I would like to attend a concert in one of the famous concert halls in Vienna on a Saturday night in Vienna in September. Is it wise to book in advance or are there tickets readily available for the most part? I am looking at a mid September date (the 19th). Which venue is the best for a classical music buff? (instrumental- not opera)
S
The answer depends less on the concert venue and more on the ensemble performing, and your own level of familiarity with classical music. If you're a novice, there are any number of period orchestras to choose from. They are well advertised throughout the city. You can usually buy tickets at the door.
If you would prefer something beyond the usual standards of "The Four Seasons", "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and "The Blue Danube", you can try to reserve tickets with the Vienna Philharmonic:
http://www.wienerphilharmoniker.at/index.php?set_language=en
They haven't published their schedule for the fall season yet. If they are performing in mid-September, you may be there during opening night. If so, you probably would need to reserve tickets in advanced.
It can be difficult getting tickets to the big European orchestras such as the Vienna Phil. If you can book on the Internet, do it, as soon as possible.
The Musikverein concert hall is the Vienna Phil's home base. It's a beautiful old hall with great acoustics. Their web page in English, showing the concert calendar, is http://www.musikverein.at/konzerte/konzerte.asp?sprache_id=2
Looking at this calendar, it would appear that the Vienna Phil. is not playing there in September. Their first concert is on October 16.