Imperial Gala Concert
The wonderful Baroque palace, Palais Auersperg, in Vienna is the venue for a splendid classical music event, known as Imperial Gala Concert. Staged regularly at the auditorium where once Johann Strauss the Younger and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performed their works, the concert blends classical music with elements of opera and dance. The historic venue generates an incomparable atmosphere since it is a building that has been associated with some of the most well-known names in music for centuries.
Audience goers can expect a true extravaganza of musical entertainment with a varied programme that often features luminaries such as Franz Schubert, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Franz Lehár and Antonio Vivaldi, as well as the aforementioned greats, Strauss and Mozart. As such, the Imperial Gala Concert at the Palais Auersperg represents a journey back in time where the Baroque era music of Vivaldi, for example, can often be on the same programme as a renowned 20th-century composer, like Lehár. Echoing much of the musical style that dominated western culture during Vienna’s imperial epoch, this is the only Viennese concert series performed at the palace, a true baroque jewel.
In particular, the concerts typically feature waltz music. Waltzes were immortalised within the Viennese music traditions of the 19th century when Strauss the Younger was popularising the style with classics such as The Blue Danube, originally performed on 15 February 1867, or the just as famous Emperor Waltz which debuted on 21 October 1889. Audiences are also often treated to renditions of arias taken from some of the best operas ever written, including, for example, ‘The Queen of the Night’ from Mozart's The Magic Flute.
An established ensemble of outstanding soloists drawn from the Vienna Mozart Orchestra, plus internationally acclaimed sopranos, performs the music with additional entertainment provided by dancers from the Vienna Royal Ballet. Consequently, concert attendees can expect not only the highest-quality musicianship but also world-class entertainment, too. Imperial Gala Concert provides a remarkable experience, one that combines virtuosity with performance elegance, not to mention the sort of Viennese joie de vivre that guests at Palais Auersperg have been enjoying for almost three centuries.