The Johann Strauss Theater in

Wieden Wieden (; ) is the 4th municipal district of Vienna, Austria (). It is near the centre of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but its borders were changed later. Wieden is a small region near the city centre. Wien.gv.at webpage (s ...

, part of Vienna, Austria, was built in 1908 especially for

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

s. It had a hall for 1,200 spectators in

Baroque Revival style The Baroque Revival, also known as Neo-Baroque (or Second Empire architecture in France and Wilhelminism in Germany), was an architectural style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term is used to describe architecture and architectu ...

. After many successful world premieres such as ''

Die Csárdásfürstin ' ( or ; ''The Csárdás Princess''; translated into English as ''The Riviera Girl'' and ''The Gipsy Princess'') is an operetta in 3 acts by Hungarian composer Emmerich Kálmán, with libretto by Leo Stein and Bela Jenbach. It premiered in Vienna ...

'', played more than 500 times, it was demolished in 1960.

History

The Johann Strauss Theater was built at 8 in

in 1908 when Viennese

was highly successful. The architect built a theatre dedicated to operetta for 1,200 spectators in

. It was opened on 30 October 1908 with ''1001 Nacht'', an arrangement of ''

Indigo und die vierzig Räuber ' (''Indigo and the Forty Thieves'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Maximilian Steiner based on the tale "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" from ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights''. Performance history ...

'' by

Johann Strauss Johann Baptist Strauss II (; ; 25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas as well as a violinist. He compose ...

, made after he died. The world premiere of Emmerich Kálmán's ''

'' in 1915 was followed by more than 500 performances.

Alexander Girardi Alexander Girardi (pronounced ) (5 December 1850 – 20 April 1918) was an Austrian actor and tenor singer in operettas. Career Girardi was born in Graz; his father was the Locksmithing, locksmith Andreas Girardi who had migrated to Graz from C ...

starred in Kálmáns ''

Der Zigeunerprimas ''Der Zigeunerprimas'' (''The Gypsy Band Leader'', known as ''Sari'' and ''The Gypsy Virtuoso'' in English speaking countries) is a three-act operetta, which was composed by Emmerich Kálmán. The libretto was written by and Fritz Grünbaum. It pr ...

'', premiered in 1912. In 1925, Lehár's '' Paganini'' was first performed.

Josephine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

appeared in her revue ''Schwarz auf weiß'' in March 1928. The theatre faced financial problems due to the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

in 1929 and the growing attraction of

sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

. Therefore the architect transformed the house into a cinema for 1,400 people in 1931. Named ''Scala'', it was opened on 30 September 1931. It was also used for

Varieté ''Variety'' ( , also known by the alternative titles ''Jealousy'' or ''Vaudeville'') is a 1925 German silent drama film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont based on the 1912 novel '' The Oath of Stephan Huller'' by Felix Hollaender. The trapeze ...

performances. Between 1948 and 1956, when the district was under

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into three differe ...

, the housе was used for drama theatre in ambitious staging, such as with

Karl Paryla Karl Paryla (1905–1996) was an Austrian theater actor and director, and later a film maker as well. A lifelong, dedicated communist, his career in the Austrian theater was first interrupted by the Second World War, and then strained by Cold War ...

and

Therese Giehse Therese Giehse (; 6 March 1898 – 3 March 1975), born Therese Gift, was a German actress. Born in Munich to German-Jewish parents, she first appeared on the stage in 1920. She became a major star on stage, in films, and in political cabaret. In ...

in Brecht plays, but the Vienna press ignored them for political reasons. After Soviet occupation, the house existed only for a short time; the last performance was held on 30 June 1956. It was demolished in 1959/60.

World premieres

Several operettas were first performed at the theatre: * ', by Bruno Granichstaedten, 13 November 1908 * '' Das Fürstenkind'', by

Franz Lehár Franz Lehár ( ; ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is '' The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe''). Life and career L ...

, 7 October 1909 * ''

'', by

Emmerich Kálmán Emmerich Kálmán ( ; 24 October 1882 – 30 October 1953) was a Kingdom of Hungary, Hungarian composer of operettas and a prominent figure in the development of Operetta#Austria–Hungary, Viennese operetta in the 20th century. Among his most p ...

, 11 October 1912 * ''Der Nachtschnellzug'', by

Leo Fall Leopold Fall (2 February 187316 September 1925) was an Austrian Kapellmeister and composer of operettas. Life Born in Olmütz (Olomouc), Leo (or Leopold) Fall was taught by his father Moritz Fall (1848–1922), a bandmaster and composer, who sett ...

, 20 December 1913 * ''Das dumme Herz'', by

Carl Michael Ziehrer Carl Michael Ziehrer (more rarely spelled Karl Michael Ziehrer) (2 May 1843 – 14 November 1922) In the 8th edition the article title changed without comment to Ziehrer, Carl Michael. was an Austrian composer. In his lifetime, he was one of the ...

, 27 February 1914 * ', by Oscar Straus, 9 November 1914 * ''

'', by Kálmán, 17 November 1915 * '' Die Faschingsfee'', by Kálmán, 21 September 1917 * '' Das Hollandweibchen'', by Kálmán, 30 January 1920 * ''Eine Sommernacht'', by

Robert Stolz Robert Elisabeth Stolz (25 August 188027 June 1975) was an Austrian songwriter and conductor as well as a composer of operettas and film music.Stanley Sadie Ed. (2002) ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'', Oxford University Press Biography ...

, 23 December 1921 * ''Bajazzos Abenteuer'', by Michael Krasznay-Krausz, 1923 * ''Ein Märchen aus Florenz'', by

Ralph Benatzky Ralph Benatzky (5 June 1884 – 16 October 1957), born in Mährisch Budwitz ( Moravské Budějovice) as Rudolph Franz rantišekJosef Benatzky, was an Austrian composer of Moravian origin. He composed operas and operettas, such as '' Casanova'' ...

, 14 September 1923 * '' Paganini'', by Lehár, 30 October 1925 * ''Evelyne'', by Bruno Granichstaedten, 6 January 1928 * '' Das Veilchen vom Montmartre'', by Kálmán, 21 March 1930 * ''Der süßeste Schwindel der Welt'', by Stolz, 21 December 1937

References

External links

Postcard
andreas-praefcke.de {{authority control Former theatres in Vienna Buildings and structures in Wieden Johann Strauss II Theatres completed in 1908 Buildings and structures demolished in 1960 1908 establishments in Austria 1960 disestablishments in Austria

History

World premieres

Further reading

References

External links