Austria: Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper)

Approximately 50 operas and 20 ballets are offered in the Vienna State Opera’s repertoire every season, which runs from September 1st to June 30th. It is not, however, the number which is important (although it is unrivalled by any other opera house in the world) rather the variety of productions offered by this House and its talented ensemble at the highest levels of artistry. An artistic cornerstone of the Vienna State Opera is its full-time ensemble of singers, who are always complemented by international guest stars. A great number of world stars have come from among the members of the Vienna State Opera’s ensemble. General Director Ioan Holender has discovered for the Wiener Staatsoper, and thereby for the international music world, a large number of young singers such as Natalie Dessay Barbara Frittoli, Angela Gheorghiu, Vesselina Kasarova, Angelika Kirchschlager, Andrea Rost, Michael Schade, Bo Skovhus, Bryn Terfel and Ramón Vargas.

The tradition of Viennese opera goes back over three and a half centuries to the time of the early Baroque. Emperor Franz Joseph I decreed in December 1857 that the old city walls and fortifications around the Vienna’s inner city should be torn down and the Ringstrasse, a wide boulevard with new purpose-built buildings for culture and politics, should take their place. The new opera house was built as part of this plan and it was designed by the Viennese architect August von Sicardsburg with interior decoration conceived by Eduard van der Nüll.

Another important fact: the members of the Vienna Philhamonic orchestra are recruited from the Wiener Staatsoper orchestra. It is widely-known and accepted that this world-renowned orchestra is the best opera orchestra in the world. Backstage over 250 technical employees work from early in the morning though the night in order to prepare the daily changes of performance.

The Vienna Opera Ball ranges among the most popular society events world-wide. It is one of the major venues for artists, politicians and entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the Vienna Opera Ball is a strong attraction drawing many celebrities from all over the world.

The Vienna Opera House has been using AKG products for decades. The heart of their sound setup is a WMS 4000 multi-channel wireless microphone system delivering superior performance and maximum reliability. The outstanding voices of international opera singers are captured by CK 77 lavalier microphones and HC 577 head-worn microphones. Superior sound quality, unobtrusive appearance and – the most important attribute – they are waterproof! The patented AKG dual-diaphragm transducer technology protects against moisture and perspiration effectively. Neither rain (open air), moisture or sweat can disturb an evening’s performance!

The C 414 also plays an important role for the great sound at the Vienna Opera House too. Besides its legendary sound and enormous dynamic range, it has very high consistentcy. The tolerance between any two models is less than +/- 0.5 dB.

Alongside newer state-of-the-art microphone technology many older AKG legacy products are still in use including:

C 426
D 20
D 224
C 422 Stereo
C 30
D 330

	Austria: Vienna State Opera (Wiener Staatsoper)
	Approximately 50 operas and 20 ballets are offered in the Vienna State Opera’s repertoire every season, which runs from September 1st to June 30th. It is not, however, the number which is important (although it is unrivalled by any other opera house in the world) rather the variety of productions offered by this House and its talented ensemble at the highest levels of artistry. An artistic cornerstone of the Vienna State Opera is its full-time ensemble of singers, who are always complemented by international guest stars. A great number of world stars have come from among the members of the Vienna State Opera’s ensemble. General Director Ioan Holender has discovered for the Wiener Staatsoper, and thereby for the international music world, a large number of young singers such as Natalie Dessay Barbara Frittoli, Angela Gheorghiu, Vesselina Kasarova, Angelika Kirchschlager, Andrea Rost, Michael Schade, Bo Skovhus, Bryn Terfel and Ramón Vargas. The tradition of Viennese opera goes back over three and a half centuries to the time of the early Baroque. Emperor Franz Joseph I decreed in December 1857 that the old city walls and fortifications around the Vienna’s inner city should be torn down and the Ringstrasse, a wide boulevard with new purpose-built buildings for culture and politics, should take their place. The new opera house was built as part of this plan and it was designed by the Viennese architect August von Sicardsburg with interior decoration conceived by Eduard van der Nüll. Another important fact: the members of the Vienna Philhamonic orchestra are recruited from the Wiener Staatsoper orchestra. It is widely-known and accepted that this world-renowned orchestra is the best opera orchestra in the world. Backstage over 250 technical employees work from early in the morning though the night in order to prepare the daily changes of performance. The Vienna Opera Ball ranges among the most popular society events world-wide. It is one of the major venues for artists, politicians and entrepreneurs. Furthermore, the Vienna Opera Ball is a strong attraction drawing many celebrities from all over the world. The Vienna Opera House has been using AKG products for decades. The heart of their sound setup is a WMS 4000 multi-channel wireless microphone system delivering superior performance and maximum reliability. The outstanding voices of international opera singers are captured by CK 77 lavalier microphones and HC 577 head-worn microphones. Superior sound quality, unobtrusive appearance and – the most important attribute – they are waterproof! The patented AKG dual-diaphragm transducer technology protects against moisture and perspiration effectively. Neither rain (open air), moisture or sweat can disturb an evening’s performance! The C 414 also plays an important role for the great sound at the Vienna Opera House too. Besides its legendary sound and enormous dynamic range, it has very high consistentcy. The tolerance between any two models is less than +/- 0.5 dB. Alongside newer state-of-the-art microphone technology many older AKG legacy products are still in use including: C 426 D 20 D 224 C 422 Stereo C 30 D 330
© 2008 AKG Acoustics GmbH