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Then and Now
How the Vienna State Opera Orchestra founded it´s own Concert ensemble (The Vienna Philharmonica), it resulted in that the Vienna State Opera Chorus founded the Concert Association (CA) in 1927.
The original aim has remained constant through the years: to perform the important choral works with all the great Conductors (like Herbert von Karajan, photo) and orchestras, and to present them to the public in the highest niveau.
Click here for information about committee members, concert directors and personal details:
The choir-»
Current
Concerts, Operas, Tours...
All the current dates of the Concert Association.
Experience here what´s on the program:
This year-»
Salzburg 1923
Towards the end of World War I the idee was born to establish Festivals in Salzburg. In 1919 the director Max Reinhardt and the poet Hugo von Hofmannsthal published a Festival-concept. These two were joined by the composer Richard Strauss (photo), the conductor and viennese Hofoperndirektor Franz Schalk and the set designer Alfred Roller. The birth-hour of the festival was the 22nd of August 1920 as Hugo von Hoffmansthals JEDERMANN was performed on the Domplatz.
Opera stood on the program for the first time in 1922 and since 1923 the choir of the Viennese State Opera started its now 80th year of participation at the Salzburg Festival and it speaks for itself what an extensive repertoire these years include.
More about everything that the CA has sung on stage aswell as in concerts (in alphabetical order):
Repertoire-»
"Shellac"- Tip
FALSTAF by G.Verdi.
Stabile, Biasini, Borgioli, Cravenko, Lazzari, Nessi, Oltrabella, Somigli, Tedeschi,
Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus, Wiener Philharmoniker, Conductor: Arturo Toscanini.
Recorded at the Salzburg Festival in 1937. This is one of the first recordings in which the CA took part (CD Label: Grammofono).
A selected CD and DVD collection (alphabetical) awaits you here:
Discography-»
Discotheque
In Collaboration with Amazon, we offer you the possibility to make a little shopping spree here on our own web page. Our range of products includes of a selection of CDs and DVDs on which the Vienna State Opera Chorus can be seen and/or heard.
This is a 24 hour "discotheque" and therefore nothing can get in the way of your visit:
Online-Shop-»
The big jump
From Wolfgang Equiluz´s book "UND WAS MACHEN SIE HAUPTBERUFLICH?"
("SO WHAT DO YOU REALLY DO FOR A LIVING?")
On the fourth floor of the Vienna State-Opera, across the road from the Sacher Hotel, rehersalroom one can be found. In the beginning of the eighties Otto Schenk (photo) rehersed a very difficult choir-scene from KARL V with the State Opera-Choir. He repeated that particurar part over and over, but it did'nt seem to improve. Although Otto Schenk is an essentially patient human being, he became noticeably nervous and more and more irritaded, because it didn't run according to his conception. Slowly but surely he had enough and totally exploded! He opened one of the huge casementwindows, stept outside onto the windowsill, ofcourse to the horror of the choir, and there in airy heights threatened: "We will now do this scene one last time and if you fail again, I'll jump!"
Startled and intimidated the choir tried to repeat the scene this time better than the last. Finally the choir didn't want to have one of the best opera-directors on its conscience, so with lots of concentration they gave their best. However, all effort was in vain and it flopped once again. Breathlessly with tension everybody looked at the director standing there on the windowsill of the fouth floor. Otto Schenk looked quite dissapointed: "I warned you" he said "but you wanted it this way." With these last words, he jumped. To the blessed opera-world however not into the garden of the Sacher Hotel, but back on the floor of the Rehersalroom.
Here you can see some video- and newspaperclips of the chorus aswell as two anecdotes:
Multimedia-»
"Pen- Pals"
Very often the Concert Association receives letters of praise from diverse coductors expressing their admiration for the quality of singing and acting, as well as the professionalism of the choir.
Arturo Toscanini for example wrote a letter of thanks to the Concert Association in 1936 for its wonderful cooperation at the Salzburg Festival.
All about sponsors, internal and external members, letters conductors wrote and internet links:
Contacts-»
Editorial
Responsible for contents:
Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor
Opernring 2, A-1015 Wien
Tel+Fax: 0043(0)1/5124884
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(since May 2002):
Translation: Tania Oppel
Concert Association of the Vienna State Opera Chorus
