Vienna Opera Closes for Soccer Championship
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The renowned Vienna State Opera canceled one performance and complained about dismal attendance at another, blaming the European soccer championship being played in the Austrian capital.
Performances are usually nearly sold out, but the opera house said 29% of its seats went unsold for its most recent event, Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino.” The opera house also said it had decided to cancel a ballet on the evening of June 29, the day when the soccer final is played in Vienna.
Officials said in a statement Tuesday that would-be visitors fear negotiating through masses of soccer fans in downtown Vienna.
The opera’s director, Ioan Holender, told the Associated Press his company had never canceled a performance during his 17-year tenure because of fears of low attendance.
