Classical music in Vienna

Every night in Vienna around 10,000 music fans are treated to live classical music, something that is simply unheard of in any other city in the world. Each year the Vienna concert schedule includes more than 15,000 events of various sizes and genres. Looking for the most magnificent concerts in Vienna? Here’s your ultimate overview. From the Wiener Musikverein, where the world-renowned New Year’s Concert takes place, to concerts that include dinners at Kursalon Hübner, we’ve got you covered.

  

Wiener Konzerthaus

Music lovers experience lively musical variety at the first-class music center that is the Wiener Konzerthaus. Leading performers of every genre are guests in the atmospheric Art Nouveau setting.

The musical range of the Wiener Konzerthaus covers not only the classical repertoire but also ranges from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque to Jazz and World as well as the progressives sounds of the present day.

Vienna Boys' Choir

They thrill the concert-going public around the world, are described as Vienna’s youngest ambassadors, and make music with world class musicians: the Vienna Boys' Choir. In Vienna, they regularly appear in their own concert hall "MuTh" and in the Hofburg Chapel.

In Vienna, it is often possible to hear the Vienna Boy's Choir: regularly as part of the Vienna Hofmusikkapelle at the Holy Mass in the Hofburg Chapel on Sundays (September to June) and in the MuTh - that's their new concert hall in the Augarten, which opened in 2012. The name MuTh is an abbreviation of "Music and Theater" and its stage is home to daring music and theater productions. - A stage that offers a superb view for the 400 audience members and gives the actors almost as much space as the Vienna State Opera.

The MuTh is located right next to the Augartenpalais, where the Vienna Boys learn, live and sing. The new music center is a powerful cultural stimulus in the Augarten. The MuTh builds bridges: Between music and theater, tradition and experiment, great artists and - above all - the next generation.

Musikverein

The Musikverein is Vienna's most famous center for classical music. Going to a concert here is about getting to know Vienna as a city of music in a setting of the very finest quality. And musical greats such as the Vienna Philharmonic.

Millions of music lovers around the world know the Musikverein in Vienna as one of the most traditional concert houses there is, one that plays host to top-ranking artists. The building on Karlsplatz, not far from the magnificent Ringstrasse boulevard, is reminiscent of a temple, built according to a design by Theophil Hansen in 1807 in the historical style with columns, pediments and reliefs.

The Large Musikverein Hall, also called the "Golden Hall", is famous for its sumptuous decor. Apollo and the muses draw the eye to the ceiling, while the columns are designed as female figures of the ancient world. As incomparable as the look are the spatial acoustics - the sound experiences here are unique in the world. The New Year's Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic is broadcast to an international TV audience of millions from the Golden Hall each year. The Musikverein offers first-class concerts on the other 364 days of the year as well. However, it has long since ceased to be exclusively a temple of classical music.

  

  

Viennese wine & Heurige

  

Vienna is the only metropolis that grows enough wine within its city limits to make it worth mentioning. 700 hectares of Viennese vineyards leave their mark on the cityscape and its culture of pleasure. Wine growing has a long tradition in Vienna. White wines are grown in 80 percent of the vineyards, with the Wiener Gemischter Satz being a specialty. Nowadays, Vienna presents itself as a city with a lively wine scene. Viennese wine is enjoyed in the city's many bars and restaurants or on the edge of town in wine taverns that offer wine from their own vineyards and buffet tables piled high with home-made delicacies.

The Viennese Heurige

They are as famous as the Giant Ferris Wheel, Schönbrunn Palace, the Vienna Boys Choir or the Lipizzaner.

The real Viennese “heurige” or wine taverns. Numerous songs have been dedicated to them; they have served as a backdrop for many films. However, in the legendary comfortable atmosphere, they primarily offer the Viennese and their guests entertainment, fine Viennese wines and the fitting culinary accompaniment. A place in which to feel good, in which everyone is warmly welcome. The real Viennese heurige, in which only Viennese wines are served, are identified by a bunch of pine branches and by the word “Ausg’steckt” written on a board, which simultaneously shows when the tavern is open.

However, the word “heurige” does not just describe the tavern itself, but also the wine from the current vintage, which – in accordance with tradition - may be so-called until 11 November (St Martin’s Day). Alongside the pleasant wine by the glass, the Viennese heurige also offer their guests fine wines sold in “bouteillen” (0.75 litre bottles), reflecting the richness of the variety and the special Viennese climate, and corresponding glass and tableware. And sometimes, with a little luck, “live music” can even be heard in the secluded gardens or homely parlours...

  

  

Viennese nightlife

Vienna's club scene is all about parties with music of the highest quality. Electronic music from Vienna is known for creating an international sensation - and with good reason. The parties range from chic to underground. Clubs such as Flex have already attained cult status. The program there is just as varied as at the city's other party venues.

  

The establishments under the arches of the former Stadtbahn railway along the Gürtel, such as Chelsea, B72 and Rhiz, have been fixed features of Vienna's nightlife scene for years. Flex, Grelle Forelle and Werk are just some of the clubs that make up the party area by the Danube Canal, which is joined by numerous beach bars in the summer. Night-owls also make their rounds on the Ringstrasse: at the Volksgarten Disco, Säulenhalle, Babenberger Passage and Albertina Passage as well as at the Platzhirsch.

Albertina Passage

The dinner club at the Vienna State Opera offers sophisticated cuisine, live jazz music and DJ sounds in a futuristic ambience.

  

A former pedestrian underpass now shines with a new glow as a chic dinner club. The Albertina Passage is an exciting combination of top-class dining, classic American bar and club with live music. The food has a focus on light, Asian-inspired cuisine.

Dancing, drinks & club

The refined seating niches are grouped around a stage on which live music with a focus on jazz is played on Fridays and Saturdays from 10.00 pm. When DJs take over the music program in the Albertina Passage, guests can also dance to their heart's delight. Special eye-catchers are the futuristically curved cocktail bar as well as the stage and walls, which can be illuminated in a wide range of colors. The venue has space for around 300 visitors.

Club Schwarzenberg

The club on Schwarzenbergplatz promises a party feeling and entertainment of the highest standard.

 

A club in the style to be found in the party metropolis of Ibiza was the goal of the host at the new Club Schwarzenberg. The premises of a former movie theater was given a chic makeover. Club Schwarzenberg now presents itself on the highest level, both architecturally and as far as the sound and lighting systems are concerned. 46 LED light rings create a visual experience. The enormous room height even makes it possible for artists to perform acrobatic stunts at lofty heights on occasion.

The music focuses on R’n’B, hiphop and house. The club aims to appeal to a crowd between 20 and 40 years of age, which is why admission is restricted on some days to the over-20s only. VIP tables can be booked in the gallery and come with special extras such as an ice cube dispenser and secure cell phone charging stations.

Volksgarten Club Disco

The disco in Vienna city center is actually set in the midst of a wonderful garden. The Volksgarten Club Disco has a long history and has survived as a hotspot of Viennese party culture for decades, despite the fast-moving club culture.

 

When locals go "to the Volksgarten", they are not normally talking about the park, but about a disco. And not just any disco, but one of the best locations, which has been a fixed point of the city for decades. The history of the Volksgarten Club Disco goes back over 180 years. Today, the extensive establishment around the architecturally attractive glass pavilion offers both open-air and indoor nights with international greats of the party culture scene.

After renovations, the winter garden captures a special flair, featuring original furniture from the 1950s. The open-plan interior conveys a cozy feeling, with palms, Thonet furniture and old chandeliers. The music consists of house, disco and party hits.

The former Volksgarten Banane, an addition to the disco, is now managed as an independent club under the name "Säulenhalle".

Vienna. Experience design & gourmet

Big name architects including Adolf Loos, Eichinger oder Knechtl, Sir Terence Conran, Anne Lacaton and Jean Philippe Vassal have created bars and restaurants in Vienna that are well worth a visit thanks to their design alone!

  

Vienna has a long tradition of bars and restaurants with unusual interior designs. The Loos Bar is a classic example. A century ago Viennese architect and modernist pioneer Adolf Loos created a timeless atmosphere with his compact American Bar.

The British star designer Sir Terence Conran is responsible for the interior design of the Brasserie & Bakery in The Guesthouse Vienna, where he has emphasized the décor to be found in traditional Austrian establishments of the early part of the 20^th century. The restaurant’s armchairs were made according to designs by the famous post-war architect Oswald Haerdtl. All of the brass items, including the coat stands, come from the Carl Auböck Workshop in Vienna.

Given its location at the Architekturzentrum Wien in the MuseumsQuartier, quality architecture is must for Café Restaurant Corbaci. French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean Philippe Vassal have based their philosophy around the intelligent treatment of a minimalist approach to using materials, and this is plain to see at Corbaci. The mosaic ceiling work from Turkish artist Asiye Kolbai-Kafalier provides a suitable contrast to the minimalist architecture elsewhere.

Eichinger oder Knechtl have also produced a convincing solution for Unger und Klein, a cross between a wine store and bar. A long, curved wine shelf dominates the bar, clearly showing that the wine is the central attraction, and helps with orientation and storage. Here, aesthetics and culinary enjoyment go hand in hand.

The Viennese architecture office BEHF has already made its mark on a large number of restaurants in the city. At the refined Japanese restaurant Shiki, the architects from BEHF have included many individual details – from the hand-made and hand-painted Japanese paper ceiling in the brasserie to the wall painted with piano lacquer in the fine dining room.

Restaurant Steirereck is not only one of the best restaurants in the world but also plays every visual trick there is. The team of architects from PPAG opened up the restaurant towards the Stadtpark. The park is reflected in the metal external façades, the windows can be opened outward and upward in fine weather. That creates a feeling of modern airiness inside, as do the floor made from Danube pebbles and the light oak paneling.

The stylish interior of the Asian restaurant Market near Naschmarkt is by Birgit Eschenlor. A central eye-catcher is the giant flower lamp by the artist Robert Thierry. The architect masterfully places colored accents using textile artworks.

 

 

Vienna. Theater an der Wien

  

Theater an der Wien specializes in the very finest of Baroque and classical operas and in modern aesthetics. As a seasonal opera house, there is a premiere almost every month as well as concertante operas and concerts.

The Theater an der Wien starts its thirteenth season with the 2018/19 season. This brings nine premieres to the house: first up is Handel's Alcina with Marlis Petersen in the leading role. Gioachino Rossini's opera Guillaume Tell from 1829 follows in October. In November, another work by Georg Friedrich Händel celebrates its premiere: Teseo. Great romantic opera is presented in December: Euryanthe by Carl Maria von Weber tests the loyalty of women.

From Handel to Weber

Henry Purcell's King Arthur starts the year 2019, followed in February by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's oratorio Elias. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky has taken on Schiller's tragedy of the same name, Die Jungfrau von Orleans (The Maid of Orleans) - to be experienced in March. April is filled for the third time with a work by Handel: Orlando. The romantic fairy opera Oberon once again puts the composer Carl Maria von Weber in the spotlight. Mauro Peter sings Oberon, Annette Dasch sings Rezia.

Ten operas by Handel, Salieri and Tchaikovsky, for example, will be performed in concert; stars such as Vivica Genaux and Franco Fagioli will sing. Elisabeth Kulmán and seven top musicians will present her song recital La Femme c'est Moi on November 20.

The Young Ensemble of the Theater an der Wien can be experienced in the Kammeroper, the second performance venue of Theater an der Wien.

 

Vienna. New Year's Eve Concerts

In Vienna, Johann Strauss' operetta "Die Fledermaus" belongs to New Year's Eve like the New Year's Concert of the Philharmonic belongs to the first day of the year. The change of year can also be musically shaped with romantic opera, Beethoven or musical sounds.

  

Two opera houses perform the popular operetta "Die Fledermaus" over the New Year period: The Volksoper (December 31 and January 1) and the Vienna State Opera (December 31, January 1, 3 and 5). Annette Dasch, Olga Bezsmertna, Herbert Lippert and Adrian Eröd sing here in alternation; Burgtheater actor Peter Simonischek plays the role of Frosch. The best: The State Opera Fledermaus will be screened live on Karajan Platz on the video wall in front of the Opera House from 7.00 pm, where it can be watched for free. From 2.00 pm and after the Fledermaus, an opera potpourri will be shown until 2.00 am in the morning. The performance is also available on the livestreaming channelof the Vienna State Opera.

At Theater an der Wien, opera fans can ring out the year with the grand romantic opera Euryanthe by Carl Maria von Weber from 1823. The exciting production is by Christof Loy.

Beethoven and Strauss at the Konzerthaus

The Wiener Konzerthaus presents a packed musical New Year's program: The Wiener Symphoniker brings the year to a close with Beethoven's 9th Symphony conducted by Andres Oroczo-Estrada (December 30 and 31, January 1). In addition to this festive program, things continue in buoyant mood in the Grand Hall with Waltz of the World, the New Year's Gala of the Wiener KammerOrchester, Aleksey Igudesman and other guests on December 31.

The Strauss Festival Orchestra performs Viennese sound paintings by Josef Lanner, Franz von Suppé, Johann, Josef and Eduard Strauss, Carl Michael Ziehrer and Johann Schrammel on the topic of "Art and Nature" (December 28 and 29, January 1).

Not just classical

Musical variety, mixed with a big dose of comedy, is promised by the New Year's Eve evening at the MuTh – Concert Hall of the Vienna Boys' Choir: The best to finish with: The Flying Schnörtzenbrekkers. Three gentlemen with voice, double bass, violin and accordion mercilessly target Ivica Strauss - an invented member of the Strauss dynasty.

The musicals Bodyguard and I am from Austria offer New Year's Eve guests an entertaining program for the change of year.

Those seeking a combination of music and party simply have to follow the New Year's Eve Trailthrough the Old City.