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Directors of the Vienna State Opera in the past liked to link their office to a mantra: If you say often enough that Vienna has the best opera house in the world, someone will believe it. With Bogdan Roscic it is different. The new boss in the ring will not open his first season with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” on Monday simply manning the culture tank. The 56-year-old career changer of the music industry (Universal Music, Sony) understood that the republic-owned State Opera should not be enough of a tourist event. He wants to fill the house with new relevance. And seek a new audience before the old one dies out. With tickets for ten euros he attracts 27-year-olds to the dress rehearsal for “Mariposa” on Saturday. This offer will be available for all productions in the future.
Maximum 1200 seats
Everything would go smoothly if it weren’t for Corona. Due to distance rules, a maximum of 1,200 seats can be sold instead of 1709. The republic has promised to make up the less than four million since March, sponsorship was initially limited to 6.4 million euros. “The most expensive variant would be not playing,” says Roscic, responding to Albertina’s boss, Klaus Albrecht Schrder, the “neighborhood opera expert,” as Roscic calls him. In early August, Schrder recommended avoiding the theater for financial and health reasons. Roscic is still pushing this point of view to Weiglut: “Some of the contracts were concluded three years ago, which is so common in opera, and we cannot invoke force majeure because we are allowed to play.” But under what conditions: Roscic temporarily has 183 numbered seats in the standing room for normally 567 visitors, which remains a measure of cultural policy at the State Opera. Ticket prices remain unchanged: from 80 minutes before the start of the performance, tickets are available for 10 euros. The following applies to everyone: each visitor is registered, a maximum of four people from the same household can sit next to each other. Also, yelling “Bravo” while standing after the performance is not recommended. Roscic: “This is just a request, we will not send any ‘Bravo’ police to the room.”
The Corona 1675 tests and the employees and set in test operation (July, August) devoured 182,000 euros. 57,000 euros were raised in disinfectants and hygiene measures. In the game’s first month of operation, 3,700 tests will have been performed – cost: 330,000 euros.
The fact that Roscic first had to set up a marketing department because the State Opera had previously relied on his hands-free charisma sounds like a joke from federal theaters. On top of that, it comes with a new opera studio that has been introduced elsewhere. Out of over 1000 applications, twelve young singers were selected, with Patricia Nolz and Angelo Pollak also two from Austria. The Czerwenka private foundation supports the young group, as does the “Circle of Friends” beaten by the Court of Auditors, which on one occasion was only rewarded with their income.
And for those who have not gotten tickets for the first premiere: ORF III will broadcast the “Butterfly” live on Monday from 8.15 pm, 1 will broadcast the opera from 7 pm.
Staatsoper
With ten state opera premieres (including Asmik Grigorian in “Madama Butterfly,” Plácido Domingo in “Simon Boccanegra,” Anna Netrebko in “Macbeth”), Bogdan Roscic has programmed more than ever. In addition to Roscic, three other new executives are starting with Philippe Jordan (musical director), Martin Schlpfer (ballet director) and Petra Bohuslav (commercial director). For the 20/21 season, which is reduced in number of seats, an estimated ticket sales of 18.4 million euros.
Article of
Peter grubmller
