Concert in Vienna

The Opera will be your best bet but that can book well in advance. You can look up other options and decide how "touristy" they sound to you at the Vienna Tourist Office and even though it is a tourist office they do list a wide variety of concerts. Vienna is a hub for travelers from around the world coming to hear good music. I personally would pick what sounds interesting to you since the audience at any concert will probably have a large amount of travelers along with Austrians.

If you want to avoid being in a tourist crowd listening to average musicians, then you must avoid the aggressive ticket-sellers dressed in period costumes near Stephansdom. The best and most-renowned orchestra is of course the Philharmonic which performs at the Musikverein. It is extremely difficult to get the tickets to their concerts. But there are other very high quality orchestras that perform in the Musikverein and you can get tickets online if you book early. In the last year, I heard two beautifully-performed Bruckner symphonies on different occasions, one by the Berlin Staatskapelle conducted by Daniel Barenboim, and another by the Vienna Symphony conducted by Fabio Luisi.

http://www.musikverein.at/

Click the "eng" in the upper right hand area of the web page for English.

I also figured that there are at least two types of vacation concert goers in places like Vienna. The first who appreciates great music and is focused on nothing but the quality of the music. Those people I would imagine come from all over to hear great concerts. They also, I would suspect, know the great music companies and plan their trips accordingly.

Then at the other extreme there are those who have grown up on the mystique of Vienna Classical Music reputation and want to delve into that culture for the experience as much, if not more, than for the quality of the music.

So, if you fall into the later group and you find yourself in a room full of tourists from Oklahoma have you fulfilled your ambition? I'm not being critical I am just thinking out loud. I "enjoy" good music but I am no expert by any means. The one venue we go to in Europe most often has by all accounts good quality performances AND is probably 85% or more local audiance. The combination appeals to my objective of sharing an experience within the culture. My limited experiences in Vienna, while the music was outstanding (or so I am told) the audience being primarily American and English detracted from the experience...............for me. I was hoping there would be some way to identify that which I would most enjoy. That's all.

Tickets for the Philharmonic and other Musikverein events can also be obtained thru the Vienna Tourist Office. We have ordered tickets through this office in the past, usually about 6 months in advance and then picked then up when we arrived in Vienna..

Let me say one thing in defence of: " the aggressive ticket-sellers dressed in period costumes near Stephansdom. " as well as near the Hofberg. Most of the ticket sellers and the musicians that play in these concerts are music students from across Europe, and the world, who are currently studying In Vienna. This is part of their study and apprenticeship and growth as musicians and performers. Who knows, you might attend a performance where the next Itzhak Perlman is plying!! And for many tourists who didn't order tickets well in advance, this might be their only chance to attend a concert in Vienna.

JAMES!!! Is this a trick question? Why would you attend a concert in Vienna when Budapest is just down-river ( or is it up-river?) ?? LOL.

Elaine, we've been to a couple of concerts in Vienna and they were quite nice. I don't dislike Vienna. Everyone should see it. I did have a nasty run in with a Mozart in front of the Opera on our first trip. I didn't know what it was all about so he explained all about the concert. I thanked him for his time and he flipped out because he had explained it and I hadn't purchased. But you know Elaine, that could have happened anyplace and didn't color the visit at all. Same sort of thing happens in Budapest from time to time. The difference is that I really love Budapest so I am personally embarrassed when it happens. I have also had one of the exact same people go out of their way to offer help getting past the lock on a door to an ATM. So who knows. There is good and not so good in everyone.

Like I implied, I enjoy cultures more than I do buildings or museums. Cultures imply the people that make them up as well. I love people and we have friends all over the world now. I feel blessed by the opportunity. I wish I knew more about music than I do but I enjoy it at the level I am able to. I even got one of those 30 hour learn classical music home courses and did the whole thing and it did expand my appreciation. But I can not begin to compare my taste to someone who has spent a life playing and studying.

If you haven't been to a concert or opera or ballet or operetta in Vienna, then go. Then come to Budapest and let me set you up for a performance there. Then you can compare the differences positive and negative between the two very different experiences. Not saying which you would prefer but will guarantee that you will have two unique experiences that you can carry with you always. That at least is why I travel, for the experience and the self learning and grow of awareness of life. Okay, now I am getting goofy. Sorry.

Oh, and Elaine, I was blessed to hear Perlman at the Kennedy Center season opening gala a few years back. What fortitude that man projects. Simply amazing. And Budapest is down river from Vienna. ;-)

(funny. if you had named anyone else in the world I would have been at a loss)