Zurich Opera House
Neo-baroque opera house of 1891 on Sechselautenplatz, home to opera, ballet and concerts.
The Zurich Opera House stands on Sechselautenplatz beside the lake, on the site of the Actien-Theater that burned down in 1890. The Viennese partnership of Fellner and Helmer, prolific builders of theatres across central Europe, produced the replacement in about sixteen months. It opened in 1891 as the Stadttheater with Wagner's Lohengrin and was among the first theatres in Europe to be lit by electricity. A thorough restoration and backstage extension followed in the mid-1980s.
The auditorium is a horseshoe of tiered balconies seating roughly 1,100, decorated in white, gold and red. The house presents opera, ballet and concerts through a season running from autumn to summer, with its own resident ensemble, the Philharmonia Zurich orchestra and the company Ballett Zurich. The neighbouring Bernhard Theater and the smaller studio stages extend the programme, and a chamber music series brings orchestra members to the front of the house.
Highlights
- Horseshoe auditorium seating around 1,100
- Built by Fellner & Helmer in about sixteen months
- Home of Philharmonia Zurich and Ballett Zurich
- Lakeside setting on Sechselautenplatz
