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City Guide  - Vienna  - Culture
Culture

Vienna's role as the capital of an empire that lasted for centuries has meant that artists and musicians have flourished in the city. The musicians who have at one time lived and worked in Vienna are especially remembered by a series of annual festivals. Among the musicians who have spent time in Vienna are Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schönberg and Mahler. It was in Vienna that Mozart created his operas and that Strauss gave the world the Blue Danube waltz and such beloved operettas as der Fledermaus. The city's performance venues are of the highest calibre and include the world-renowned Staatsoper and the Burgtheater, one of the most important theatres in the German-speaking world. Vienna has been at the centre of a number of artistic movements, notably at the turn of the century when the members of the Secessionist movement reacted against the rigidity of the bourgeois establishment and the constraints of figurative painting.

These artistic periods are writ large in the variety of architecture which graces the city, from splendid Baroque palaces to Otto Wagner's Art Nouveau U-Bahn stations (on the U4 line, notably Karlsplatz) and Postsparkasse (Post Office Savings Bank). There are wonderful Art Nouveau houses on the Linke Wienzeile (opposite the Naschmarkt) and delightful twentieth-century buildings in the Innerestadt, including the Loos Haus (opposite the Hofburg) and boutiques by Hans Hollein. Not to be missed, however, is the Secession, designed in 1897 by Joseph Maria Olbrich. The striking exterior is only the beginning, for Gustav Klimt's Beethoven frieze lies within. Famous painters, such as Klimt, Egon Schiele and, more recently, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, are an important part of Vienna's artistic heritage, and their works are a popular attraction (see Key Attractions section for museum information).

Music: Vienna is probably home to more classical music performances than any other city in the world. In addition to the regular season of performances, which generally runs from September to June, there are nine annual festivals and numerous special events. Almost lost in the shadow of the past is Vienna's vibrant youth scene, with venues offering everything from punk bands to the latest pop favourites.

The Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera) Hanuschgasse 3 (tel: (01) 5144 42960; fax: (01) 5144 42969; website: www.wiener-staatsoper), performs from a repertoire of nearly a hundred operas, operettas and ballets, daily from September to June. The splendid opera house makes for a romantic and regal setting in which to see the performances. Standing-room tickets are a bargain at öS30-50, but the queue for tickets starts in the late afternoon. The Volksoper (People's Opera), Währingerstrasse 78 (tel: (01) 5144 43318; fax: (01) 5144 42969), is a somewhat smaller venue that stages performances from a repertoire of 50 different lighter works, including musicals.

The Vienna Boys' Choir is a Viennese institution, having been formed as the Boys' Choir of the Royal Court in 1498. Together with members of the chorus and orchestra of the Vienna State Opera they form the Hofmusikkapelle, which performs at Mass in the Chapel of the Imperial Palace from September to June, Sundays at 0915. Seats cost öS60-350, standing room is free. Tickets should be ordered at least ten weeks in advance from Hofmusikkapelle, Hofburg, 1010 Vienna (fax: (01) 5339 92775; website: www.wsk.at).

The Vienna Boys' Choir also performs concerts in the Brahms-Saal (Brahms Hall), the venue for chamber music in the Musikverein (Bösendorferstrasse 12; tel: (01) 505 8190; fax: (01) 5058 68194; e-mail: tickets@musikverein.at; website: www.musikverein-wien.at) from April to June and September to October, Fridays at 1600. The programme costs öS390-550 and consists of madrigals and motets, waltz music and folk songs. Tickets are available from hotels or from the travel agency Mondial, Faulmanngasse 4, 1040 Vienna (tel: (01) 585 2688; fax: (01) 587 1268; e-mail: ticket@mondial.via.at). It is also possible to arrange a private concert for a group of up to 100 people, followed by a 'behind-the-scenes' visit at the Augarten Palace.

The renowned Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performs at the Musikverein, Bösendorferstrasse 12 (facing onto Karlsplatz). Their annual New Year's Eve concert is broadcast throughout the world (tel: (01) 505 6525; fax: (01) 505 9220; e-mail: philoffice@wienerphilharmoniker.at; website: www.wienerphilharmoniker.at). The Vienna Symphonic Orchestra performs at the Wiener Konzerthaus, Lothringerstrasse 20 (tel: (01) 712 1211; fax: (01) 712 2872; e-mail: ticket@konzerthaus.at; website: www.konzerthaus.at) and other venues. The Konzerthaus is also home to the Wiener Singakademie choir and hosts touring international orchestras.

The Osterklang (Sounds of Easter) music festival (tel: (01) 4000 8410; fax: (01) 40009 98410; website: www.osterklang.at) takes place annually during Easter week and includes performances by both the Philharmonic and Symphonic orchestras, chamber music concerts and a special opera performance, as well as touring international orchestras and a midnight mass concert in St Stephen's Cathedral. Tickets cost öS200-1200 depending on venue and seating and can be purchased by writing to Oster- und Klangbogen Kartenbüro, Stadiongasse 9, 1010 Vienna.

Theatre: Theatre has a long tradition in Vienna, and the patronage of the Imperial Court has been an important factor in its development. There are 50 theatres in the city, but the Burgtheater (Palace Theatre) stands at the forefront and is an intense source of pride to the Viennese. Other important German-language theatres include the Akademietheater, the smaller venue where the Burgtheater's players also perform, the Volkstheater, Theater in der Josefstadt and the Schauspielhaus, which offers an ambitious experimental programme. There are also a number of cabarets in the city. The Viennese theatre season traditionally runs from September to June, but there are often special performances in the summer, particularly during one of the many festivals. The larger theatres stage daily productions, but the smaller ones may have one or two nights off.

The Burgtheater is the oldest and one of the most important stages in the German-speaking world. This impressive edifice was built on the Ringstrasse in the nineteenth century. The theatre stages classical and contemporary works of the very highest standards of production. Guided tours are available for öS60, if booked in advance by writing to the theatre at Dr Karl-Lueger Ring, 1010 Vienna (tel: (01) 5144 42218; fax: (01) 5144 42624).

For English-language productions, Vienna's English Theater, Josefgasse 12 (tel: (01) 402 1260; fax: (01) 408 8003), has an excellent reputation on the world stage, to the extent that many contemporary playwrights choose to premier their works here. There are also annual productions of French- and Italian-language works. The International Theater, Porzellangasse 8 (tel: (01) 319 6272; fax: (01) 310 8997) offers a programme of American and English plays.

Dance: The Im Puls Tanz dance festival takes place in July and August at the Volkstheater and other venues, where avant-garde dance is performed by Viennese and international dance companies.

Film: Many American and British films are shown in the original language, with subtitles. Listings are posted on kiosks, and can also be found in the listings paper Der Falter. During the break in the regular opera and classical music schedule, devotees can see free opera and music films on the giant screen in front of the Rathaus during July and August.

The 1949 Carol Reed film The Third Man presents an extremely well-known vision of Vienna. In it, Orson Welles plays Harry Lime, who evades the authorities via the sewers and back alleys of bombed-out, post-war Vienna (tours are available that trace the action in the film). Amadeus, another film set in Vienna (although shot mainly in Prague), takes a look at Mozart's last years in the city and the jealousies and intrigues that filled the Imperial Court. For twenty-something travellers, Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise (1995) is required viewing, as it portrays one romantic night in Vienna between the time that two InterRailers meet up and then depart on their separate ways the following morning.

Cultural events: The Wiener Festwochen (Vienna Festival) takes place in May and June annually and features a variety of musical drama, avant-garde theatre, dance and other performances. The Klangbogen Festival (tel: (01) 4000 8410; fax: (01) 40009 98410; website: www.klangbogen.at) fills the gap in the classical music schedule with a number of operas, operettas and orchestral and chamber music events from late June until early September. The Donauinselfest (Danube Island Festival) offers a modern alternative to Vienna's rich classical music scene. The end of June sees two million people flock to one of Europe's biggest outdoor parties. This free event features pop, rock and folk concerts over the course of three days.

Literary Notes
Vienna has been featured in writing throughout the ages. One of the earliest depictions of the area appears in the Nibelungenlied, a medieval epic (c.1200) partially set in the Wachau Valley, upstream from Vienna. Later on, when Vienna itself was flourishing, Mozart was probably the most famous inhabitant, and he has certainly captured the imagination of those writing about the city. Peter Shaffer wrote the play Amadeus, which was made into a film (1984) of the same name, about Mozart's last years in the city. Centuries later, a less thriving post-war Vienna is evocatively portrayed in Graham Greene's novel, The Third Man (1949), also made into a film (1950).



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