Tuesday, May 24

This morning in the Vienna class we covered Franz Schubert and the Biedermeier Period in Vienna (the period between the Congress of Vienna in 1814 and the revolutions of 1848). Schubert was an appropriate topic because on Thursday we plan to visit both the house in which he was born and the house in which he died. The Biedermeier Period is important because it was during this time in which the Viennese waltz was born, through the efforts of Joseph Lanner and Johann Strauss I. In the Opera Class we talked about Rossini and also a little about the Vienna State Opera House, because we will take a tour of the house in the afternoon after class. We also discussed Rossini's opera The Italian Girl in Algiers, which is playing at the opera house and which many of the students plan to see.

So after lunch, we headed back downtown on the U-Bahn (subway) to the Opera House for our tour.

At the opera house we met our guide, and first she took us up the grand staircase into one of the foyers on the side of the house, which in the old days was meant only for nobles but which today can be used by anyone who attends an opera.

She then showed us a peak at the Emperor's Tea Room, which is right behind the emperor's box and in which the Emperor would entertain guests back in the days of the Empire (late nineteenth century).

As our guide led us back downstairs to enter the main hall, we paused on the grand staircase for a short talk.

And another view:

Finally she led us into the auditorium and we all took seats at the front near the orchestra pit.

While she talked about the opera house, the sets that were on stage when we went into the hall began to move to the side and rear on rollers. Then another part of the set descended on what was obviously elevators to below stage level and soon the entire backstage area opened up for viewing.

From where we were sitting we also had a nice view of the Stehplatz area from which we viewed the Vienna Philharmonic concert on our first full day here.

After the tour, most of the group spent some time in the Opera House gift shop, where there were many interesting items, including many opera recordings.

The rest of the afternoon was free, and several students had planned to attend concerts in the evening.