Isabella Mueller Baroness of Stainton le Vale
In the world of opera, there is hardly any other place that is as steeped in myths and legends as the Vienna State Opera. This magnificent building in the heart of the Austrian capital Vienna is not only home to some of the greatest voices in music history, but also to a number of ghosts that are said to still roam the corridors and halls to this day. Even the construction of the Vienna State Opera was a drama without parallel. The architects of the Neo-Renaissance building were August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll, who were torn apart by critics from the outset because of the unusual architecture of the building. The public had nothing good to say about this oversized “shoe box,” as the Viennese called the newly built opera house, and even Emperor Franz Joseph I is said to have been less than convinced. In the end, the shame and social pressure were apparently so great that Van der Nüll hanged himself in April 1868 and Sicardsburg suffered a stroke just two months later, which proved fatal. Neither of them lived to see the grand opening on May 25, 1869, when Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” was performed in the presence of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Sisi. Since their deaths, Van der Nüll and Sicardsburg are said to have found no peace and to haunt the opera house aimlessly, allegedly mingling with the guests at one performance or another. Incidentally, they are not the only ghosts in the Vienna Opera House. The Spanish soprano Mercedes Capsir was also often subjected to harsh criticism of her singing talent during her lifetime. She is also said to wander around the opera house, and people repeatedly claim to see her ghost in photographs taken at the State Opera. But it is not only architects and singers who are said to haunt the State Opera. Other people connected with the history of the building are also seen there. The ghost of composer Richard Wagner is said to sometimes stroll proudly through the corridors, asking for directions to his favorite seat. The ghost of the famous tenor Leo Slezak, who was engaged at the State Opera from 1900 to 1918, is also seen there time and again. Particularly eerie, however, is the ghost of a stagehand who died in an accident in 1968. His shadow is said to float through the backstage areas and workshops to this day, terrifying the opera’s employees. Some even claim to hear his voice calling for tools. The Vienna State Opera is therefore not only a place of music and song, but also a place full of secrets and legends. Whether the ghosts of the past actually roam the corridors and halls cannot, of course, be proven. But the stories certainly contribute to giving the opera a very special magic. Who knows, maybe on your next visit to the opera you will actually encounter one of the ghosts that still seem to haunt the State Opera House to this day.
