The first permanent theatre in Zürich, the Aktientheater, was built in 1834 and it became the focus of Richard Wagner’s activities during his period of exile from Germany. The Aktientheater burnt down in 1890. The new Stadttheater Zürich was built by the Viennese architects Fellner & Helmer, who changed their previous design for the theatre in Wiesbaden only slightly. It was built in only 16 months and was opened in 1891 and became the first opera house in Europe to have electrical lighting. It was the city's main performance space for drama, opera, and musical events until 1925, when it was renamed Opernhaus Zürich and a separate theatre for plays was built: The Bernhard Theater opened in 1941, in May 1981 the Esplanada building was demolished, and the present adjoint building opened on 27/28 December 1984 after three years of transition in the Kaufhaus building nearby Schanzengraben. By the 1970s, the opera house was badly in need of major renovations; when some considered it not worth restoring, a new theatre was proposed for the site. However, between 1982 and 1984, rebuilding took place but not without huge local opposition which was expressed in street riots. The rebuilt theatre was inaugurated with Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg and the world première of Rudolf Kelterborn’s Chekhov opera Der Kirschgarten. As restored, the theatre is an ornate building with a neo-classical façade of white and grey stone adorned with busts of Weber, Wagner, and Mozart. Additionally, busts of Schiller, Shakespeare, and Goethe are to be found. The auditorium is built in the neo-rococo style and seats approximately 1200 people. Corporate archives and historical library collections are held at the music department of the Predigerkirche Zürich. The Opera House also holds concerts by its Philharmonia orchestra, matinees, Lieder evenings and events for children. Opera Ball is organised every year in March, and is usually attended by prominent names.
In response to the combination of high subsidies for the Opera and the lack of cultural programs for the youth in Zürich, large protests were held in May 1980. The protests became known as the Opernhauskrawalle youth protests – Züri brännt, meaning Zurich is burning, as documented in the 1981 Swiss documentary filmof the same name.
