We will be visiting Vienna on June 16 & 17 and would like to know which concerts you recommend. I've been doing some research and there are a lot of them, however, we want to make sure we don't fall in a tourist trap.

Thanks,

Clau

hi Clau,

which ones have you investigated? what do you like to hear? what do you want to pay?

help us to help you!

regards, ann

1st Viennese Heurigen Show* Heuriger Wolff
Austrian Dinner Show* Wiener Rathauskeller
Wiener Residenzorchester
Vienna Walzer Concerts Palais Palffy

We are looking for concerts of traditional Austrian music or concerts by major Austrian composers like Mozart, Strauss or Haydn, among others.

We are not huge music aficionados, but would like to take advantage of the fact that we'll be in the city of music.

We want to stay away from the tourist traps, if possible.

Thanks, Claudina

I'm afraid the ones you are looking at are the tourist traps.

On the 16th, there is chamber music by Haydn and Mozart at the Mozarthaus. Also Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera is being performed at the Konzarthaus (concert performance--not staged). There is a program of Beethoven Violin Sonatas at the Musikverein.

On the 17th you can choose from the internationally known singer Susan Graham singing an all-French program at the Konzarthaus or Haydn's Mass in Time of War sung by the University of Music students at St. Ursula's church.

Hi Clau -

rule of thumb. if the players are wearing costume, it's for tourists. of course the playing MAY be good, but the concerts tend to be overpriced. For example, in Krakov, the tickets at the Filharmonia were half the price of those for a much less demanding concert in a church performed by people wearing costume.

musicteacher,

thanks for reminding me about the konzerthaus and musikverein [which I had got mixed up in my head, for some reason.]

I had a look at the programmes for when we are in Vienna [20-23 June] and the best concert I could find was the wiener philharmoniker, cond. seiji Ozawa, on sunday morning in the Konzerthaus. the 2nd half of the programme is Mendelssohn; the first half is some film music by Takemitsu for a film called "Black Rain" and a concerto for 7 instruments by Frank Martin, which looks a bit avant gard for me, let alone my DH.

the cheapest seats available are €51 each; as we are already going to Aida at the Staatsoper on the monday night, I'm not sure that I want to splash out so much. any thoughts?

regards, ann

Ann,

By the last week in June the concert season is coming to a close, so there are not as many events on the calendar.

The Philharmoniker seems to be the best concert available, and these pieces by Takemitsu and Martin are not really avant gard (you can listen to excerpts on the sites of the major internet CD vendors).

On Tuesday night is the final concert of the Beeethoven Piano Competition at the Musikverein. This would not be as expensive as the Philharmoniker. There are also programs of Masses and other sacred music at several of the churches during this week.

hi musicteacher,

yes, I know it's a bit late but we had to wait until DS had finished his exams and DD is back from uni, so they can house-sit for us.

I did a search for the Takemitsu and Martin, and I see what you mean, but they are probably quite avant gard enough for us and the Mozart requiem is being sung at the church in Karlsplatz, which we might enjoy, though I'd rather be singing it!

I'd looked at the Beethoven but I wasn't sure if that was to our taste. I'll have another look.

thanks for your help,

regards, ann

Hi, Clau. On June 17th at the Volksoper (#2 opera house in Vienna) is the performance of "Ariadne on Naxos" by Richard Strauss. Tickets don't go on sale online until June 1st. We'll be in Vienna a few days later and are hoping to get tickets for "The Merry Widow".

We saw The Merry Widow in 2000 at the Staatsoper and it was delightful. If you could spare part of an afternoon and evening you could investigate the Stadt Theatre in Baden, about a half-hour local train ride from Vienna. We were in Vienna in 2006 and traveled to Baden to the Kurpark (where the theatre is located) to see Kalman's operetta (an Austrian musical entertainment form for sure) "die Zirku Princessen" (The Circus Princess). The music was delightful, the performers attractive and skilled, and the humor trascended language barriers. I have a web site link somewhere if you want to follow up (advance tickets are a good idea).