Wissenschaft szentrum Arnold Schönberg” and other institutions—are arranged roughly chronologically from the Austrian civil war of February 1934 to the defeat of Nazism in April 1945. The first division addresses the politics of the corporative state, its activities given prominence because it moved so aggressively to stifle the music of the Second Vienna School, as it is known, by ensuring that its composers could not make a living (10) and by emptying the treasuries of the organizations that sustained them. Krones establishes the point in a long and minutely detailed essay (39–116). Anita Mayer-Hirzberger documents further how many musicians were forced to emigrate well before March 1938 in “. . . tausende Emigranten in allen benachbarten Ländern . . . : Zur Auswanderung ‘linker’ Musiker in der Zeit des österreichischen Ständestaates” (117–28). The essay by Matt hias Schmidt, “Freiheit und Legitimität: Ernst Krenek und die Kulturpolitik des Ständestaates” (129–41), may be of special interest to scholars of literature, [End Page 110] because Krenek’s simultaneous drive toward experiments like dodecaphonism, which aroused official distrust, and self-definition through Austrian tradition, such as his requisitioning Schubert in his song cycle Reisebuch aus den österreichischen Alpen, proved untenable in a regime that dictated the form, theme, and content of works of art. Identifying with Schubert’s need to depict das Unwiederbringliche, laboring under anxiety about clearly imminent massive changes, Krenek developed the same kind of conservative, anti-progressive attitude that came to characterize Franz Werfel and Karl Kraus during the same era; Krenek subscribed to authoritarian rule and to the österreichische Idee of the former monarchy’s civilizing mission at the very moment when he was being defamed as a “Kulturbolschewik” (133). Indicatively, his opera Karl V., which dates from those years, was first performed only decades later, and against widespread passive opposition, at the Vienna State Opera. The essays on music under National Socialism (143–284) do not require as much specification here, since they scarcely cover new ground, though Hugo Schanovsky’s work on Linz during that era (197–201) adds considerable detail. Before taking up the topic of emigration itself, two methodological essays provide a kind of interlude; these are Claudia Maurer Zenck’s “Einige Überlegungen zur musikwissenschaftlichen Exilforschung” (251–58) and Horst Weber’s “Exilforschung und Musikgeschichtsschreibung” (259–84). Three places of exile are examined: Great Britain (373–433) and the United States (435–502), as one would expect, but also a section on Austrian musicians in Latin America (503–62). Finally, two essays about life in the concentration camps, one general and one specifically about the vocal works Viktor Ullmann composed in Theresianstadt, end the main contributions. In addition to his foreword, Krones precedes the main contributions with a helpful overview, “12. Februar 1934 bis 27. April 1945: 4092 Tage Ächtung, Verbot, Vertreibung und Ermordung österreichischer Musik(er)” (13–27) and concludes them with a Podiumsdiskussion held at a conference in Vienna (593–608). Despite its merits, this book is a strange compendium. We learn, for example, that none other than the seemingly model Nazi married couple, Kle-mens Krauss and Viorica Ursuleac, were instrumental in protecting and helping Jewish colleagues, but this relatively new information is offered in an essay that mainly...

In Memoriam: Professor Laurentiu M. Popescu (1944–2015)

© 2015 Manole and Cretoiu. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Laurentiu M. Popescu, a world renowned expert in the field of molecular medicine, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest (Romania) and General Director of the National Institute of Pathology of Romania, passed away on August 3, 2015, at the age of 71. Born on April 15, 1944, in Campulung, Romania, he devoted 48 years to research and teaching activities starting soon after graduation (as valedictorian) of ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Backed by a constant progression in his academic career he became the Rector, between 1992 and 2004, of the ‘Carol Davila’ University (the oldest, largest and most prestigious in Romania), considered an example of progress and innovation in the 150 years of history of the University. Professor Laurentiu Popescu was a very special and extraordinary scientist who gave a unique point of view to the international scientific community of medical and cellular sciences. He was awarded for his scientific achievements multiple prestigious prizes and was selected as member of many international scientific organizations. He was also the President of the Medical Science Section of the Romanian Academy of Sciences, President of the Romanian Academy of Medical Sciences, President of the Federation of the European Academies of Medicine, President of the International Society for Adaptive Medicine, and more. In 2000 he founded the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. As Editor-in-Chief, he grew this journal very rapidly, transforming it, from a non-indexed journal into a world-class scientific journal (2014 Impact Factor 4.014). While his academic career was pivoted around ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, a great part of the scientific achievements were centered on ‘Victor Babes’ National Institute of Pathology. Known as a visionary, he had a strong ability to inspire the people who worked with him. We will remember him for a myriad of virtues as wisdom, confidence, empathy and honesty, as well as outstanding motivation and communication skills. For us he has been a wonderful mentor, being extremely creative, and a really hard working person, endowed with great organizational skills. He was also a scientific advisor for numerous PhD and postdoctoral students sharing his outstanding experience and knowledge with all his disciples. Besides his impressive scientific knowledge he was also widely cultured, recognizing in one of his interviews “The idea to call the newly discovered cells telocytes came to me during a break at the Vienna State Opera”. Professor Laurentiu M. Popescu’s vast scientific activity could be approximatively split in two main periods. The major scientific results of the first period were crystallized around the ideas of caveolae involvement in calcium regulation in smooth muscle, or around the relation between cGMP and vasodilation. The most fruitful Open Access

Metropolitan Opera versus Vienna State Opera: A Comparative Study of their Cultural and Management Policies

Metropolitan Opera versus Vienna State Opera: A Comparative Study of their Cultural and Management Policies

What you don't learn at the bench...conclusions from the EMBO/ELSF-organised meeting on career prospects in the life sciences.

Europe's academic research in the life sciences is facing a crisis. Numbers of students entering the universities to study the natural sciences are falling, and an increasing number of researchers are leaving the academic realm to accept better paid positions in the growing biotechnology business, in government, journalism and other sectors. No wonder that politicians fear a dearth of talented researchers to fill positions at universities and research institutions. This looming crisis has prompted many senior scientists and politicians to look to the reasons underlying the increasing labour shortage and discuss how to make a career in the natural sciences—and Europe as the geographical location for that career—more attractive for young people. As Gottfried Schatz, President of the Swiss Science and Technology Council, noted in his opening talk at the meeting, it is not that Europe produces inferior scientists to the USA—Europe's record in scientific publications is witness to the opposite—merely that they are not properly nurtured. A microbiologist, let's call him Fritz, he added anecdotally, who had done his Ph.D. in Switzerland and postdoc at Northwestern University in the USA, then returned to Europe to find he was ‘trapped in the morass of a fuzzy unclear career structure’. After some years trying to find a position as an independent researcher, ‘he was thinking of crossing the Atlantic once again, this time with a one‐way ticket’, noted Schatz sombrely. ‘We in Europe are doing a worse job in furthering the people we have’, he asserted; identifying the main problem in Europe, and setting the agenda for the meeting. Indeed, it is not only unclear career structures and prospects that ultimately drive many young scientists away from Europe. Equally, the uncertain career prospects deter many bright high school students from choosing to study the life sciences in the first place. Whether …

A Day with Camilla Williams

Her friend and colleague, Todd Duncan, creator of George Gershwin's Porgy on Broadway in 1935, called her “Diva”. She is Camilla Williams, lyric soprano, who in 1946 was the first African‐American to receive a regular contract with a major American opera company. Her debut role at New York's City Center Opera was as Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Other leading roles Miss Williams was to perform with this company for the next six years were Nedda in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci , Mimì in Puccini's La bohème , and Verdi's Aida. Then, in 1954, she appeared as Butterfly with London's Sadler's Wells Opera and later the Vienna State Opera. Miss Williams was also a distinguished concert artist, performing throughout the United States, in fourteen African countries, and in South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Australia. From 1977 to 1997, she was professor of voice at Indiana University's School of Music. Although Miss Williams has officially retired, she is still teaching privately. Recently, Sony reissued the thrilling 1951 Columbia recording of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess starring Lawrence Winters and Camilla Williams. Once again we can hear her vocally and theatrically exciting Bess. Winters is a superb partner, and the performance is further enhanced by the beautiful singing of June McMechen, Helen Dowdy, and Eddie and Inez Matthews, as well as the luminous conducting of Lehman Engel. In 1995, I had the privilege of spending a day with this charming, elegant, and courageous pioneering opera diva at both her lovely apartment and memorabiliaenriched studio in Bloomington, Indiana. Miss Williams is a delightful raconteur and graciously shared many of her fascinating experiences with me.

Tradition in Post World-War-I Vienna: The Role of the Vienna State Opera from 1919-1924

Tradition in Post World-War-I Vienna: The Role of the Vienna State Opera from 1919-1924

Committed Opera: Gottfried von Einem's ‘The Visit of the Old Lady’

The visit of the old lady, after the play of the same name by the Swiss dramatist Friedrich Dürrenmatt (who also wrote the libretto), is Gottfried von Einem's fourth opera. It was performed for the first time in 1971 at the Vienna State Opera, and after being mounted on several German stages in quick succession, it was given its American première in San Francisco last year. Von Einem's first opera, Dantons Tod (after Georg Büchner), won much praise as the major novelty of the 1947 Salzburg Festival. Six years later, also in Salzburg, came Der Prozess (after Franz Kafka); after which there was another pause, of almost ten years, before the next opera, Der Zerrissene (after Johann Nestroy), had its première in Hamburg. Von Einem had up to that time also written five large ballets, a quantity of instrumental music (including several pieces commissioned by leading European and American orchestras) and some vocal music: all in all, therefore, a respectably sizable body of work, especially when one takes into account that self-critical reserve to which his somewhat slow rate of production can be attributed. His consistency, at least in those works that have been repeatedly tried and tested, must perhaps today be counted as one of his most outstanding characteristics.

Opera in London

During the three months, September ist to December ist, London has had the opportunity of seeing twenty-three different operas, given by five organisations—Sadlers Wells, the resident Co vent Garden Company, the New London Opera Company, the Vienna State Opera, and the English Opera Group. These twenty-three works have been made up as follows; four by Puccini: three each by Mozart and Britten: two by Verdi and Richard Strauss: and one each by Beethoven, Rossini, Donizetti, Smetana, Gounod, Bizet, Rimsky-Korsakov, Leoncavallo and Mascagni; that is to say, three written in the eighteenth century, twelve in the nineteenth, and eight in the twentieth. There is a certain amount of inevitable duplication amongst the five organisations concerned, and the considerable variation in production and performance is probably best seen by looking at the repertory of each company separately.

The Vienna State Opera Company, Etc.

The Vienna State Opera Company, Etc.