One tenor, one bass, one soprano and one alto survive the fire and the total destruction of the Viennese Ringtheater in 1881. And still today you can listen to the „Singing Quartet“ in the Schloßpark Pötzleinsdorf where they have been living since 1882.
Their original place were the pilasters of the attic above the entry of the Ringtheater at Schottenring. The theatre had been opened as opera buffa in 1874 and extended its repertoire among others with plays. At the beginning of „Hoffmanns Erzählungen“ at the 8th December 1881 the gas light was to be turned on. Due to a technical problem the gas exploded with the fire eating the stage and then the auditorium. The rescue operations were not undertaken cleverly. Bulletins report between 386 and 448 dead persons. All strata of the Viennese society deplored dead persons. After this tragic incident the iron curtain became obligatory in 1882.
The four singers survive the fire. They are today in the park (sadly) a bit more separated from each other compared to their time on the pilasters.
Quartet/Ringtheater-Sources (in German, but with more pictures):
The „singing quartet“
Ringtheater
Ringtheater fire
June 14, 2008 at 5:44 pm
[...] History – Viennese Stories June 14, 2008 — Annette Hexelschneider Not only two female singers and two male singers survived the horrible fire in the Viennese Ringtheater in December 1881 but columns were under the [...]