Batting around in Vienna
On the 151st anniversary of the first performance of Die Fledermaus (5 April 1874), Johann Strauss’ immortal operetta will be assuming very different guises at venues all over Vienna. On this very special day, the Festival will be offering Fledermaus fans from age 3 to 99 an extensive programme designed to keep them happy all day.
Alongside the central courtyard of the MuseumsQuartier, the main locations are DSCHUNGEL WIEN, the ZOOM children’s museum and Hall E, with additional attractions at the Volkstheater and the Universitätsring near City Hall.
Throughout the year, there’ll also be any number of bats to admire at Schönbrunn Zoological Gardens, where you can also look in on the flying foxes we’ve been sponsoring.
On New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve, the Staatsoper will be showing Otto Schenk’s legendary staging of Die Fledermaus, while in 2025 there will be some 15 opportunities to enjoy this immortal masterwork with jailer Frosch played by a woman.
05.04.2025 – AFTERNOON
MQ – DSCHUNGEL VIENNA
Flittermice
Flittermice is a production by schallundrauch agency for young audiences of 4 years and upwards. The social life and the sounds of genuine bats are dovetailed with Johann Strauss’ Fledermaus operetta and its music. How will that work? Musicians, dancers and performers explore echolocation, ultrasonics and operetta, tune into new frequencies, dance in full flight, rest upside down and show each other how to play the fiddle.
By & with Gabriele Wappel, Janina Sollmann, Sara Wilnauer, Joachim Rigler, Michael Haller, Hannah Zauner and many others
A production by schallundrauch agency in conjunction with JOST25 and DSCHUNGEL WIEN
05.04.2025
MQ – HALLE E
Fledermaus à la Janoska
The Janoska Ensemble serves up the famous melodies from the operetta in arrangements to die for. Guest soprano Daniela Fally will be flown in specially for the occasion. The performance is spiced with a generous portion of spontaneity and improvisation with the musicians trusting to the inspirations occurring to them on the spur of the moment. The result is wild and wonderful, an untrammelled Fledermaus performance with no holds barred!
A concert by JOST25
05.04.2025 – ADTERNOON
MQ – DSCHUNGEL VIENNA
valse, valse, valse
In valse, valse, valse, choreographer Johanna Heusser explores two diametrically different perspectives on celebrating, the staid Apollonian kind and the anarchic Dionysian variety. The production is for children of 8 years and upwards. It asks what a modern-day interpretation of the waltz might look like and steeps itself in a world in which the choreography enables young audiences to achieve a genuine appreciation of the different varieties of celebration.
A production by Johanna Heusser in conjunction with JOST25, ROXY Birsfelden, Bühne Aarau and Theater im Pumpenhaus in collaboration with DSCHUNGEL WIEN
05.04.2025
MQ – HALLE E
Creatures of the Night
Biodiversity show, Dominik Eulberg
Johann Strauss’ music appeals to people from all strata of society and in so doing creates something like a utopian vision of an egalitarian society. Long after Strauss’ death, techno-subculture has asserted its allegiance to the idea of a free society. On Fledermaus Day, Dominik Eulberg, one of our leading techno-artists and ecologists, will be masterminding a biodiversity show in total sympathy with the spirit of Johann Strauss. His message is that to achieve a new togetherness, we must overcome the separation between nature and the human animal, culture and nature, and human individuals themselves. Only by acting in concert can we hope to deal with the challenges posed by the future of humanity.
A production commissioned by JOST25
* Tickets in combination with „Fledermaus à la Janoska“
05.04.2025
VOLKSTHEATER VIENNA
Villa Orlofsky
With its Villa Orlofsky production, the Volkstheater has put together a very special world premiere, designed specially for the Strauss anniversary.
05.04.2025 – AFTERNOON
MQ – ZOOM CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
Tricky Strauss
Cartoon-film workshop and flight experiments
For children from 8 to 14 years
At the ZOOM museum, children of 8 and upwards can take part in exciting cartoon-film workshops with innovative media technology helping them translate their ideas on the subject of bats into films with music of their own. On Fledermaus Day, the results of their efforts will be presented on the big ZOOM screen. The eventful day reaches its climax with joint flight experiments. Self-designed bats go winging up into the sky over the MuseumsQuartier with any number of musical surprises into the bargain.
05.04.2025 – 9.30 PM
MQ – MAIN COURTYARD
In time with time
Audio-visual mapping show
Specially for Fledermaus Day, the Modulux projection artists will be creating a new audio-visual mapping show. Once darkness falls, a fledermaus will come flitting over the walls of the MuseumsQuartier courtyard to open an immersive show that takes us from the sumptuous ballrooms of the 19th century to visions of the future. The production draws on visual diversity to illustrate the timeless influence of Johann Strauss and expand it impressively to encompass new dimensions of time, space and music!
More shows on 6 / 12 / 13 / 19 and 20 April 2025
A production commissioned by JOST25
05.04.2025
UNIVERSITÄTSRING NEAR CITY HALL SQUARE
Bat race
Vienna City Marathon
The Vienna City Marathon taking place this weekend will be introducing a new flittermouse category. The youngest competitors (3 years and older) will be allotted a 200-yard sprint course and are welcome to take part disguised as bats. No one gets left behind! Prizes guaranteed!