fourfortravel

Governator, it looks as if the "dots" adjacent to a particular date at the Wiener Konzerthaus refer to the number of performances on a particular date for which seats are still available?

Governator

--There are standing tickets available for the Vienna Opera, if that was the one you were referring to as 193 euro. See: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...om-tickets.cfm - they are cheap enough you could just stay for a little.--

I assume these are hard to get. I'd better bring a scarf. LOL

thursdaysd

If what you really care about is seeing the auditorium, rather than attending a performance, it would be simpler to just take a tour, as I suggested above. The tour will also take you behind the stage, which I found very interesting.

Governator

I'd like to see a performance. However, if I can't get a ticket I'll keep that in mind. Thanks.

Governator

I'm still looking for tips on Prague venues.

Sassafrass

OK, a little crazy, but worth a try if at least some opera is worth it to you. DD has done this when she was in Vienna last minute and could not get tickets or was short on money. In Vienna, people may have season tickets, but stay for only part of the performance. DD gets very dressed up and waits outside until intermission, when people leaving have given her their tickets. She says the key is to be well dressed, and for her it is worth the effort, as she has always been given tickets. She has also bought standing room tickets, then been given tickets for seats by people leaving.

annhig

I'm still looking for tips on Prague venues.>>

did you miss what I posted about 15 posts up?

Governator

Sassafrass, interesting idea.

annhig, sorry I missed it. I have to start booking something.

Re Musikverien , Vienna - are there different halls, I want to make sure I buy something in the main hall. The site is hard to understand not speaking German. Looking specifically for 4/7,8 or 9.

maxima

for Prague Trip advisor has a page about the various venues and who plays there.. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g2...cal.Music.html

In London, in addition to the usual West End theaters, there is the National Theater (a modern building but theater tix are fairly reasonable). Classical music is performed at various venues, some old/some new. Covent Garden for opera and ballet, but ticket prices are steep

Vienna has a variety of venues,, it depends on what you want to see and ticket prices of course.

thursdaysd

@maxima - perhaps you missed this:

"What I'm looking for is in any of the subject cities, is there a theater known for it's remarkable interior beauty.

My wife loves to go to theaters with beautiful interior design, regardless of what's playing (except Shakespeare, LOL)"

I cannot imagine that the National will meet those requirements.

annhig

Gov - the Grosser Saal is what you want, i think.

Governator

annhig, I think you're right. Thanks.

Governator

In case anyone is wondering how this is turning out, I chose to go to the Musikverien in Vienna "The "Great Hall" (Großer Saal) due to its highly regarded acoustics is considered one of the finest concert halls in the world" - Wikipedia. Only 6 Euros to see "the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester on its extraordinary Easter Tour 2015".

In Prague it will be the National Theater http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natio...atrePrague.jpg
Only 1000ckz for 2 people to see an opera.

Now I understand when people say it can be very reasonable to see good classical music in Vienna and Prague.

As far as London I may look for a good off west end play to see Sat night, although I may choose to take advantage of the late closing of the Tate gallery, instead.

Thanks for all the feedback.

annhig

They sound like good choices, Gov. I bet that orchestra is a cracker. What's the opera you're going to see in Prague?

if you want to economise it will definitely have to be "off the west end" in London - when we were there a month or so again, they wanted £60 each for last minute seats for Warhorse. we went to the National Gallery for free instead.

Just round the corner from there is the National Portrait Gallery, currently showing a terrific Singer Sargeant exhibition until 25th May - not cheap at £14.50 each but worth it if you have any interest at all in his works.

http://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/sargent/home.php

Governator

annhig, the opera is called Jenufa. Believe it or not this will be my first opera. I'd like to see a play in London, but with only 2 nights there , I'm not sure it's the best use of my time.

laverendrye

Well Jenufa is regarded as one of the great operas of the 20th Century and there is likely no better place to attend a performance than in Prague. However, the plot is pretty grim stuff--with suffering, violence and even infanticide. It will almost certainly be sung in Czech but the theatre should have subtitles in English. Not the opera that I might choose for my first one. Now suffering, violence and murder are hardly unknown to opera (!!) but somehow I find it goes down better to the music of Verdi, Puccini or Donizetti, to name a few. However, plot aside, you may well enjoy the music, much of which is derived from Czech folk melodies. It's a peasant opera set in a 19th Century Moravian village.

You can watch the entire opera on Youtube if you want to get an idea of what you are in for. Here's a short clip of the finale:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QQyKa8c4ak

Governator

It looks like I'm in for a great experience. Thanks for the info and the link!

welltraveledbrit

I think what you are looking for in London is the Royal Opera House. If you are interested in the building rather than the performance you could opt for a tour or get cheap tickets up in the "gods" WE have tickets to Weil and Brecht's "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany" next week and I was quite excited right until the reviews came out.

Oh well, I'll sooth myself by looking at the building!

I completely understand the desire to see the building, we left one opera in Prague after the first Act. I enjoyed what I saw and opted not to see any more. Culture isn't an endurance sport, it's fine not to like/love everything. Sometimes the building is the highlight.

In terms of plays in London there are lots of older historic theatres in the West End. I'm very partial to the National but as others have mentioned it's a modern building rather like a concrete bunker though I rather like Lasdun's work. Right now Ralph Fiennes is in Man and Superman but I think it's sold out.

Annig - we saw Warhorse in the West End years ago and opted for $15 restricted view tickets which were fabulous, close to the stage on the far right, we thought they were a great way to go.

annhig

wtb - we phoned up on spec and the £60 stalls were all they had. too rich for us!

I've forgotten - are you going to the Sargent Exhibition? [i've lost track of the threads!]