Vienna Travel Guide
Classical Vienna
A music lover's guide to Vienna — State Opera seats and standing places, the Musikverein and Konzerthaus, concerts for visitors, the Vienna Boys Choir, composers' homes and graves, and free summer music.
No city has a musical history like Vienna's. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert made it the capital of classical music; the Strauss family gave it the waltz; Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler and Schoenberg followed. That tradition is not a museum piece: the State Opera performs most nights of its season, the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna Symphony play in two of the world's great concert halls, and dozens of concerts for visitors fill palaces and churches every evening. Here is how to make the most of it.
The State Opera. The Wiener Staatsoper, on the Ring, is one of the world's leading opera houses, with a repertory system that brings a different opera or ballet on most nights from September to June. Tickets go on sale about two months before each performance, from affordable gallery seats to the boxes. The legendary bargain is the standing places, sold for under ten euros, which let anyone hear world-class opera from the back of the stalls or the galleries; the sales system changes from time to time, so check the official site. Subtitles in English appear on seat-back screens. If you cannot attend a performance, take the 40-minute guided tour, about 15 euros for adults, and on some evenings watch the free live screening on the square beside the house. There are no performances in July and August.
The concert halls. The Musikverein, opened in 1870, is home to the Vienna Philharmonic and its Golden Hall is one of the finest-sounding concert halls in the world; it is the setting of the New Year's Concert. The Konzerthaus, a few minutes away, opened in 1913 and hosts the Vienna Symphony and a varied programme from early music to jazz. Both run full seasons from autumn to early summer with the city's orchestras and international stars. Tickets for top concerts sell quickly, but check the halls' websites for returns and standing places.
Concerts for visitors. For an easy, enjoyable introduction, the concerts aimed at visitors are a good choice: Mozart and Strauss programmes by ensembles such as the Vienna Mozart Orchestra, in period costume, at the Musikverein; palace concerts in Schonbrunn's Orangery and the Hofburg; and Vivaldi, Mozart and organ concerts in Baroque churches such as St Peter's, St Charles' and St Stephens Cathedral. They last about an hour and a half, run all year, including summer, and are best booked online rather than from the costumed sellers on the street.
The Vienna Boys Choir. Founded in 1498 as part of the imperial court chapel, the choir sings Sunday mass in the Hofburg Chapel during its season, and gives concerts in its own hall, MuTh, in the Augarten. Seats for the mass can be booked ahead, and standing places are free, though the boys are heard more than seen.
Following the composers. Mozart lived in many apartments in Vienna, but only one survives: the Mozarthaus near St Stephens, where he wrote The Marriage of Figaro, now a museum. Beethoven moved constantly; visit the Pasqualatihaus on the Moelker Bastei, one of his longest homes, and the house in Heiligenstadt where he wrote his despairing letter about his deafness, now a museum, near the Heurigen of Nussdorf. Haydn's house in Mariahilf and Schubert's birthplace are also museums. The Haus der Musik, a hands-on museum of sound with a room where you can conduct the Philharmonic virtually, is a fun introduction for all ages. At the Central Cemetery, the Zentralfriedhof, the group of honorary graves gathers Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Johann Strauss and many others, with a memorial to Mozart, who lies in an unmarked grave in St Marx Cemetery.
The waltz and the ball season. Vienna's ball season peaks between New Year's Eve and Lent, with hundreds of balls, from the Opera Ball, when the State Opera is transformed into a ballroom for thousands of guests, to balls organised by professions and clubs. Visitors can attend many of them; dress codes are strict, and dance lessons are popular beforehand. The golden statue of Johann Strauss in the Stadtpark is the city's most photographed musician.
Free and summer music. In June, the Vienna Philharmonic gives a free open-air concert in the gardens of Schonbrunn, the Summer Night Concert. In July and August, when the opera and halls are closed, the film festival on Rathausplatz screens opera and concert films for free, with food stalls, every evening. The free outdoor screenings at the State Opera run in parts of the season, and church services with orchestral masses, in St Stephens, St Augustine's and St Michael's, are a way to hear great music for nothing.
Dress and manners. There is no strict dress code for opera or concerts, but the Viennese dress up a little, and smart casual is always safe. Arrive in good time, as latecomers are not admitted until a suitable break. Applaud at the end of a work, not between movements, and enjoy the interval: a glass of sparkling wine in the foyer is part of the ritual.
Planning your musical trip. Check the season programmes of the State Opera, the Musikverein and the Konzerthaus before choosing your dates, book the big events early, and fill the gaps with concerts for visitors, church music and the composers' houses. Stay near the Ring or the opera to walk home after a performance, and leave one evening free for a standing place at the opera, the most Viennese way to hear music.