Ballett

Merce Cunningham, Martin Schläpfer, George Balanchine

Pathétique

Monday 21. April 2025 2 Intermissions Main Stage
Werkeinführung
30 Minuten vor der Vorstellung
im Gustav Mahler-Saal
Area 1 165 €
Area 1

165 €

Area 2 125 €
Area 2

125 €

Area 3 105 €
Area 3

105 €

Area 4 77 €
Area 4

77 €

Area 5 60 €
Area 5

60 €

Area 6 39 €
Area 6

39 €

Area 7 25 €
Area 7

25 €

Area 8 12 €
Area 8

12 €

Area 9 12 €
Area 9

12 €

Standing room
Standing room

Ö1 U27

Cast at
21. April 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Summerspace

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Pathétique

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

Pathétique


11 more dates

Pathétique

Cast at Tuesday 8. April 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

U27  
Pathétique

Cast at Wednesday 9. April 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

Area 1 199 €
Area 1

199 €

Area 2 159 €
Area 2

159 €

Area 3 129 €
Area 3

129 €

Area 4 94 €
Area 4

94 €

Area 5 69 €
Area 5

69 €

Area 6 47 €
Area 6

47 €

Area 7 34 €
Area 7

34 €

Area 8 23 €
Area 8

23 €

Area 9 13 €
Area 9

13 €

Standing room
Standing room

U27   Included in: Ballet Cycle »Premieres«
Ballet Cycle »Premieres«
Pathétique

Cast at Friday 11. April 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

Area 1 165 €
Area 1

165 €

Area 2 125 €
Area 2

125 €

Area 3 105 €
Area 3

105 €

Area 4 77 €
Area 4

77 €

Area 5 60 €
Area 5

60 €

Area 6 39 €
Area 6

39 €

Area 7 25 €
Area 7

25 €

Area 8 12 €
Area 8

12 €

Area 9 12 €
Area 9

12 €

Standing room
Standing room

Ö1 U27   Included in: Subscription 5
Subscription 5

Season 2024/2025

Choose a day of the week and your favorite seats and enjoy five performances in one season.

The following performances are included in this subscription:

18. October 2024: COSÌ FAN TUTTE
17. January 2025: TURANDOT
21. March 2025: L’ELISIR D’AMORE
11. April 2025: BALLET: PATHÉTIQUE
23. May 2025: NORMA

Pathétique

Cast at Monday 14. April 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

Area 1 165 €
Area 1

165 €

Area 2 125 €
Area 2

125 €

Area 3 105 €
Area 3

105 €

Area 4 77 €
Area 4

77 €

Area 5 60 €
Area 5

60 €

Area 6 39 €
Area 6

39 €

Area 7 25 €
Area 7

25 €

Area 8 12 €
Area 8

12 €

Area 9 12 €
Area 9

12 €

Standing room
Standing room

Ö1 U27   Included in: Subscription 15
Subscription 15

Season 2024/2025

Choose a day of the week and your favorite seats and enjoy five performances in one season.

The following performances are included in this subscription:

23. September 2024: SALOME
18. November 2024: DON PASQUALE
16. December 2024: LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN
10. Febuary 2025: DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE
14. April 2025: BALLET: PATHÉTIQUE

Pathétique

Cast at Saturday 26. April 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

Area 1 165 €
Area 1

165 €

Area 2 125 €
Area 2

125 €

Area 3 105 €
Area 3

105 €

Area 4 77 €
Area 4

77 €

Area 5 60 €
Area 5

60 €

Area 6 39 €
Area 6

39 €

Area 7 25 €
Area 7

25 €

Area 8 12 €
Area 8

12 €

Area 9 12 €
Area 9

12 €

Standing room
Standing room

Ö1 U27   Included in: Ballet Cycle »Present«
Ballet Cycle »Present«

Season 2024/2025

Across the repertoire of the Vienna State Ballet with three multi-part productions - the ideal gift for anyone who wants to experience ballet in its myriad colors. 

30. March 2025: THE MOON WEARS A WHITE SHIRT
26. April 2025: PATHÉTIQUE
27. June 2025: KREATIONEN

Pathétique

Cast at Saturday 3. May 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

Area 1 165 €
Area 1

165 €

Area 2 125 €
Area 2

125 €

Area 3 105 €
Area 3

105 €

Area 4 77 €
Area 4

77 €

Area 5 60 €
Area 5

60 €

Area 6 39 €
Area 6

39 €

Area 7 25 €
Area 7

25 €

Area 8 12 €
Area 8

12 €

Area 9 12 €
Area 9

12 €

Standing room
Standing room

Ö1 U27  
Pathétique

Cast at Wednesday 7. May 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

Area 1 165 €
Area 1

165 €

Area 2 125 €
Area 2

125 €

Area 3 105 €
Area 3

105 €

Area 4 77 €
Area 4

77 €

Area 5 60 €
Area 5

60 €

Area 6 39 €
Area 6

39 €

Area 7 25 €
Area 7

25 €

Area 8 12 €
Area 8

12 €

Area 9 12 €
Area 9

12 €

Standing room
Standing room

Ö1 U27   Included in: Subscription 11
Subscription 11

Season 2024/2025

Choose a day of the week and your favorite seats and enjoy five performances in one season.

The following performances are included in this subscription:

18. December 2024: RIGOLETTO
12. Febuary 2025: TOSCA
05. March 2025: WERTHER
07. May 2025: BALLET: PATHÉTIQUE
04. June 2025: TANNHÄUSER

Pathétique

Cast at Sunday 11. May 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

Area 1 165 €
Area 1

165 €

Area 2 125 €
Area 2

125 €

Area 3 105 €
Area 3

105 €

Area 4 77 €
Area 4

77 €

Area 5 60 €
Area 5

60 €

Area 6 39 €
Area 6

39 €

Area 7 25 €
Area 7

25 €

Area 8 12 €
Area 8

12 €

Area 9 12 €
Area 9

12 €

Standing room
Standing room

Ö1 U27   Included in: Subscription 24
Subscription 24

Season 2024/2025

Choose a day of the week and your favorite seats and enjoy five performances in one season.

The following performances are included in this subscription:

20. October 2024: COSÌ FAN TUTTE
17. November 2024: MANON
26. January 2025: LA BOHÈME
23. Febuary 2025: FIDELIO
11. May 2025: BALLET: PATHÉTIQUE

Pathétique

Cast at Thursday 5. June 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

Area 1 165 €
Area 1

165 €

Area 2 125 €
Area 2

125 €

Area 3 105 €
Area 3

105 €

Area 4 77 €
Area 4

77 €

Area 5 60 €
Area 5

60 €

Area 6 39 €
Area 6

39 €

Area 7 25 €
Area 7

25 €

Area 8 12 €
Area 8

12 €

Area 9 12 €
Area 9

12 €

Standing room
Standing room

Ö1 U27   Included in: Ballet Cycle »Modern Classics«
Ballet Cycle »Modern Classics«

Season 2024/2025

Whether in multi-part or narrative ballets - contemporary explorations of dance as an art form offer extraordinary visual experiences. 
Immerse yourself in the wonderful diversity of ballet!

9. December 2024: DORNRÖSCHEN
11. January 2025: SHIFTING SYMMETRIES
4. April 2025: THE MOON WEARS A WHITE SHIRT
5. June 2025: PATHÉTIQUE

Pathétique

Cast at Saturday 7. June 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

Area 1 165 €
Area 1

165 €

Area 2 125 €
Area 2

125 €

Area 3 105 €
Area 3

105 €

Area 4 77 €
Area 4

77 €

Area 5 60 €
Area 5

60 €

Area 6 39 €
Area 6

39 €

Area 7 25 €
Area 7

25 €

Area 8 12 €
Area 8

12 €

Area 9 12 €
Area 9

12 €

Standing room
Standing room

Ö1 U27  
Pathétique

Cast at Tuesday 10. June 2025

Divertimento Nr. 15

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Choreographie

Kostüme

Einstudierung

Summerspace

Klavier

Milica Zakić

Musik

Morton Feldman

Choreographie

Bühne, Kostüme & Licht

Lichteinrichtung

Davison Scandrett

Einstudierung

Pathétique

Musikalische Leitung

Musik

Piotr I. Tschaikowski

Georg Friedrich Händel

Choreographie

Area 1 165 €
Area 1

165 €

Area 2 125 €
Area 2

125 €

Area 3 105 €
Area 3

105 €

Area 4 77 €
Area 4

77 €

Area 5 60 €
Area 5

60 €

Area 6 39 €
Area 6

39 €

Area 7 25 €
Area 7

25 €

Area 8 12 €
Area 8

12 €

Area 9 12 €
Area 9

12 €

Standing room
Standing room

Ö1 U27   Included in: Subscription 2
Subscription 2

Season 2024/2025

Choose a day of the week and your favorite seats and enjoy five performances in one season.

The following performances are included in this subscription:

17. September 2024: ROMÉO ET JULIETTE
12. November 2024: DON PASQUALE
01. April 2025: DON GIOVANNI
20. May 2025: NORMA
10. June 2025: BALLET: PATHÉTIQUE

About the production

Two icons of the New York avant-garde of the 1950s meet a world premiere by Martin Schläpfer: 

with Divertimento No. 15, George Balanchine choreographed a fragrant neoclassical Mozart ballet and Merce Cunningham too has not lost touch with the skies in his bouncy dance piece Summerspace. In contrast, Martin Schläpfer will create a new work for the dancers of the Vienna State Ballet based on a highly dramatic symphony: Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique”, characterised by emotional highs and deep abysses.

Divertimento Nr. 15 22 MIN.
Intermission 25 MIN.
Summerspace 22 MIN.
Intermission 25 MIN.
Pathétique 55 MIN.

“I try to find interesting proportions of movement in time and space because music is time. It’s not the melody that counts, it is the time it gives you”, George Balanchine once said about his choreographic work. Divertimento No. 15 from 1956 is one of the few ballets he created to a work by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Born entirely out of the music – Mozart’s Divertimento in B flat major KV 287 – it perfectly captures the spirit of the divertissement, originally created as entertainment. Its chamber music character is matched by a select cast consisting of five female soloists, three male soloists and a corps de ballet of eight female dancers for a choreography in which Balanchine skilfully and subtly inscribes a complex array of geometric patterns within the space while allowing his dances to unfold in their individual variations with great power, remarkable verve and unique character. 

Following the premiere of his Duets in June 2022 at the Vienna Volksoper, Summerspace is another work by Merce Cunningham to join the repertoire, marking the first time that one of the American’s pieces will be performed by the Vienna State Ballet at the Staatsoper. No other choreographer has challenged collective assumptions about the art of dance as radically as Cunningham with his abandonment of the connections between movement, music and stage and costume design, his development of a dance technique that establishes new links between different parts of the body and his rejection of traditional ideas of the theatre space. In Summerspace six dancers appear to pass through the space like birds in the detached atmosphere of a balmy summer day. “It was about space, as the title indicates”, Cunningham explained. “I decided to number the entrances and exits (...) and to link them by all the possible trajectories.” This yielded 21 possibilities, for which he defined different forms of movement and whose running order and tempo were fixed according to random principles of aleatoric. He persuaded two outstanding contemporary artists to design the decor and provide the music: Robert Rauschenberg, whose 100th birthday will be celebrated in 2025, created a pointillist “landscape of blossoms”, while Morton Feldman composed an atmospheric piece of music for two pianos. 

To round off the programme, Martin Schläpfer presents his world premiere Pathétique. He once again plunges into creative work with the dancers of the Vienna State Ballet to the sound of Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor op. 74: “Tchaikovsky’s Sixth washes around us like water in which we are sinking, though not painfully – it is like a release, and then it rises up again, full of virtuosity, brilliant tempi, a broad spectrum of dynamics and a fascinating wealth of melody”, Martin Schläpfer comments on the score. “It is a symphony like a novel and, despite everything that has been read into it, an enigma. For me, it forms the starting point and the basis of my new ballet.” 

What happened in dance in New York during the 1950s can be seen as one of the most inspiring periods in dance history, which continues to guide us even now. On one side there was George Balanchine, the founder of New York City Ballet and an artist who personified the links between the old tradition of Czarist Russia with a neoclassicism of his own that was shaping ballet in America and had revolutionised the whole genre by extending the vocabulary of danse d’école, understanding dance as a form of music making using the body in space, and body images based on athleticism. On the other side were the many forms of modern dance, manifest in such varied approaches as those of Martha Graham, Paul Taylor and Merce Cunningham – to name just three of its exponents. With George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15 and Merce Cunningham’s Summerspace, the Vienna State Ballet’s premiere of Pathétique invites you to immerse yourself in this fascinating time and let yourself be enchanted by these two contrasting approaches. In addition, the programme also connects to the present with the world premiere of Pathétique, with which Martin Schläpfer will complete his work as a choreographer for the Vienna State Ballet in his term as Artistic Director.

For art lovers, the premiere presents a special highlight: the stage and costume design for Cunningham’s Summerspace was created by Robert Rauschenberg, who is regarded as a pioneer of American Pop Art, but whose affinity with the performing arts also made him a close partner of Cunningham and John Cage, among others. In 2025, the world will celebrate the artist’s centenary.

FAQ

Tickets for our standing room can be purchased online or at the Bundestheater box office from 10 am on the day of the performance. BundestheaterCard holders can book standing room tickets online the day before the performance.

In addition, a fixed contingent of standing room tickets is available for regular evening performances from 80 minutes before the start of the performance at our standing room box office (Operngasse entrance).

Our operas are sung in the original languages - these vary depending on the work.

At each seat, subtitles in different languages can be switched on or off via a separate subtitle screen. In addition to the original language of the opera, you can choose from up to eight languages: German, English, Italian, French, Russian, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin).

In the event of a change of performance, you can of course return or exchange your tickets.

As changes to the cast cannot be ruled out due to illnesses or other hindrances of artists, there is no entitlement to a refund of the ticket price or exchange in this case.

Tickets cannot be returned or exchanged if you are not admitted to the auditorium due to being late (even after the interval).

About Your Visit

Cloakroom

The cloakrooms are located next the the entrances at the Operngasse. You can find additional cloakrooms on the left and right side of the balcony and the gallery and in the boxes. All cloakrooms are free of charge.

Be on Time

We kindly ask you to arrive on time for the performances. Latecomers can only be admitted during the intermission. After the intermission, re-entry will not be possible.

Food and Drink

Our gastronomy opens at the same time entry is permitted. You can enjoy some snacks and drinks before the performance starts or you can book a table for the break.

Practical Information

You can find more practical information regarding your visit (e.g. Dresscode, barrier-free-access, …) here.

 

Discounts, Subscriptions, Cycles

Discounts

The Vienna State Opera offers the following discounts:

  • Under 27
  • Children- & Youth-Tickets
  • BundestheaterCard
  • Ballett-Bonus
  • Ö1-Club
  • Culture Pass »Hunger auf Kunst und Kultur«
  • Disability ID
More info

Subscriptions

Choose a week-day and your favorite seat and enjoy five performances.

  • 4x Opera, 1x Ballet
  • spread out over the whole season
  • up to 30 % discount compared to the regular ticket price
More info

Cycles

Buy multiple performances as a package!

  • big selection of different cycles
  • bundled together by composers, artists or topics
  • spread out over the whole season
  • up to 10 % discount compared to the regular ticket price
More info