Vienna State Opera
The opera house was the first major building on the Vienna Ringstrasse commissioned by the Viennese "city expansion fund". Work commenced on the house in 1861 and was completed in 1869, following plans drawn up by architects August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Nüll. It was built in the Neo-Renaissance style by the renowned Czech architect and contractor Josef Hlávka.
Music in Berlin
Frederick, an ardent opera enthusiast, was determined to turn Berlin into an international center for opera, one that could compete with the splendid opera house in Dresden. To this end, Frederick commissioned two opera stages from his architect George Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff. The first in the King's residence, the "Berliner Stadtschloß", the second as a completely new opera house, located "Unter den Linden", the main artery of Berlin which featured all of the representational buildings of the time. The stage in the "Stadtschloß" was inaugurated with a performance of Graun's "Rodelinda" on December 13, 1741. The construction of the new opera house started in 1741 and although not fully completed yet the first performance took place on December 7, 1742 with Graun’s "Cleopatra e Cesare". In preparation of the two premieres, Frederick sent Graun to Italy and France in order to recruit singers and dancers respectively. The "Königliche Opernhaus", as the new opera house was called, remained the main opera house of Berlin throughout the century and the repertoire given there consisted mainly of Italian opera seria.