Bühne und Sitzplan des Orchesters im Kärntnertortheater Wien, 1821 - Stich von Franz Xaver Stöber

In the 18th and the early 19th century, the theatre "nächst dem Kärtnertor" ("next to the Kärntner gate") was located exactly at the same place where the famous hotel "Sacher" is located in Vienna today. The house shown here opened in 1763. It replaced an earlier building, which had burned down during an event in 1761. Together with the castle theatre and the theatre "Theater an der Wien", the "Kärtnertor" theatre had been the most important show place of Vienna in Beethoven's time.

On May 7, 1824 a concert took place in this theatre, presenting some of Ludwig van Beethoven's works. The public showed enormous interest in the concert. First, the Overture "Zur Weihe des Hauses" ("Consecration of the House") op. 124 and three sections of the "Missa solemnis" op. 123 (Kyrie, Credo, Agnus Dei) had been played, followed by the premiere of the Ninth Symphony, op. 125. Actually this work had been created by order of the London Philharmonic Society, and it was this society which also retained the rights to show the premiere. In February 1824, 30 Viennese friends and patrons of Beethoven created a petition, in which they asked him to first let his latest large compositions be performed in Vienna. (Among those who signed the petition had been Prince Lichnowsky and the publishers Steiner, Diabelli and Artaria.) The composer agreed and the premiere of the Ninth Symphony became a great success.(S.B.)