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Opera in Vienna | The City of Music and Opera

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Vienna is known worldwide as a city of music and opera. Quality orchestras and operatic performances are its seal of excellence.  The city was home to Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Johann Strauss. This outstanding musical heritage has been preserved right to the present day. The Wiener Philharmoniker is one of the world's top orchestras and the Vienna Boys' Choir is triumphantly successful wherever it tours, while the State Opera and Volksopera are internationally acclaimed.

Vienna can be described as Europe’s cultural Capital – a metropolis with unique charm and flair. It is the hub of the country's musical life and littered with beautiful buildings. Wander along narrow, medieval alleyways or across imperial squares, view Schönbrunn Palace or the Imperial Palace (Hofburg) in the footsteps of Sissi and Emperor Franz Josef, and marvel at the majestic architecture along the Ring boulevard. Be inspired by an atmosphere steeped in history. In Vienna, you'll find the rhythm of daily life has a musical beat.  

State Opera

The Vienna State Opera is a truly spectacular building dating from 1869. The façade is build in Renaissance arched style and the loggia on the Ringstrasse side underlines the character of the building.  The two famous representations of riders over the main façade were created by Ernst Julius Hähnel  and erected in 1876. Hähnel is also responsible for the five bronze statues Heroism, the Songstress, Fantasy, Thalia and Love which stand on pedestals inside the arched loggia arcade. Right and left of the house two old fountains by Josef Gasser can be seen. They represent opposing worlds. Left: Music, Dance, Joy, and Lightheartedness, Right: Loreley, Grief, Love, and Revenge.

Volksoper


The Volksoper Vienna is Europe´s leading Operetta House and Vienna's largest theatre for opera, musical and dance offering high musical entertainment Along with 18th, 19th and 20th century operas it offers more than 100 performances of operettas per year, as well as classical musical, contemporary dance and concert performances.  The Volksoper repertoire focuses on light opera. Directors such as Franz Salmhofer (1955-63), Albert Moser (1963-73), Karl Dönch (1973-86), Eberhard Waechter (1987-92) Ioan Holender (1992-96) Klaus Bachler (1996-99) and Dominique Mentha (1999 - 2003) have helped to make the Volksoper Wien what it is today.

The Musikverein

Music lovers throughout the world know the Musikverein as the centre of Viennese musical culture, as the focus of the international concert circuit and as the Eldorado of classical music.  The golden hall of the Musikveriein is a mecca for acoustic lovers from all over the world. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra play most of the symphony concerts in the Musikverein’s program. The Radio Symphony Orchestra, also performs a series of subscription concerts at the Musikverein. As well as these elite native orchestras, the best orchestras from around the world play in the Musikverein.