Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
era every month—generally Mozart with a contemporary setting and modern interpretation.
Although Vienna now supports three opera companies, this is the only company playing
through the summer (facing the Naschmarkt at Linke Wienzeile 6, tel. 01/5883-0200 for in-
formation, tickets available at
www.theater-wien.at
)
.
Touristy Mozart and Strauss Concerts
If the music comes to you, it's touristy—designed for flash-in-the-pan Mozart fans.
Powdered-wig orchestra performances are given almost nightly in grand traditional settings
(€25-50).Peskywigged-and-powderedMozartspeddleticketsinthestreets.Theyraveabout
the quality of the musicians, but you'll get second-rate chamber orchestras, clad in historic
costumes, performing the greatest hits of Mozart and Strauss. These are casual, easygoing
concerts with lots of tour groups. While there's not a Viennese person in the audience, the
tourists generally enjoy the evening.
To sort through your options, check with the ticket office in the TI (same price as on the
street, but with all venues to choose from). Savvy locals suggest getting the cheapest tickets,
as no one seems to care if cheapskates move up to fill unsold pricier seats. Critics explain
that the musicians are actually very good (often Hungarians, Poles, and Russians working a
season here to fund an entire year of music studies back home), but that they haven't per-
formed much together so aren't “tight.”
Of the many fine venues, the
Mozarthaus
might be my favorite. Intimate chamber-
music concerts take place in a small room richly decorated in Venetian Renaissance style
(€35-42, Thu-Fri at 19:30, Sat at 18:00, near St. Stephen's Cathedral at Singerstrasse 7, tel.
01/911-9077,
www.mozarthaus.at
).
Strauss Concerts in the Kursalon
For years, Strauss concerts have been held in the Kursalon, the hall where the “Waltz King”
himself directed wildly popular concerts 100 years ago (€40-60, concerts generally nightly
at 20:15, tel. 01/512-5790 to check on availability—generally no problem to reserve—or
buyonlineat
www.soundofvienna.at
)
.Showslasttwohoursandareamixofballet, waltzes,
and a 15-piece orchestra. It's touristy—tour guides holding up banners with group numbers
wait out front after the show. Even so, the performance is playful, visually fun, fine quality
for most, and with a tried-and-tested, crowd-pleasing format. The conductor welcomes the
crowd in German (with a wink) and English; after that...it's English only.
Musicals
The Wien Ticket pavilion next to the Opera (near Kärntner Strasse) sells tickets to contem-
porary American and British musicals performed in German (€10-109). Same-day tickets
are available at a 24 percent discount from 14:00 until 18:00 (ticket pavilion open daily
