#Vienna opera house stage floor full

Friends and hangers-on can easily visit you at the interval.It is possible to sit down comfortably in a wide-skirted ballgown.

The Social Advantages of a Box at the Opera The number and arrangement of the boxes reflects the early importance of the 'high society' aspect of the opera house.

#Vienna opera house stage floor full

Historically, subscribers often either owned the box or could reserve it for the full opera season. The BoxesĪ box is a balcony section divided by partitions from the neighbouring boxes, with a separate door, furnished with moveable chairs and stools rather than fixed seating. Depending on the acoustics of the building, the sound may be less well-balanced, especially for those sitting close to the brass section of the orchestra. The larger the opera house, the more noticeable this advantage, so they are usually among the most expensive seats. Sometimes known as the Parterre, or orchestra stalls, these seats have the closest clear view of the stage. This is the normal arrangement in opera houses designed in the 20th Century. This is found in many houses built from 1850 onwards, such as Covent Garden in London. Large open galleries at mid-level, with boxes only along the narrow viewing areas at the side. This is typical of the oldest and most aristocratic houses, such as La Scala (Milan) and Vienna. Tiers of boxes, with open galleries only at the highest levels. The ground floor seats are usually called the 'stalls' 2. In a traditional opera house, this is normally U-shaped, with the length of the sides determining the audience capacity. If the work performed is in an exotic style, or by a modern composer, the array of instruments may be as interesting as what is happening on stage. It sometimes extends quite a distance under the stage. This is the space for the orchestra, which nowadays may contain over a hundred musicians. The stage door, however, is often a magnet for fanatical opera-goers, who lie in wait for their favourite singers after every performance. The legendary feuds carried on here rarely affect the front of the house.

The area behind the stage is usually a warren containing dressing-rooms, rehearsal rooms, storage rooms and workshops. The combination of manpower and stage machinery allows a traditional opera house to produce a surprising range of special effects: one grand opera of the 1820s went so far as to have Vesuvius erupting on stage. The Stage and BackstageĪbove the stage, the tall fly tower allows scenery to be completely raised, using a combination of counter-weights and pulleys. The importance of boxes, for example, arose from the historic position of the opera house as a social meeting place for the aristocracy. However, many features of a traditional opera house have other origins. The combination of fully-equipped stage and large pit is essential for classical ballet as well as opera performances, and most opera houses are now home to both opera and ballet companies 1. What makes a building an opera house? It must have a large stage with full facilities for the use of extensive scenery and a pit large enough for a full-sized orchestra.