Overview
- The production replaces Otto Schenk’s house standard after 55 years and 253 performances, marking a major repertory renewal in Vienna.
- Director Nikolaus Habjan deploys life-sized doubles for Leonore and Florestan to separate outward action from the singers’ inner emotional states.
- Author Paulus Hochgatterer revised the spoken dialogue while Beethoven’s sung text remains intact to clarify tone without altering the score.
- Justus Theodor Semmelmann’s set features a wood-trumpet-like structure praised for acoustic support and a gleaming freedom statue in the finale.
- Opening night drew only a few boos and no protests, with critics noting Welser-Möst’s taut leadership and mixed views on the puppetry and casting.