From 1960, he was employed at the Vienna State Opera under Herbert von Karajan, where their first production was Pelléas et Mélisande.

[2] From 1962 to 1986 he was the chief stage designer for the Austrian Federal Theatres [de], including the Opera, Volksoper and Burgtheater with the Akademietheater.

He pioneered and developed a symbolic style of using hand-painted projections and sophisticated special effects, working with the company Pani.

[2][5] For a production of Offenbach's Hoffmann's Erzählungen at the Salzburger Marionettentheater in 1985, he brought holographic technology to use on stage for the first time.

[5] He designed 28 productions for Karajan and 60 for Otto Schenk, and worked also with directors such as August Everding, Götz Friedrich and Peter Ustinov.