Prior to its devastating bombing during the final days of World War II, the Vienna State Opera was the legendary home to a multitude of classical music giants - composers and performers alike - for nearly a century. The house opened once again on November 5, 1955, and has since played host to some of the world's most esteemed musicians. In November 2005, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Opera's reopening, an international collection of leading opera stars gathered to perform a concert program of arias selected from the 1955 gala reopening season. Featuring excerpts from Mozart's Don Giovanni, Verdi's Aida, Wagner's Die Meistersinger, Beethoven's Fidelio and more, the 2005 celebration is led by some of the world's premier conductors, including the opera's principal conductor Seiji Ozawa, as well as Franz Welser-Möst and Zubin Mehta. Placido Domingo joins a cast of opera talents that includes Thomas Hampson, Bryn Terfel and Angelika Kirchschlager.