Misplaced Pages

#121878

101-489: Karl Theodore Francis Bitter (December 6, 1867 – April 9, 1915) was an Austrian-born American sculptor best known for his architectural sculpture, memorials and residential work. The son of Carl and Henrietta Bitter, he was born in the municipal district Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus of Vienna. His early training took place at the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule (the imperial school for the applied arts), and after that at

202-451: A chorus, children's choir, and many supporting and leading solo singers. The company also employs numerous free-lance dancers, actors, musicians and other performers throughout the season. The Met's roster of singers includes both international and American artists, some of whose careers have been developed through the Met's young artists programs. While many singers appear periodically as guests with

303-708: A cross, which he uses to kill a green fire-breathing dragon. The image is the symbol of the Barnabitenkollegium St. Michael in Vienna, a monastery that was home to the founding fathers of the settlements of Fünfhaus and Sechshaus. As the former crest of Sechshaus was virtually identical to that of Fünfhaus, it is represented by the Fünfhaus section of the coat-of-arms. 48°12′03″N 16°19′12″E  /  48.20083°N 16.32000°E  / 48.20083; 16.32000 Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera

404-651: A dozen or more opera performances in Philadelphia throughout the season. Over the years the number of performances was gradually reduced until the final Philadelphia season in 1961 consisted of only four operas. The final performance of that last season was on March 21, 1961, with Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli in Turandot . After the Tuesday night visits were ended, the Met still returned to Philadelphia on its spring tours in 1967, 1968, 1978, and 1979. For its second season,

505-492: A long relationship with the Met during this period. From 1900 to 1904, Lionel Mapleson (1865–1937) made a series of sound recordings at the Met. Mapleson, the nephew of the opera impresario James Henry Mapleson , was employed by the Met as a violinist and music librarian. He used an Edison cylinder phonograph set-up near the stage to capture short, one- to five-minute recordings of the soloists, chorus and orchestra during performances. These unique acoustic documents, known as

606-470: A new home in Lincoln Center. While many outstanding singers debuted at the Met under Bing's guiding hand, music critics complained of a lack of great conducting during his regime, even though such eminent conductors as Fritz Stiedry , Dimitri Mitropoulos , Erich Leinsdorf , Fritz Reiner , and Karl Böhm appeared frequently in the 1950s and '60s. Among the most significant achievements of Bing's tenure

707-492: A rotating repertory schedule, with up to seven performances of four different works staged each week. Performances are given in the evening Monday through Saturday with a matinée on Saturday. Several operas are presented in new productions each season. Sometimes these are borrowed from or shared with other opera companies. The rest of the year's operas are given in revivals of productions from previous seasons. The 2015–16 season comprised 227 performances of 25 operas. The operas in

808-894: A season of opera at the new Metropolitan Opera House . Henry Abbey served as manager for the inaugural season, 1883–84, which opened with a performance of Charles Gounod 's Faust starring the brilliant Swedish soprano Christina Nilsson . Abbey's company that first season featured an ensemble of artists led by sopranos Nilsson and Marcella Sembrich ; mezzo-soprano Sofia Scalchi ; tenors Italo Campanini and Roberto Stagno ; baritone Giuseppe Del Puente ; and bass Franco Novara . They gave 150 performances of 20 different operas by Gounod, Meyerbeer, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Wagner, Mozart, Thomas, Bizet, Flotow, and Ponchielli. All performances were sung in Italian and were conducted either by music director Auguste Vianesi or Cleofonte Campanini (the tenor Italo's brother). The company performed not only in

909-459: A six-week tour of American cities following its season in New York. These annual spring tours brought the company and its stars to cities throughout the U.S., most of which had no opera company of their own. In Cleveland, for example, Met stops were sporadic until 1924, when underwriting efforts spearheaded by Newton D. Baker led to 3 consecutive years of annual 8-engagement performances. This led to

1010-529: A year, as of the 2017–2018 season. In February 2018, Nézet-Séguin succeeded Levine as music director of the Metropolitan Opera. In August 2024, the company announced the extension of Nézet-Séguin's contract as its music director through the 2029–2030 season. In 2017, Daniele Rustioni first guest-conducted at the Metropolitan Opera. In November 2024, the company announced the appointment of Rustioni as its next principal guest conductor, effective with

1111-596: Is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center , situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan . Referred to colloquially as "the Met" , the company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as the general manager. The company's music director has been Yannick Nézet-Séguin since 2018. The Met

SECTION 10

#1732859313122

1212-461: Is dependent on private financing. Gelb began his tenure by opening the 2006–07 season with a production of Madama Butterfly by the English director Anthony Minghella originally staged for English National Opera. Minghella's highly theatrical concept featured vividly colored banners on a spare stage, allowing the focus to be on the detailed acting of the singers. The abstract concept included casting

1313-413: Is located in the southeast between Hollergasse, Sechshauser Straße and Diefenbachgasse. Rudolfsheim is located in the southwest area of the district, Fünfhaus east of it, the origin was in the area Clementinengasse on a path between Gumpendorf and Schmelz. The border between Rudolfsheim and Fünfhaus run along the line Pouthongasse - Schmelzbrücken Ramp - Grenzgasse - Geibelgasse. Originally, Fünfhaus included

1414-639: The Kunstakademie (the Academy of Fine Arts). At the Academy, he studied with August Kühne and Edmund Heller. Upon his graduation, he was apprenticed to an architectural sculptor, Joseph Kaffsack  [ de ] . This was the period that the Ringstraße was being built in Vienna, and a large number of decorated buildings were being built. He was drafted into the Austrian Army, and deserted while on leave. He

1515-461: The Edinburgh Festival . Serving from 1950 to 1972, Bing became one of the Met's most influential and reformist leaders. Bing modernized the administration of the company, ended an archaic ticket sales system, and brought an end to the company's Tuesday night performances in Philadelphia. He presided over an era of fine singing and glittering new productions, while guiding the company's move to

1616-542: The Mapleson Cylinders , preserve an audio picture of the early Met, and are the only known extant recordings of some performers, including the tenor Jean de Reszke and the dramatic soprano Milka Ternina. The recordings were later issued on a series of LPs and, in 2002, were included in the National Recording Registry . Beginning in 1898, the Metropolitan Opera company of singers and musicians undertook

1717-483: The Morgan , Roosevelt , and Vanderbilt families, all of whom had been excluded from the academy. The new Metropolitan Opera House opened on October 22, 1883, and was an immediate success, both socially and artistically. The Academy of Music's opera season folded just three years after the Met opened. In its early decades the Met did not produce the opera performances itself but hired prominent manager/ impresarios to stage

1818-733: The National Academy of Design , to which he was elected in 1902; the American Academy of Arts and Letters , Players' Club, Century Club, and vice-president of the Architectural League from 1904 to 1906 and from 1909 to 1911, and member of the Art Commission, New York, from 1912 to 1915. Although Bitter arose out of the Classical/Naturalist styles he was increasingly turning towards a more modern approach to sculpture. Much of

1919-837: The 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco, California. In 1906/1907, he presided over the National Sculpture Society . Among the awards won by Bitter were the silver medal of the Paris Exposition, 1900; the gold medal of the Pan-American Exposition, 1901; a gold medal at Philadelphia, 1902; and the gold medal at the St. Louis Exposition, 1904. He was a member of the National Institute of Arts and Sciences , vice-president (1906–08 and 1914–15);

2020-431: The 1933–34 season. Called the committee to Save Metropolitan Opera, the group was headed by the well-loved leading soprano, Lucrezia Bori . Bori not only led the committee, but also personally carried out much of its work and within a few months her fundraising efforts produced the $ 300,000 that were needed for the coming season. In April 1935, Gatti stepped down after 27 years as general manager. His immediate successor,

2121-587: The Astor memorial bronze gates of Trinity Church and won. The work gave him sufficient capital to build and establish a small studio on 13th Street. Bitter modeled seated statues of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton to flank the entrance to the Cuyahoga County Courthouse in Cleveland, Ohio (1909–11). He portrayed the men in early middle age, as in the 1780s when they clashed over what kind of nation

SECTION 20

#1732859313122

2222-549: The City Temple in the 1st District survived the night unscathed. In the 1990s, there were several small changes in district boundaries. In 1992, the boundaries were altered in the area of the Auer-Welsbach Park. In 1995, the district boundaries changed in two sections of the belt, and in the field Kendlerstraße, Sporckplatz and Ibsenstraße. The most recent change was marginal in 1996 in the area of Europe square in front of

2323-464: The District area. Nearly 81.0% of the developed area is accounted for by residences, bringing the district in the upper part of the Vienna districts. Farmland includes a share of 8.2% of the area. Cultural, religious, sporting or public buildings share 10.6% of the area. Nearly 33.5% of the district is in traffic/transportation areas. This is the third highest value of a municipality of Vienna. By contrast,

2424-513: The FPÖ lost heavily, falling even below its result of 1991. The SPÖ and the Greens benefited from its losses. The SPÖ garnered around 47% of the vote ( see chart below ), a result close to an absolute majority. The Greens received 14% of the vote, becoming the third-strongest force in the district, and managed to overtake the ÖVP (as 4th). This trend persisted into 2005. The SPÖ won easily that year getting 49% of

2525-565: The MOA to create the Metropolitan Opera National Company (MONC); a second touring company that would present operas nationally with young operatic talent. Supported by President John F. Kennedy and funded largely by donations given by philanthropist and publisher Lila Acheson Wallace , the company presented two seasons of operas in 1965–1966 and 1966–1967 in which hundreds of performances were given in hundreds of cities throughout

2626-485: The Met board's Eleanor Robson Belmont , the former actress and wife to industrialist August Belmont , was appointed head of a new organization—the Metropolitan Opera Guild—as successor to a women's club Belmont had set up. The Guild supported the producing company through subscriptions to its magazine, Opera News , and through Mrs. Belmont's weekly appeals on the Met's radio broadcasts. In 1940 ownership of

2727-730: The Met considerably expanded its repertory, offering four world premiers and 22 Met premiers, more new works than under any manager since Gatti-Casazza. Volpe chose Valery Gergiev , who was then the chief conductor and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre , as Principal Guest Conductor in 1997 and broadened the Met's Russian repertory. Marcelo Álvarez , Gabriela Beňačková , Diana Damrau , Natalie Dessay , Renée Fleming , Juan Diego Flórez , Marcello Giordani , Angela Gheorghiu , Susan Graham , Ben Heppner , Dmitri Hvorostovsky , Salvatore Licitra , Anna Netrebko , René Pape , Neil Rosenshein , Bryn Terfel , and Deborah Voigt were among

2828-623: The Met during Bing's tenure include: Roberta Peters , Victoria de los Ángeles , Renata Tebaldi , Maria Callas , who had a bitter falling out with Bing over repertoire, , Birgit Nilsson , Joan Sutherland , Régine Crespin , Mirella Freni , Renata Scotto , Montserrat Caballé , Elisabeth Schwarzkopf , Anna Moffo , James McCracken , Carlo Bergonzi , Franco Corelli , Alfredo Kraus , Plácido Domingo , Nicolai Gedda , Luciano Pavarotti , Jon Vickers , Tito Gobbi , Sherrill Milnes , and Cesare Siepi . The Met's 1961 production of Turandot , with Leopold Stokowski conducting, Birgit Nilsson in

2929-431: The Met found new controversy with a production of John Adams 's opera The Death of Klinghoffer , due to criticism that the work was antisemitic. In response to the controversy Gelb canceled the scheduled worldwide HD video presentation of a performance, but refused demands to cancel the live performances scheduled for October and November 2014. Demonstrators held signs and chanted "Shame on Gelb". On April 14, 2016,

3030-413: The Met from 1896 to 1903. The early 1900s saw the development of distinct Italian, German and later French "wings" within the Met's roster of artists including separate German and Italian choruses. This division of the company's forces faded after World War II when solo artists spent less time engaged at any one company. The administration of Heinrich Conried in 1903–08 was distinguished especially by

3131-474: The Met in 1891 in a glittering season of stars organized by the returning Henry E. Abbey, John B. Schoeffel and Maurice Grau as Abbey, Schoeffel and Grau . After missing a season to rebuild the opera house following a fire in August 1892 which destroyed most of the theater, Abbey and Grau continued as co-managers along with John Schoeffel as the business partner, initiating the so-called "Golden Age of Opera". Most of

Karl Bitter - Misplaced Pages Continue

3232-453: The Met in 1973 as Desdemona in Verdi 's Otello , the same role she debuted there in 1955. From 1975 to 1981 the Met was guided by a triumvirate of directors: the general manager (Anthony A. Bliss), artistic director ( James Levine ), and director of production (English stage director John Dexter ). Bliss was followed by Bruce Crawford and Hugh Southern . Through this period the constant figure

3333-511: The Met's current stars as well as appearances by 26 veteran stars of the Met's the past. Among the artists, Leonard Bernstein and Birgit Nilsson gave their last performances with the company at the concert. This season also marked the debut of bass Samuel Ramey , who debuted as Argante in Handel's Rinaldo in January 1984. The immediate post-Bing era saw a continuing addition of African-Americans to

3434-487: The Met's directors turned to Leopold Damrosch as general manager. The revered conductor of the New York Symphony Orchestra was engaged to lead the opera company in an all German language repertory and serve as its chief conductor. Under Damrosch, the company consisted of some the most celebrated singers from Europe's German-language opera houses. The new German Met found great popular and critical success in

3535-407: The Met's own SiriusXM radio channel. In 2010, the company named Fabio Luisi as its principal guest conductor in 2010, and subsequently its principal conductor in 2011, to fill a void created by Levine's two-year absence because of illness. In 2013, following the severance of the dancers' contracts, Gelb announced that the resident ballet company at the Met would cease to exist. In 2014, Gelb and

3636-689: The Met's own original productions. Theater directors Bartlett Sher , Mary Zimmerman , and Jack O'Brien joined the list of the Met's directors along with Stephen Wadsworth, Willy Decker, Laurent Pelly , Luc Bondy and other opera directors to create new stagings for the company. Robert Lepage , the Canadian director of Cirque du Soleil , was engaged by the Met to direct a revival of Der Ring des Nibelungen using hydraulic stage platforms and projected 3D imagery. To further engage new audiences Gelb initiated live high-definition video transmissions to cinemas worldwide, and regular live satellite radio broadcasts on

3737-506: The Met's principal conductor (but with no official title) from 1908 to 1915, leading the company in performances of Verdi, Wagner and others that set standards for the company for decades to come. The Viennese composer Gustav Mahler also was a Met conductor during Gatti-Casazza's first two seasons and in later years conductors Tullio Serafin and Artur Bodanzky led the company in the Italian and German repertories respectively. Following Toscanini's departure, Gatti-Casazza successfully guided

3838-476: The Met's regular visits ceased. On April 26, 1910, the Met purchased the Philadelphia Opera House from Oscar Hammerstein I . The company renamed the house the Metropolitan Opera House and performed all of their Philadelphia performances there until 1920, when the company sold the theater and resumed performing at the Academy of Music. During the Met's early years, the company annually presented

3939-456: The Met's repertoire consist of a wide range of works, from 18th-century Baroque and 19th-century Bel canto to the Minimalism of the late 20th and 21st centuries. These operas are presented in staged productions that range in style from those with elaborate traditional decors to others that feature modern conceptual designs. The Met's performing company consists of a large symphony orchestra,

4040-516: The Met's wealthy supporters had significantly declined. Soon after his appointment, Cravath obtained new revenue through a contract with the National Broadcasting Company for weekly radio broadcasts of Met performances. The first national broadcast took place December 25, 1931, when Hansel and Gretel was aired. With Gatti's support, Cravath also obtained a ten percent reduction in the pay of all salaried employees beginning with

4141-837: The Metropolitan Opera to a prolonged era of artistic innovation and musical excellence. He brought with him the fiery and brilliant conductor Arturo Toscanini , the music director from his seasons at La Scala. Many of the most noted singers of the era appeared at the Met under Gatti-Casazza's leadership, including sopranos Rosa Ponselle , Elisabeth Rethberg , Maria Jeritza , Emmy Destinn , Frances Alda , Frida Leider , Amelita Galli-Curci , Bernice de Pasquali , and Lily Pons ; tenors Jacques Urlus , Giovanni Martinelli , Beniamino Gigli , Giacomo Lauri-Volpi , and Lauritz Melchior ; baritones Titta Ruffo , Giuseppe De Luca , Pasquale Amato , and Lawrence Tibbett ; and basses Friedrich Schorr , Feodor Chaliapin , Jose Mardones, Tancredi Pasero and Ezio Pinza —among many others. Toscanini served as

Karl Bitter - Misplaced Pages Continue

4242-562: The Metropolitan Opera's founding subscribers determined to build a new opera house that would outshine the old Academy in every way. A group of 22 men assembled at Delmonico's restaurant on April 28, 1880. They elected officers and established subscriptions for ownership in the new company. The new theater, built at 39th and Broadway , would include three tiers of private boxes in which the scions of New York's powerful new industrial families could display their wealth and establish their social prominence. The first subscribers included members of

4343-706: The Roman period, it was still a wide river with many islands. Even in the Middle Ages and in modern times, the Vienna River has played a dominant role for centuries. On the one hand, the river and its floods repeatedly caused heavy destruction. On the other hand, the river served many people as a source of income, both by fishing, as well as the use of water for industry or the operation of the many watermills . The largest river branch, Mühlbach, followed along Ullmannstraße and Mollardgasse streets. Even smaller streams, which emptied into

4444-883: The Swedish opera manager Göran Gentele , died in an auto accident before the start of his first season. Following Gentele's tragic loss came Schuyler Chapin , who served as general manager for three seasons. The greatest achievement of his tenure was the Met's first tour to Japan for three weeks in May–June 1975 which was the brainchild of impresario Kazuko Hillyer . The tour played a significant role in popularizing opera in Japan, and boasted an impressive line-up of artists in productions of La traviata , Carmen , and La bohème ; including Marilyn Horne as Carmen, Joan Sutherland as Violetta, and tenors Franco Corelli and Luciano Pavarotti alternating as Rodolfo. Soprano Renata Tebaldi retired from

4545-589: The United States should become. Missouri commissioned a copy of Jefferson (1913), and Bitter made minor alterations to portray Jefferson as he looked as president when he signed the Louisiana Purchase Treaty in 1803. For the commission from the University of Virginia , Bitter aged Jefferson further, portraying him as he looked in retirement. About this time, Bitter was discovered by Richard Morris Hunt ,

4646-1062: The United States. Bing publicly supported the organization, but privately detested the idea and actively worked to dismantle the company which he ultimately achieved in a vote of the board in December 1966. The MONC's directors were mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens and Michael Manuel , a long time stage manager and director at the Met. Several well known opera singers performed with the MONC, including sopranos Clarice Carson , Maralin Niska , Mary Beth Peil , Francesca Roberto , and Marilyn Zschau ; mezzo-sopranos Joy Davidson , Sylvia Friederich, Dorothy Krebill, and Huguette Tourangeau ; tenors Enrico Di Giuseppe , Chris Lachona, Nicholas di Virgilio, and Harry Theyard ; baritones Ron Bottcher , John Fiorito , Thomas Jamerson , Julian Patrick , and Vern Shinall; bass-baritones Andrij Dobriansky , Ronald Hedlund, and Arnold Voketaitis ; and bass Paul Plishka . During Bing's tenure,

4747-737: The University Sports Institute and the Kleingarten area, the adjacent east Nibelungen quarter and the area of Neu-Fünfhaus, which encloses the two regions. A breakdown of the district area is also in the census-district official statistics, in which the municipality counts are combined. The seven census-districts in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus are: Stadthalle, Reithofferplatz, Fünfhaus-Westbahnhof, Sechshaus, Rudolfsheim-Braunhirschen, Rauscherplatz and Schmelz. The developed area of Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus comprises 52.8% (Vienna citywide 33.3%) of

4848-558: The Vienna River in the Vienna Basin. In the warm phase, the Danube and Vienna River cut into the land and formed gravel terraces, with the older terraces being at increasing distance from the waters. Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus is located in the oldest terrace (Laaerbergterrasse) supported by Laaerberg on Gloriette from the melting of the Turks and hill ranges. In this section, the terrace Wiental lies, which

4949-519: The Vienna River, were originally in the district area. Today canalised Hollerbach has established itself as a corridor, receiving the name "Hollergasse" lane. Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus was formed mainly from the communities of Rudolfsheim, Fünfhaus and Sechshaus, which currently are the 3 Katastralgemeinden sections of the district. Over time, the district was extended in addition to parts of Gaudenzdorf (between Wienzeile and Diefenbachgasse) and Penzing (between Hollergasse and Winckelmann Street). Sechshaus

5050-468: The Western Railway Station. These border changes were not in residential areas, but especially at transport buildings, parks and sports facilities. Data from Statistik Austria [1] [2] In 1869, the current area covered by the Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus district already included 64,042 inhabitants, and it was similarly densely populated as it is today. Through the continuous influx of people into

5151-420: The age of 60 as 19.0% (Vienna: 21.7%), significantly lower than the city as a whole. The gender distribution in the district area was 48.2% men and 51.8% women. The percentage of married people was 40.6%, compared to 41.2% citywide, slightly below the average of Vienna. The proportion of foreign-born district residents in 2006 was 31.8% (Vienna: 19.1%) the highest percentage of all districts of Vienna. As in

SECTION 50

#1732859313122

5252-697: The architect of choice of many of New York's rich and famous. From that time on Bitter was never without work. After working as a sculptor at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and as director at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York in 1901, Bitter's extraordinary organizational skills led him to be named head of the sculpture programs at both the 1904 St. Louis Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, where Lee Lawrie trained with his guidance, and

5353-462: The area between Mariahilfer Straße, Kenyongasse, and Wimbergergasse Burggasse, but it was released in 1907 on new construction. The former municipalities of Rudolfsheim and Fünfhaus are also divided into different district parts. Rudolfsheim was formed from the municipalities Rustendorf, Braunhirschen and Reindorf, whose centers were south of Mariahilferstraße. The northern part of Fünfhaus, north from Hütteldorferstraße, divided in turn into Schmelz with

5454-417: The area, the population increased until the beginning of World War I , and had doubled by 1910 at the peak of 145,694 people. Afterwards, a permanent population decline occurred, which was mainly due to higher housing claims. After a historic low of 64,895 inhabitants in 2001, the district population trended to re-grow. Only after the turn of the millennium, did the population in Vienna citywide tend to grow. At

5555-512: The areas of Rudolfsheim (divided into Braunhirschen, Reindorf and Rustendorf), Fünfhaus and Sechshaus. The district area of Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus was, during the Mesozoic Era , near a sea that retreated 70 million years ago and gradually formed an inland sea. After the final retreat of the sea occurred during the Ice Age, large masses of debris formed from glaciers , mainly from the Danube, but also

5656-526: The arrival of the Neapolitan tenor Enrico Caruso , the most celebrated singer who ever appeared at the old Metropolitan. He was also instrumental in hiring conductor Arturo Vigna . Conried was followed by Giulio Gatti-Casazza , who held a 27-year tenure from 1908 to 1935. Gatti-Casazza had been lured by the Met from a celebrated tenure as director of Milan's La Scala Opera House . His model planning, authoritative organizational skills and brilliant casts raised

5757-475: The artists first heard at the Met under his management. He retired as general manager in 2006. Joseph Volpe's post was given to Peter Gelb , formerly a record producer. Gelb began outlining his plans in April 2006; these included more new productions each year, ideas for shaving staging costs, and attracting new audiences without deterring existing opera-lovers. Gelb saw these issues as crucial for an organization which

5858-429: The average. Almost 23.3% of the district population in 2001 did not belong to a religious community. Another 7.4% stated they were either not religious at all or had some other religious preference. The SPÖ in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus always enjoyed a strong majority and appointed the district governor throughout the post WW 2 era. The Social Democrats governed the district for a long time, with either an absolute majority of

5959-412: The beginning of 2007, the population stood at 70,490 people in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus. The age structure of the district population in 2001 was slightly younger than the average across Vienna. The number of children under 15 years was 15.3%, slightly higher than for Vienna citywide (14.7%). The proportion of the population from 15 to 59 years stood at 65.8% (Vienna: 63.6%), with the proportion of people over

6060-415: The broadcasts and savings from both salary cuts and reorganization were not sufficient to cover the company's deficits. Representatives of the opera house, the producing company, and the artists formed a committee for fundraising among the public at large. Mainly though appeals made to radio audiences during the weekly broadcasts, the committee was able to obtain enough money to assure continuation of opera for

6161-476: The coat of arms represents the village of Braunhirschen: the brown deer with its mighty antlers once decorated the entrance of an inn which the former village was named after. The red section at the bottom represents the former villages of Fünfhaus and Sechshaus. It shows the Archangel Michael in a silver and golden robe, with ostrich feathers mounted to his helmet. Michael holds a golden lance festooned with

SECTION 60

#1732859313122

6262-450: The company announced the conclusion of James Levine's tenure as music director at the conclusion of the 2015–16 season. Gelb announced that Levine would also become Music Director Emeritus. On June 2, the Met board announced the appointment of Yannick Nézet-Séguin as the company's next music director, as of the 2020–2021 season, conducting five productions each season. He took the title of music director-designate, conducting two productions

6363-493: The company through the years of World War I into another decade of premieres, new productions and popular success in the 1920s. The 1930s, however, brought new financial and organizational challenges for the company. In 1931, Otto Kahn , the noted financier, resigned as head of the Met's board of directors and president of the Metropolitan Opera Company. He had been responsible for engaging Gatti-Casazza and had held

6464-554: The company, others maintain a close long-standing association with the Met, appearing many times each season until they retire. The Metropolitan Opera Company was founded in 1883 as an alternative to New York's old established Academy of Music opera house. The subscribers to the academy's limited number of private boxes represented the highest stratum in New York society. By 1880, these " old money " families were loath to admit New York's newly wealthy industrialists into their long-established social circle. Frustrated with being excluded,

6565-549: The formation of the Northern Ohio Opera Association led by future U.S. Senator Robert J. Bulkley with the express purpose of underwriting long-term touring contracts with the Met. Cleveland was a particular lucrative stop for the Met, which had no competition in the form of a local opera company, and performances were held in the enormous Public Auditorium, which sat well over 9,000 people. The Met's national tours continued until 1986. Italian opera returned to

6666-481: The former Met bass Herbert Witherspoon , died of a heart attack barely six weeks into his term of office. This opened the way for the Canadian tenor and former Met artist Edward Johnson to be appointed general manager. Johnson served the company for the next 15 years, guiding the Met through the remaining years of the depression and the World War II era. The producing company's financial difficulties continued in

6767-642: The greatest operatic artists in the world then graced the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in Italian as well as German and French repertory. Notable among them were the brothers Jean and Édouard de Reszke , Lilli Lehmann , Emma Calvé , Lillian Nordica , Nellie Melba , Marcella Sembrich , Milka Ternina , Emma Eames , Sofia Scalchi , Ernestine Schumann-Heink , Francesco Tamagno , Francesc Viñas , Jean Lassalle, Mario Ancona , Victor Maurel , Antonio Scotti and Pol Plançon . Henry Abbey died in 1896, and Maurice Grau continued as sole manager of

6868-521: The high proportion of foreigners, Rudolfsheim- has the lowest percentage (40.2%) of Roman Catholics of all districts of Vienna (Vienna average: 49.2%). There are seven district Roman Catholic parishes, forming the City Deanery 15 . The proportion of people belonging to the Muslim and Orthodox faiths was 14.7% and 11.4%, the highest levels in Vienna. The proportion of Protestant residents stood at 3.1%, below

6969-479: The many home grown artists to become stars at the Met in the 1940s. Ettore Panizza , Sir Thomas Beecham , George Szell and Bruno Walter were among the leading conductors engaged during Johnson's tenure. Kurt Adler began his long tenure as chorus master and staff conductor in 1943. Succeeding Johnson in 1950 was the Austrian-born Rudolf Bing who had most recently created and served as director of

7070-441: The municipality of Rudolfsheim until 1853, which was formed by a merger of the previously independent communities of Rustendorf, Reindorf and Braunhirschen. The blue part of the coat of arms represents Rustendorf with a silver crescent as its symbol. The green section to the right of it represents Reinsdorf. The golden grapevine with two leaves on a green background symbolizes the wine that was once produced there. The middle section of

7171-467: The municipality of Rudolfsheim, named after the Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria . In the nineteenth century, the district grew significantly, and in 1890 was incorporated along with nearby communities Fünfhaus and Sechshaus into Vienna proper. The northern and eastern parts of Fünfhaus became the fifteenth district and the area of Rudolfsheim and Sechshaus became the fourteenth district under

7272-572: The name of Rudolfsheim alone. In 1938 Rudolfsheim and Fünfhaus were unified into the 15th district, and the 14th district became the part of the 13th district north of the Wien River . Since 1957, the 15th district has been named Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus . From 1871 to 1938, there had been the synagogue on Turner Street, but during the November Pogrom Kristallnacht , it was destroyed, along with 91 other Viennese synagogues. Only

7373-484: The new Rockefeller Center . The plan was dropped in 1929 when it became apparent that it would produce no savings, and because the Met did not have enough money to move to a new opera house. It soon became apparent that the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and subsequent depression had resulted in a dangerously large deficit in the company's accounts. Between 1929 and 1931 ticket sales remained robust, but subsidies from

7474-544: The new Manhattan opera house, but also started a long tradition of touring throughout the country. In the winter and spring of 1884 the Met presented opera in theaters in Brooklyn, Boston, Philadelphia (see below), Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Washington D.C., and Baltimore. Back in New York, the last night of the season featured a long gala performance to benefit Mr. Abbey. The special program consisted not only of various scenes from opera, but also offered Marcella Sembrich playing

7575-761: The officers of the Met joined forces with the officers of the New York Philharmonic to build the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts , where the new Metropolitan Opera House building opened in 1966. The Met's first season at Lincoln Center featured nine new productions, including the world premiere of Marvin David Levy 's Mourning Becomes Electra . However, the company would not premiere any new operas for decades afterwards, until 1991's The Ghosts of Versailles by John Corigliano . One critic described

7676-400: The opera season of 1931/32. Cravath also engineered a reorganization of the management company by which it was transformed from a corporation, in which all participants were stockholders, to an association, whose members need not have a financial interest in operations. Apart from this change, the new Metropolitan Opera Association was virtually identical to the old Metropolitan Opera Company. It

7777-589: The performing company and the opera house was transferred to the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association from the company's original partnership of New York society families. Zinka Milanov , Jussi Björling , and Alexander Kipnis were first heard at the Met under Johnson's management. During World War II when many European artists were unavailable, the Met recruited American singers as never before. Eleanor Steber , Dorothy Kirsten , Helen Traubel (Flagstad's successor as Wagner's heroines), Jan Peerce , Richard Tucker , Leonard Warren and Robert Merrill were among

7878-416: The period as "a quarter-century in which the notion of commissioned work reminded Met administrators of the emblematic failure of Samuel Barber 's Antony and Cleopatra and the lukewarm reception of Marvin David Levy's Mourning Becomes Electra ." Following Bing's retirement in 1972, the Met's management was overseen by a succession of executives and artists in shared authority. Bing's intended successor,

7979-424: The position of president since the beginning of Gatti-Casazza's term as manager. The new chair, prominent lawyer Paul Cravath , had served as the board's legal counsel. Retaining Gatti-Casazza as manager, Cravath focused his attention on managing the business affairs of the company. In 1926, as part of the construction of Rockefeller Center , a plan was floated to move the opera from the building on 39th Street to

8080-461: The proportion of grassland in the district is rather small: 12.7%. About half of the green areas are parks, 31.2% attributable to small gardens, with 18.5% as outdoor sports and recreation areas. A final 1.0% is water, i.e. the river bed of the Vienna River . After the second Turkish siege of Vienna , the villages of Reindorf , Braunhirschen , and Rustendorf arose and were in 1863 combined into

8181-525: The relics of the freshwater sea that a layer of sand, gravel and Tegel deposited. The district area rises from south to north and from east to west. The lowest area of the district territory is located at the intersection of Sechshauser Belt and Ullmannstraße with an elevation of 184 metres (604 ft). The highest point is at the crossing Johnstraße and Hütteldorferstraße with an elevation of 240.6 metres (789 ft). The Vienna River was, in prehistoric times, several hundred meters (a half-mile) wide, and in

8282-567: The rest of the municipality, the share is growing, in 2001 it stood at 29.2%. The highest proportion of foreigners in 2005 representing approximately a 9.6% share of the district population were nationals from Serbia and Montenegro . Another 4.7% were Turkish , 2.5% Nigerian , 2.3% Croatian , 2.2% Bosnian and 1.1% Algerian citizens. In 2001, nearly 35.2% of the district population was born in Austria. Almost 13.0% stated Serbian as their mother tongue, 8.7% Turkish and 5.4% Croatian . Due to

8383-571: The roster of leading artists. Kathleen Battle , who in 1977 made her Met debut as the Shepherd in Wagner's Tannhäuser , became an important star in lyric soprano roles. Bass-baritone Simon Estes began a prominent Met career with his 1982 debut as Hermann, also in Tannhäuser . The model of General Manager as the leading authority in the company returned in 1990 when the company appointed Joseph Volpe . He

8484-411: The sculptors and painters of the day, Bitter frequently employed the services of the muse and history's first "super model", Audrey Munson . On June 30, 1901, he married Marie A. Schevill, of Cincinnati, Ohio. They had three children: Francis T. R. Bitter, Marietta C. E. Bitter and John F. Bitter. Their son Francis Bitter , born in 1902, became a prominent American physicist. For a time, Bitter's studio

8585-420: The son of Cio-Cio San as a bunraku -style puppet, operated in plain sight by three puppeteers clothed in black. Gelb focused on expanding the Met's audience through a number of fronts. Increasing the number of new productions every season to keep the Met's stagings fresh and noteworthy, Gelb partnered with other opera companies to import productions and engaged directors from theater, circus, and film to produce

8686-481: The title role, and Franco Corelli as Calàf, was called the Met's "biggest hit in 10 years". For the 1962/1963 season, Renata Tebaldi , popular with Met audiences, convinced a reluctant Bing to stage a revival of Adriana Lecouvreur , an opera last presented at the Met in 1907. In 1963, Anthony Bliss, a prominent New York lawyer and president of the Metropolitan Opera Association (MOA), convinced

8787-497: The violin and the piano, as well as the famed stage actors Henry Irving and Ellen Terry in a scene from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice . Abbey's inaugural season resulted in very large financial deficits. The Metropolitan Opera began a long history of performing in Philadelphia during its first season, presenting its entire repertoire in the city during January and April 1884. The company's first Philadelphia performance

8888-461: The vote or of district mandataries. In the 1991 election, an ascendant FPÖ was for the first time able to overtake the ÖVP, which had traditionally always been the second largest party in the district with the highest proportion of foreign-born residents. In 1996, the FPÖ scored its best result in any district of Vienna and broke the lock of the SPÖ on an absolute majority mandate. In the 2001 election, however,

8989-404: The vote; the Greens overtook the FPÖ with about 18% of the vote and became the second-largest party, which traditionally provides the deputy governor of the district. The ÖVP was only the 4th largest party in 2005, as its share of the vote continued to stagnate. The coat of arms of Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus consists of the emblems of four once independent municipalities. The top half shows the emblem of

9090-460: The work in Buffalo and St. Louis was allegorical in nature. Where this would have taken him will never be known, because he was killed in a traffic collision in 1915 when, while leaving the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the driver of a car jumped the curb on Broadway and struck him down. His wife survived the crash as he had pushed her out of the way of the oncoming driver. Like many of

9191-572: The works of Wagner and other German composers as well as in Italian and French operas sung in German. Damrosch died only months into his first season at the Met. Edmund Stanton replaced Damrosch the following year and served as general manager through the 1890–91 season. The Met's six German seasons were especially noted for performances by the celebrated conductor Anton Seidl whose Wagner interpretations were noted for their almost mystical intensity. The conductor Walter Damrosch , Leopold's son, also initiated

9292-480: The years immediately following the desperate season of 1933–34. To meet budget shortfalls, fundraising continued and the number of performances was curtailed. Still, on given nights the brilliant Wagner pairing of the Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad with the great heldentenor Lauritz Melchior proved irresistible to audiences even in such troubled times. To expand the Met's support among its national radio audience,

9393-539: Was James Levine. Engaged by Bing in 1971, Levine became principal conductor in 1973 and emerged as the Met's principal artistic leader through the last third of the 20th century. During the 1983–84 season the Met celebrated its 100th anniversary with an opening night revival of Berlioz's mammoth opera Les Troyens , with soprano Jessye Norman making her Met debut in the roles of both Cassandra and Dido. An eight-hour Centennial Gala concert in two parts followed on October 22, 1983, broadcast on PBS . The gala featured all of

9494-514: Was founded in 1883 as an alternative to the previously established Academy of Music opera house and debuted the same year in a new building on 39th and Broadway (now known as the "Old Met"). It moved to the new Lincoln Center location in 1966. The Metropolitan Opera is the largest classical music organization in North America. Until 2019, it presented about 27 different operas each year from late September through May. The operas are presented in

9595-546: Was hoped the association would be able to save money as it renegotiated contracts which the company had made. During this period there was no change in the organization of the Metropolitan Real Estate Opera Company which owned the opera house . It remained in the hands of the society families who owned its stock, yet the subsidies that the house and its owners had given the producing company fell off. In March 1932, Cravath found that income resulting from

9696-705: Was located in a building known as The Castle in Weehawken , New Jersey. The Castle was created as a part of the Eldorado Amusement Park . Rudolfsheim-F%C3%BCnfhaus It borders Neubau and Mariahilf in the east, Meidling and Hietzing in the south, Penzing in the west, and Ottakring in the north. The northern border runs along the Gablenzgasse and eastern border along the Gürtel beltway (Neubaugürtel, Mariahilfer Gürtel and Sechshauser Gürtel). It includes

9797-489: Was of Faust (with Christina Nilsson) on January 14, 1884, at the Chestnut Street Opera House . The Met continued to perform annually in Philadelphia for nearly eighty years, taking the entire company to the city on selected Tuesday nights throughout the opera season. Performances were usually held at Philadelphia's Academy of Music , with the company presenting close to 900 performances in the city by 1961 when

9898-506: Was once covered by the melting to Gloriette. Through the ever-receding water levels, the height sections remained for the current district area. The top soil layer in the district territory consists of a thin layer of loess , which is mixed with limestone and sandstone gravel from the Vienna Woods . Among them are layers of river gravel, mainly quartz, coming from the Alps. Below this gravel are

9999-422: Was the Met's third-longest serving manager, and was the first head of the Met to advance from within the ranks of the company after having started his career there as a carpenter in 1964. During his tenure the Met's international touring activities were expanded and Levine focused on expanding and building the Met's orchestra into a world-class symphonic ensemble with its own Carnegie Hall concert series. Under Volpe

10100-434: Was the opening of the Met's artistic roster to include singers of color. Marian Anderson 's historic 1955 debut was followed by the introduction of a gifted generation of African American artists led by Leontyne Price (who inaugurated the new house at Lincoln Center), Reri Grist , Grace Bumbry , Shirley Verrett , Martina Arroyo , George Shirley , Robert McFerrin , and many others. Other celebrated singers who debuted at

10201-527: Was unable to return to Austria for many years because of his desertion. He later was pardoned by Emperor Franz Josef of Austria, who hoped to lure the famous sculptor back to Vienna. Bitter immigrated to the United States in 1889, arriving in New York City. He applied for citizenship , and set to work as an assistant with a firm of Ellin, Kitson & Co. ("The Founder of American Architectural Decoration," Stone vol. XXIV, no. 4. (Apr. 1902): pp. 343-345.) While employed with this firm, at age 21, he competed for

#121878