I’m happy I can report success in getting tickets for Mahler's 9th, but the process has left me thoroughly confused. The tickets are supposed to go on sale at 9:00 am 7 weeks before the Oct. 1 performance, which would be August 13. But when I consulted google / AI I got 2 different dates: Aug. 8 or Aug. 10. So I wrote to the Musikverein, and got a response this morning saying that they were already available for “allgemeine Vorverkauf.” But how is that different from an “allgemeine Verkauf”? Does it simply mean online rather than at the box office? Anyway, putting semantics aside, I did check and sure enough, seats were available and we were able to secure the ones we wanted. I was thrilled that I didn’t have to stay up late here waiting for midnight. But it does make the advice I got questionable. Any explanations?
Posted by
white plains, ny, usa
4395 posts
"allgemeine Verkauf” - general sale , “allgemeine Vorverkauf.” - general advance sale . Enjoy the concert , Mahler is always at the top of my list !!
Posted by
OP
27 posts
Right, but my question is, how is an advance sale different from a general sale?
Posted by
white plains, ny, usa
4395 posts
My best guess here , is that you received responses from AI , so there is a question in my mind of how it interpreted your query
Posted by
OP
27 posts
You're probably right. The reply was "signed" by "Ihre Konzertkassa."
Posted by
2864 posts
Asking AI is never a good idea.
Musikverein is a shortcut for Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Wien, i.e., "Society of Friends of Music Vienna".
(Verein means "association" or "club".)
Members of this society are the first to book in advance, later starts allgemeiner Vorverkauf (general advance ticket sales).
When you select a performance from the calendar, there are three possibilities:
(1) There is a button "Tickets", i.e., tickets are available for sale.
(2) The two dates for the start of ticket sales are given (members/non-members).
(3) There is no information, meaning that it has not been decided yet about beginning of ticket sales.
Posted by
OP
27 posts
It seems dates can vary by performance, then. Incidentally, that info about 7 weeks beforehand came from this forum, not from AI. I used AI to confirm it, which it didn't. In fact the AI info was correct, but of course that doesn't mean it's trustworthy.
Posted by
2864 posts
It seems dates can vary by performance, ...
Yes, that is true for Musikverein and Konzerthaus which have indivdual dates by performance for advance ticket sales. It is somewhat annoying.
This is in contrast to *Staatsoper" which has the first of every month as starting date for ticket sales for performances two months ahead.
Posted by
OP
27 posts
Just to make it more confusing, we bought our tickets for the Staatsoper 3 1/2 months ahead of the performance.
Posted by
2864 posts
Just to make it more confusing, we bought our tickets for the Staatsoper 3 1/2 months ahead of the performance.
Ticket sales for September and October started in April after the formal presentation of the 2026/27 season's performances, even more than 3½ months ahead, but for the rest of the season the strict rule of 2 months ahead applies.