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29-763: Der Vogelhandler was first performed on 10 January 1891 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna with the celebrated Viennese actor and singer, Alexander Girardi , in the title role. It also played at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London in 1895 and, as The Tyrolean, at the Casino Theatre in New York in 1891 for 100 performances. The act 2 aria " Wie mein Ahn'l zwanzig Jahr " was recorded by

58-511: A full-time venue for opera and other forms of classical music under the direction of Roland Geyer  [ de ] . Major musical productions since are now presented at either the Raimund Theater or the Ronacher . The first opera to be given was Mozart's Idomeneo with Neil Shicoff in the title role and Peter Schneider conducting the new production by Willy Decker . Other members of

87-517: A handsome bird seller from the Tyrol and Christel, the village postmistress. They, at cross-purposes, become involved in romantic complications at the Court of the reigning Prince. After a number of intrigues and misunderstandings, all ends happily. The story is also a tale of people from different cultures and backgrounds learning to live together. The bird-seller comes from a culture quite different from that of

116-565: A part of the original building is preserved: the Papagenotor (Papageno Gate) is a memorial to Schikaneder, who is depicted playing the role of Papageno in The Magic Flute , a role he wrote for himself to perform. He is accompanied by the Three Boys, characters in the same opera. From 1889 to 1905, Alexandrine von Schönerer was managing director after the lease ended in 1884 between her and

145-454: A toast, Adam manages to get around to all concerned to inform them that Christel will ring a small bell when she identifies the unknown individual who may still be impersonating the Elector. When the master of the hunt announces the wedding of Adelaide and Stanislaus, Christel identifies Stanislaus as the impostor. When Marie chides Stanisslaus for behavior unbecoming an officer and chooses Adam as

174-497: A warmth of cross-cultural friendship and understanding, the Tyroleans encourage the aristocrats of the Court to dance with them at the union of Adam and Christel while Adam extends to his new neighbors a warm greeting in his own Tyrolean dialect. The work was adapted several times into films, e.g. in 1935 , in 1935 , and in 1962 . The 1956 film Die Christel von der Post only takes its name from this operetta's main female role, and

203-588: Is German for "Vienna", the " Wien " in the name of the theatre is actually the name of the Wien River , which once flowed by the theatre site; " an der Wien " means "on the banks of the Wien". In modern times, the river has been covered over in this location and the covered riverbed now houses the Naschmarkt , an open-air market. The theatre is operated in cooperation with Vereinigte Bühnen Wien (VBW) which also operates

232-452: Is attempting to get out of debt. When the master of the hunt finds out that the Elector will not be coming to the festival, he is greedy for the purse which the Elector has sent to use as an honorarium to pay the ceremonial maiden. Stanislaus suggests that he impersonate the Elector. Electress-Princess Marie arrives in disguise with Adelaide because she believes that the Elector is coming to the festival for no other reason than to be alone with

261-480: The Raimund Theater and the Ronacher . The theatre was the brainchild of the Viennese theatrical impresario Emanuel Schikaneder , who is best known as Mozart 's librettist and collaborator on the opera The Magic Flute (1791). Schikaneder's troupe had already been successfully performing for several years in Vienna in the smaller Theater auf der Wieden and this is where The Magic Flute had premiered. As

290-469: The Vienna State Opera . Notable productions of the non-standard repertory include: Between 1996 and 2002, Riccardo Muti conducted new productions of the three Da Ponte operas of Mozart, based on an original production by Giorgio Strehler . In 2006, the 250th anniversary year of Mozart's birth, the Theater an der Wien presented a series of major Mozart operas, thus initiating its conversion to

319-657: The 1940 film Roses in Tyrol is loosely inspired by this operetta. Theater an der Wien The Theater an der Wien is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served primarily as an opera house, hosting its own company. Although " Wien "

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348-511: The Elector. He publicly breaks off his engagement to Christel. The master of the hunt, who is Stanislaus' uncle, wonders about a scandal about to break because Adam and Christel have arrived at the Palace at cross-purposes, while Stanislaus may still be impersonating the Elector. Christel manages to get permission from Marie to find Adam a job at Court. An examination is arranged for Adam's job interview, conducted by two comical professors. Adelaide asks

377-426: The cast were Angelika Kirchschlager , Genia Kühmeier , and Barbara Frittoli . Geyer is quoted as saying that he wishes to "present cutting edge directors and interesting productions", and his three main areas of focus are on Baroque opera , contemporary opera, and Mozart. In recent years, the theatre's seasons have included the following works outside the standard repertoire: The Theater an der Wien has seen

406-415: The ceremonial maiden. Christel tells Adam that she plans to petition the Court to find him employment so that he can move here to forward their engagement. Adam, believing that a Tyrolean man bears the sole responsibility to fight his own fight to be able to support the wife he has chosen, asks her not to do this. Christel ends up in the pavilion with Stanislaus, believing him to be the Elector. Adam arrives at

435-611: The early 1960s, the threat had emerged that it would be converted to a parking garage. (This was the same era of " urban renewal " that in America nearly destroyed Carnegie Hall ). By 1962 the theatre had a new and successful role as a venue for contemporary musical theatre . Many English-language musicals had their German premieres there. In 1992, the musical Elisabeth (about Franz Joseph I of Austria 's wife, Elisabeth of Bavaria , also known as Sisi), premiered there and ran for six consecutive years until 1998; Elisabeth went on to become

464-490: The festival to find the master of the hunt and the mayor informing him that Christel is the ceremonial maiden and is therefore not in the crowd. Marie, hoping to save Adam from embarrassment, offers him the bouquet of roses which she has brought in case her plan to become the ceremonial maiden, thus catching her husband, inflagrante, works out. Adam, thinking of his own Tyrolen behavior code, somehow believes himself to have been promised to Marie and Christel to have been promised to

493-405: The idea ... to charge admission simply for looking at the glories of their Theater an der Wien , Schikaneder would certainly have been able to take in vast sums of money without giving one single performance." The Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung called it the "most comfortable and satisfactory in the whole of Germany" (which meant at the time, "all German-speaking lands"). In 1807 the theatre

522-465: The librettist Camillo Walzel . In the late 19th to early 20th centuries, the theatre experienced a golden age during the flourishing of Viennese operetta , as referenced in the list below. From 1945 to 1955, it was one of the temporary homes of the Vienna State Opera , whose own building had been destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II . However, in 1955, the theatre was closed for safety reasons. It languished unused for several years, and by

551-417: The master of the hunt to arrange a marriage between herself and Stanislaus, whom she adores, Stanislaus, still pretending to be the Elector, continues to pursue Christel, who complains to Marie. Marie works out a scheme with Adam and Christel to identify the unknown individual who is still impersonating the Elector. She invites Adam to bring his Tyrolean friends to entertain at Court. Under the guise of proposing

580-541: The most successful German-language musical to date, returning to the Theater an der Wien for a revival production from 2003 to 2005. The musical Cats directed and choreographed by Gillian Lynne played successfully for seven years. Despite its focus on operettas and musicals, the theatre still served as a venue for occasional opera productions, especially during the Vienna Festival seasons, and sometimes co-produced with

609-478: The person to pass judgement because Adam was the one who suffered most because of his prank, Adam announces to the Court that he believes Stanislaus to have already made a legitimate offer of marriage to Christel. Stanislaus answers him in gentlemanly fashion by formally proposing to Christel. When Christel tells Adam that she is still promised only to him, Adam again formally rejects her, so Christel decides to accept Stanislaus' proposal. Adelaide, still unsure why there

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638-400: The postal clerk, might be willing to volunteer to be the ceremonial maiden because she is promised to Adam, a bird-seller from the Tyrol, who cannot afford to move into her community to forward their engagement. Wishing to please Christel, Adam offers Weps a yellow adult bird from the Tyrol as a bribe toward being considered for an in-town work assignment. Meanwhile, Stanislaus, a guards officer,

667-525: The postal clerk. The ending, in which the Court joins the Tyroleans in dancing the Laendler and the bird seller greets his new neighbors in Tyrolean dialect, represents a triumph of cross-cultural integration and friendship. The mayor is at his wit's end because he cannot supply the Elector with the wild boar and the ceremonial maiden required to perform during an upcoming festival. A waitress suggests that Christel,

696-514: The premieres of many works by celebrated composers and playwrights. It was a particularly favorite venue for Ludwig van Beethoven , who actually lived in rooms inside the theatre, at Schikaneder's invitation, during part of the period he was composing his opera Fidelio . The Bird Seller (1935 film) The Bird Seller ( German : Der Vogelhändler ) is a 1935 German musical comedy film directed by E. W. Emo and starring Maria Andergast , Wolf Albach-Retty , and Lil Dagover . It

725-617: The soprano Elisabeth Schumann . The setting is historical fiction with artistic license, in 18th century lands around Heidelberg , which then constituted a district of the Holy Roman Empire governed by a Prince known as the Elector Palatine . The story is reset in a fictitious estate of the husband of the Electress, Princess Marie. Der Vogelhändler is a bucolic comedy, set in the 18th-century Rhineland , featuring two lovers, Adam,

754-459: The troupe's performances often emphasized spectacle and scenery, the librettist felt ready to move to a larger and better equipped venue. He had already been granted an imperial licence to build a new theatre in 1786, but it was only in 1798 that he felt ready to act on this authorization. The building was designed by the architect Franz Jäger in Empire style (it has since been remodeled). Construction

783-414: Was acquired by a group of court nobles that included Count Ferdinand Palffy von Erdöd , who bought it outright in 1813. During the period of his proprietorship, which lasted until 1826, he offered opera and ballet and, to appeal to a wider Viennese audience, popular pantomime and variety acts, losing money in elaborate spectacles until finally he was forced to sell the theatre at auction in 1826. Only

812-484: Was an objection to her marriage because her groom had already promised himself to another, collapses. The master of the hunt, who has always adored Adelaide, sets things right by proposing to her and encouraging her to accept. Christel confronts Stanislaus and convinces both Adam and Stanislaus that women always have the upper hand in matters of love. Marie wonders why those below her in rank are finding true happiness while she can only fantasize about her own happiness. In

841-408: Was completed in 1801. The theatre has been described as "the most lavishly equipped and one of the largest theatres of its age". The theatre opened on 13 June 1801 with a prologue written by Schikaneder followed by a performance of the opera Alexander by Franz Teyber . The new theatre proved to be a sensation. Adolf Bäurle, a local critic, wrote "if Schikaneder and [his partner] Zitterbarth had had

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