Concerts in Vienna - Information, schedule and secure bookings
What better place to be for a concert of classical music than Vienna, the capital of classical music par excellence?
There are many kinds of concerts available in the Austrian capital, and they very often include works by W. A. Mozart and Johann Strauss, but also by other great composers such as Vivaldi, Haydn and Puccini, to name a few.
Some of the venues where you can attend one of these classical concerts have international reputations. This is the case with the Golden Hall of Vienna’s Musikverein, where the famous New Year’s Eve concert is performed (and broadcast on television) every year on 1 January. Other events are also hosted at this concert hall all year long, including some of the Vienna Mozart Concerts, performed by the Vienna Mozart Orchestra: and on certain occasions the orchestra presents these concerts at the majestic Vienna State Opera, as well as at the Great Hall of the Konzerthaus. At the latter, inaugurated by the Emperor Franz Joseph I in 1913, a variety of concerts take place offering both classical and modern music. It is an important venue for many performances by the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, and one where some of the main Easter concerts are performed, such as Bach’s St John Passion.
Concerts by the Vienna Boys’ Choir are always a special experience, and tickets are much in demand. So in Vienna you have the chance to attend a performance by what is probably the world’s most famous boys’ choir – and at the Augarten itself (home of the institution of the Wiener Sängerknaben), where the boys are accompanied by the Camerata Schulz Orchestra, and where you will have the chance to meet the young singers after the concert. The choir also performs for the high mass at the Imperial Court Chapel of Hofburg Palace, on Sundays from September to June. Also at the Imperial Palace, you can attend a magnificent concert in the Redouten Hall, usually with works by Mozart and Strauss performed by the Vienna Hofburg Orchestra. This great orchestra consists of 40 musicians and soloists from the Vienna State Opera.
And on the subject of Imperial Palaces, if you are going to visit Schönbrunn Palace then you can make the most of the trip by attending a concert there too. The Schoenbrunn Palace Orchestra and the Schoenbrunn Chamber Ensemble perform works by Mozart and Straus in the Great Gallery and in the Orangery at the palace.
But returning to the centre of Vienna – and still with Mozart in mind – it is worth mentioning the Concerts in Mozart’s House. With these chamber concerts, the Mozart Ensemble Vienna pays tribute to the maestro from Salzburg at the Sala Terrena, Vienna’s oldest concert hall.
Other important venues in the central area of Vienna are St Peter’s Church – the crypt is a delightful place to savour Mozart’s exquisite piano sonatas – and St Anne’s Church, where you will be able to enjoy the classical music of Mozart, Vivaldi, Haydn, Bach, Schubert, Dvorak and Puccini, as well as the splendid Enchanting Advent Trumpets, performing works by great composers, and Christmas carols during Advent.
Vienna’s Kursalon is another well-known concert venue. This is where the Strauss brothers gave their first concerts, and it still pays tribute to the most famous of them – “the Waltz King” – with its Johann Straus Concerts, performed by the Salonorchester Alt Wien. This is an experience which can be combined with dinner for those who reserve a Concert & Dinner VIP Ticket.
Last but not least, there are also events which take place at St Charles Church in Vienna, very near the centre of the capital. Here you have an opportunity to hear Mozart’s last work –Mozart Requiem – or Vivaldi’s most famous work, The Four Seasons. Both great works are masterfully performed in this beautiful Baroque church, named after St Charles Borromeo.
As you can see, Vienna offers many possibilities for you to enjoy the finest classical music concerts, whether with full symphony orchestras, with chamber orchestras, with solo piano, with soloists or even with dancers. So you will be spoilt for choice in the capital of classical music.