16.02.2023 23:25
(Akt. 16.02.2023 23:25)
The opening of the Vienna Opera Ball 2023 was so beautiful.
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The Vienna Opera Ball has opened: At the 65th edition following the corona-related cancellation, the mixture of media spectacle, society event and cultural event that is probably only possible in Vienna took place on Thursday evening in the State Opera.
Director Bogdan Roščić was the head of the State Opera for the first time. Before a premiere he was always “completely over the moon”, today he had a “slight tension” as the host of thousands of visitors, he said in an ORF interview.
Premiere für Staatopern-Director Bogdan Roščić
Thanks to his participation, the focus at the opening was primarily on the young generation of the State Opera. The ballet academy initially showed Joseph Lanner’s “Tarantel Gallop”, followed later by “Eljen a Magyar!” by Johann Strauss (son) sung by the children of the opera school, in which the director’s daughter also took part. In advance, he promised that “the children would steal the show,” he told ORF.
The opening of the Vienna Opera Ball 2023 was so beautiful
In general, the opening was all regarding one hundred years of Viennese dance music and operetta. State ballet director Martin Schläpfer created a new choreography to the music of Johann Strauss’ immortal waltz “Wiener Blut”, which premiered at the ball. The ballet dancers wore all-black costumes by fashion designer Susanne Bisovsky.
In general, the opening was all regarding one hundred years of Viennese dance music and operetta. State ballet director Martin Schläpfer created a new choreography to the music of Johann Strauss’ immortal waltz “Wiener Blut”, which premiered at the ball. The ballet dancers wore all-black costumes by fashion designer Susanne Bisovsky.
The star singers also lived up to the tradition. First, tenor Andreas Schager thundered through the opera together with his wife, the violinist Lidia Baich, “Friends, life is worth living” from “Giuditta” by Franz Lehár. Then came the Finnish singer Camilla Nylund with the “Vilja Song” from “The Merry Widow”, also by Franz Lehár. Together they let “Two Hearts in Three-Four Time” by Robert Stolz beat.
The only exotic among all the Austrians was Frédéric Chopin, under whose “Polonaise A major, op. 40 No. 1” the debutantes moved in – and finally released the stage for the 5,150 visitors with the Blue Danube Waltz.
Lots of political prominence at the Vienna Opera Ball
As usual, official Austria was strongly represented: Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also took a seat in a box, as did Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), who has Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo as a guest.
As usual, official Austria was strongly represented: Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also took a seat in a box, as did Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP), who has Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo as a guest.
Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) welcomed his German counterpart Christian Lindner. The two chancellery ministers Karoline Edtstadler and Susanne Raab (both ÖVP) also came to the opera. From the Greens, however, only State Secretary Andrea Mayer came, who set an example on the occasion of Austria’s status as the guest country of the Leipzig Book Fair and invited a representative of the Main Association of the Austrian Book Trade, Benedikt Föger, to the opera. Vienna Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) brought Alexander Wrabetz as his personal guest.
Jane Fonda and Chris Noth as guests at the Vienna Opera Ball
Master builder Richard Lugner, who had the actress Jane Fonda as a star guest with him this year, provided the usual flurry of flashbulbs. Fonda in a white, long, structured dress had not really been informed regarding her performance in advance. “I thought I was going to an opera performance,” she said shortly before the festival. Beforehand she ate Wiener Schnitzel. “I love potato salad,” said Mimin.
Master builder Richard Lugner, who had the actress Jane Fonda as a star guest with him this year, provided the usual flurry of flashbulbs. Fonda in a white, long, structured dress had not really been informed regarding her performance in advance. “I thought I was going to an opera performance,” she said shortly before the festival. Beforehand she ate Wiener Schnitzel. “I love potato salad,” said Mimin.
Among others, director Thomas Roth, actor Jeff Wilbusch, the mime couple Michael Ostrowski and Hilde Dalik and the street and pop artist Niclas Castello took their places in the box of businessman Klemens Hallmann and his wife, the model Barbara Meier.
Hollywood actor Chris Noth – known as Mr. Big from “Sex and the City” – was welcomed as a guest by Patricia Schalko (ex-wife of billionaire and real estate tycoon Georg Stumpf) and her boyfriend, lawyer Tassilo Wallentin. There have been allegations of sexual assault once morest him by several women for some time, which is why his co-actresses at the time have distanced themselves from him.
Stars and asterisks on the red carpet of the State Opera
The actors Mariella Ahrens, Felix Kammerer and Verena Altenberger, fashion designer Lena Hoschek, the South African opera singer Pretty Yende, tenor Adrian Eröd, baritone Andre Schuen, the Swedish Wagner icon Nina Stemme, the director Stefan also fought their way through the dense crowd of the red carpet Ruzowitzky, the pop singer Melissa Naschenweng and the daughter of Circus Roncalli founder Bernhard Paul, Lili Paul-Roncalli. The entrepreneurs Nadja Swarovski, Christian W. Mucha, conductor Franz Welser-Möst and the director of the Vienna Philharmonic, Daniel Froschauer, also attended.
Physics Nobel Prize winner Anton Zeilinger also attended this year’s opera ball and took a seat in the box of the Federal President at the opening. The quantum physicist is an avid operagoer, even when he was in high school he was regularly to be found standing there. Van der Bellen, who came accompanied by his wife Doris Schmidauer, emphasized in the ORF interview that a lot has changed in the world at the moment, but it’s nice to “revive old traditions”. He wishes all ball visitors and TV viewers “good entertainment and lots of fun”.
Opera ball demo and climate protest on the red carpet
The notorious opera ball demo, which was notorious in earlier years, also celebrated its comeback. The Communist Youth of Austria (KJÖ) called for a protest march, which started at 7 p.m. at Keplerplatz in Favoriten and led to the opera. The motto was also well known: a few hundred people marched once morest social injustice under the slogan “Eat the Rich”. The LINKS party has also called for a rally between the Opera and Albertina from 8 p.m. LINKS spokeswoman Anna Svec hoped in advance for a prominent participant and invited Lugner’s opera ball guest Fonda to the rally, but she preferred to go to the opera.
The notorious opera ball demo, which was notorious in earlier years, also celebrated its comeback. The Communist Youth of Austria (KJÖ) called for a protest march, which started at 7 p.m. at Keplerplatz in Favoriten and led to the opera. The motto was also well known: a few hundred people marched once morest social injustice under the slogan “Eat the Rich”. The LINKS party has also called for a rally between the Opera and Albertina from 8 p.m. LINKS spokeswoman Anna Svec hoped in advance for a prominent participant and invited Lugner’s opera ball guest Fonda to the rally, but she preferred to go to the opera.
Climate activists around Lena Schilling also protested on the red carpet. “There will be protests, there will be resistance. It is clear that the richest ten percent also cause half of the greenhouse gas emissions in Austria and are therefore mainly responsible for the climate crisis in Austria. And we will stand up once morest it, even today,” said Schilling in the APA interview. After unfurling a banner (“You dance, we burn”), she and her colleague Daniel Shams were escorted off the red carpet by Securities – “under protest,” as they emphasized.