gladtotravel

Hi, our friends are hoping to go to Vienna in late September, early October and big priority is seeing the opera . Friend has searched internet but hasn't found the dates for 2010-11 season. I assured her someone on Fodor's would know. As always, thanks for any help.

yk

I know the season starts sometime in September. However, the Wiener Staatsoper has not announced its line-up for the 2010-2011 season yet.

annhig

hi glad,

when we went to Vienna last summer, one of my priorities was getting tickets at the Staatsoper. i didn't face the problem that you've got as they programme was already published, but i was very confused about getting tickets, as many already seem to have been sold to subscribers, and don't go on general release until about a month before teh performance.

however, it is possible to apply to buy them before that, as they have a system whereby you apply for the CHANCE to buy a ticket/s, and presumably when the subscriber returns them, you get the opportunity to buy. you have to specify the range of price/s that you want to be considered for, and your maximum, and wait. they will then send you the details of an offer and you have a short window to decide whether you want it. what happens if you reject it, I've no idea, as I snappd up the first ones we were offered.

I can only suggest that you lurk around the website until they announce the programme and go from there.

good luck!

gladtotravel

Thank you yk and annhig. My friend thought that she hadn't found the right site. The info about getting on a waiting list for chance to buy tickets sounds good. I'll forward this to her.

yk

After the schedule is announced, your friend can send a request for tickets. In addition, tickets for general public go on sale one month before the performance. If it's not a too popular one, it won't be too difficult to get tickets. However, if she wants to see a new production or with big stars, then she probably will need to get up in the middle of the night here in the US (ticket sales begin @ 8am Central European time) to go online to buy the tickets as soon as they are released.

molker

The State Opera regularly begins its season during the first week of September- so end of September is no problem. Performance schedule is already finalized and will be posted in the Spring time
Important to know for september
that tickets for September performances go on general sale June 1 - 30 June. Purchase early in June directly as shown on the Opera website No need for a Stand by or " wait list .

yk

molker, thanks for correcting me. I always forget about the Sept performance tickets being avaiable in June instead of 1 month before.

Could you be so kind to post a link here for the 2010-2011 schedule once it's announced?

annhig

molker, you've helped me to make sense of our experience, which has been [vaguely] puzzling me.

looking back, we didn't think about getting tickets [simply because we'd only then decided on the trip, until about half-way through the season, by which time most of the tickets would have been sold. hence my entry on the "stand-by " list. teh OP's friend is in a much better position. However, they may be others lurking here who want to get tickets after the season had started and can use my information.

sebinah

Don't miss the tour of the Opera House in Vienna!

molker

Yes, When out I will post here for those wishing to review it.

Jus t some added info regarding tickets- subscritptions or as known here an abonnement did not fill all the sesats of the Opera.
Many good seats remain to be sold and if one applies by "Stand by " or when the tickets first go on direct sale chances are good with a few exceptions.

Even nearer to the date of the performance , one can often find single seats available.

2 traveling together often apply for 2 adjacent seats - none available but using the method of 2 single seats - you can find something.
You can still meet at the pause and have an enjoyable evening.

Hotel concierge can always find tickets - of couse at a good premium to the face price.

A nice alternative is the Volksoper - having quality performances and at much lesser cost.
The State Opera and Volksioper share many things today including the Ballett corps

www.volksoper.at

If one visits in summer when the State Opera is on vacation - still some opera or operetta to be found at various times.

Theater an der Wien has some performances at various times.
The theater at Schonbrunn Palace hosts various operettas too.

yk

molker, it seems like some productions @ Volksoper are sung in German (such as the upcoming Carmen & Tosca)? While some others are sung in the original language (eg, Traviata)? Are there projected surtitles on a screen or does the Volksoper have the fancy individual LED screens like Staatsoper which allows you to choose your preferred language for the surtitles?

MademoiselleFifi

YK, Volksoper has supertitles above the stage. They are not visible to the very back rows of the orchestra. I didn't check whether the seating chart said that. Anyway, their supertitles are kind of useless, only a very general plot summery (that you can get from the synopsis in the program), not a sentence by sentence translation

molker

The subtitles -those offered on the screen above the stage vary greatly by the progrsm offered , but generally they give a good general description of events and I do not agree that they are generally useless as mentioned above.

No fancy individual screens yet , but the current director has made numerous godd changes in the past few years and this could come in the future.

Ienjoy the performances of the Volksoper and with the top ticket now about 80euro and many 20 - 40 euro a good music bargain.

At the pause , you find a buffet or immediately across the street from the entrance of the Volksoper , a small cafe - quick service there with tables and chairs available too. - join the locals for the cheaper drink and quick service.

Enough time to enjoy this and return for the next act.

Most times the oper or operetta offered is sung in the native language - exsample - Strauss operetta like Fledermaus in german and then english subtitiles .
Traviata in italin but then with german subtites mostly.

But then you find Carmen often in germa - no subtitles- so no hard rule.

Looking on the Volksoper program you can see the language used and generally the nature of the subtitles.

The program -away also to tip the usher for assisting you to locate your seat has a fair synopsis in several languages for each performance.

yk

I see that Staatsoper's 2010-11 schedule is out now. Here's the link to Sept 2010 programme:
http://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/Cont...th=9&year=2010

Is there a better webpage that will show me all the 2010-11 productions and cast, instead of having to click through each month and click on each production to see the cast?

molker

If you go to program for the season - just click on the name any offering of the opera etc. that interests you listed in the monthly program.



Click directly on the name and a full list of the dates of this offering for the season will appear . You will find a section -cast for each of these dates so you can quickly review each offerings cast by date, no need to go to each month and get to the particular performance.

yk

I see it now, molker. The 2010-2011 season program is not available in the English version of the Staatsoper website. When I went to the German version, I found it. http://www.staatsoper.at/Content.Nod...-201011.at.php

Thanks for the information.

yk

P.S., The 2010-11 season at Theater an der Wien almost looks more interesting/appealing: http://www.theater-wien.at/index.php/en/programme/46244

annhig

The 2010-11 season at Theater an der Wien almost looks more interesting/appealing: >>

I see that they're doing a little known work by Mozart called " la finta giardineria".

we saw it in Florence.

there is a reason why it's little known.