Verdi and Wagner in Wien
May 27, 2013
This May, Vienna will celebrate the bicentennial birthday of two beloved opera composers, Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi.
Both spent time in Vienna: In 1843, Verdi staged his opera Nabucco here, which was the first time it was performed outside of Italy. He later led performances of Rigoletto in 1852 and Requiem in 1875 at Vienna’s Court Opera.
Wagner called the city home for several years, accomplishing significant compositional work including the staging of Tannhäuser in 1857 at the Thalia Theater.
Celebrations will begin on 30 May at the Vienna Philharmonic’s annual Summer Night Concert at Schloss Schönbrunn. In addition, the Vienna State Opera will accompany the shows with an exhibition from 8 April to 30 June titled Wagner and the Viennese Opera.