Vienna State Opera unveils programs for 2016/17 season

VIENNA, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The Vienna State Opera on Wednesday unveiled its program list for the next season from the second half of 2016 to the first half of 2017, which contains five opera premieres, 221 opera and 57 ballet performances.

The highlights of the season will include the premiere of Giuseppe Verdi's "Il Trovatore" next February, director of the Opera, Dominique Meyer said.

Besides well-known stars such as Anna Netrebko, Roberto Alagna and Nina Stemme, 25-year-old Chinese tenor Jinxu Xiahou will sing the Danish knight in the debut of Christoph Wilibalds Gluck' s rarely performed "Armide" in October, said Meyer.

In addition to its usual business, the Opera will perform next season in Tokyo, Yokohama, Abu Dhabi and Madrid, said Meyer.

According to the director, compared to the same period last year, the Opera's revenue increased by 225,000 euros to 23.95 million euros until April 4.

However, attendence has declined slightly from 99 percent to 98.51 percent. In comparison with other big opera houses, this rate remains high, said Meyer.