Interview with Bogdan Roščić, Director of the Vienna State Opera
On the Challenges of the Upcoming Season
Vienna State Opera's bold 2020/21 season defies pandemic challenges
Under what conditions can and should the Staatsoper start a regular season in September?
We are working towards opening the season as planned. But regular operation means that distance rules and similar measures must no longer apply in the pit, on and behind the stage. In the auditorium, distance rules mean that, because we are performing, the house will incur full costs, unlike the current situation with short-time work, but income will collapse. You have to consider that the Staatsoper generates almost 45 percent of its budget itself, a relatively unique value for comparable houses. Therefore, a play operation with thinned-out audience is only possible if the Republic of Austria supports it explicitly.
On the Possibility of a Season without Live Audience
- How long can the house sustain itself? Are there models for what happens if it has to stay closed until the end of the year or even longer?
My crystal ball is unfortunately being serviced right now. These are not topics that one discusses publicly. This involves an operation with 1,000 employees.
On the First Program as Director
- You presented your first program as director of the Staatsoper. Would you have applied for the position if you had known what was going to happen at the beginning?
Of course. Shakespeare says with fine irony: "When the sea was calm all boats alike showed mastership in floating." Anyone who only likes to sail when the sun is shining must be tarred and feathered out of the Staatsoper.
On the Staatsoper's Program for the 2020/21 Season
The program includes: - Puccini's Madama Butterfly on September 7 - Verdi's Simon Boccanegra on September 9 - Other highlights include performances with Jonas Kaufmann and Agnes Baltsa
On Visitor Numbers and the Impact of Corona
- People from other countries make up a significant part of the visitors to the Wiener Staatsoper. Do you automatically have to reckon with a drop in visitor numbers if they can't travel or perhaps don't want to at first?
Of course, we have to reckon with that. But perhaps we should stop talking about the Staatsoper like a disco in Ischgl. As if it were only a problem if tourists stay away.
On the Future of Opera
- How will the opera business look after Corona? Is there a longing for what was, or for what could be instead? If there are opera closures and orchestra bankruptcies internationally, will the Staatsoper be affected?
The cultural scene is currently outbidding itself in competitive maneuvers to sail closest to the wind of current events. I don't have time or interest in apocalyptic scenarios. My task is to open the house at its highest level, everything else is secondary.
On Online Activities
- All opera houses have streamed historical performances. How will you design this in the future? What importance do online activities have, and aren't they also a danger to revenue?
The Staatsoper will also stream performances in the future. But not as a business model, but as a free offer to all those who, for whatever reason, cannot come to the opera.
On the Season's Highlights
- You are bringing ten premieres - that's a record number for this house. Two of them - Wagner's Parsifal and Henze's Das verratene Meer by Henze - are coming to Vienna. Two Verdis - La Traviata and Monteverdi's Incoronazione di Poppea - are new co-productions with Paris and the Salzburg Festival, respectively. Six are transfers that have already been successful elsewhere. What statement do you want to make with this?
I don't want to make a statement so much as renew some of the most frequently performed works as quickly as possible and close some repertoire gaps.
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