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Musikverein concert: worth it?
Is the tourist concert at the Musikverein worth it, and will you be in the Golden Hall? What the ticket gives, who it suits and when to look elsewhere.
Reserve your seat for the concert ↗Quick answer
For most first-time visitors, yes. About two hours of Viennese classics by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, played live in a house that opened in 1870, is a good evening at an accessible price. Which hall you hear it in depends on your date, Golden Hall or Brahms Hall, so check before you book. It is not a Vienna Philharmonic concert or the New Year's Concert, and Vivaldi's Four Seasons is played only on selected nights.
The evening at a glance
| This concert | |
|---|---|
| Length | 2 hours |
| Hall | Golden Hall or Brahms Hall, by date |
| Music | Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and others |
| Vivaldi | Selected nights only |
| Cloakroom | Mandatory, small cash fee |
| Programme | Paper copy for a small cash fee |
| Children | Not under 5 |
| Wheelchairs | Not suited |
The short verdict
This is a good first concert in Vienna if you want a live orchestra, Viennese classics and a historic room, and you are happy to let your date decide which room you get. It runs about two hours, plays music by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, adds Vivaldi on selected nights, and takes place in a house that opened in 1870. It is not a headline-orchestra evening and does not pretend to be. If a gilded hall and a well-played programme at an accessible price fit what you came for, book it. If you came for one famous orchestra or one specific room, read the next three sections first.
What the ticket covers
What you pay for is a seat at an evening concert by a live orchestra, sold by a promoter as an entry ticket. The from-price on the booking page belongs to the cheapest seat category. The ticket does not include transport, a meal or a drink, and the house has its own rules about what may enter the hall. Because the room changes by date, the first decision is not the seat. It is the hall.
- A seat at the concert, in the seat category you choose
- Entry to the hall, whichever hall your date falls in
- A cloakroom and a paper programme, each for a small cash fee
- Not included: food and drink, which cannot be taken into the hall
Read next: Golden Hall or Brahms Hall
Which hall your date falls in
The booking page lists the dates for each room. The Golden Hall is the one people picture: gilded, narrow and high, with the organ above the stage. The Brahms Hall is the second-largest hall in the building and is prized for chamber music and song, and Wikipedia praises its peace and simple grandeur. Neither is a consolation prize, but they feel different, and one is far larger than the other. If you have a strong preference, choose your day from the list for that hall and leave the rest flexible.
What this ticket is not
The orchestra based in this house is the Vienna Philharmonic, founded in 1842, and its New Year's Concert is played on New Year's morning in the Golden Hall, which has hosted it since 1939. That is a separate event. The concert on this page is a series for visitors, run by a promoter, with a different orchestra. Say so plainly to anyone you invite, so nobody arrives expecting the famous names. What you do get is live classical music, in the same building, at a visitor-friendly price.
The music, and the Vivaldi nights
The programme is built from Viennese classics, the music of Haydn, Mozart and the early Beethoven that Wikipedia groups as the First Viennese School. On selected nights the orchestra plays Vivaldi's Four Seasons instead, with soloists. Vivaldi wrote those four violin concertos while chapel master at the court of Mantua, and they were printed in Amsterdam in 1725 with sonnets that explain what each season depicts, an early example of music that tells a story. A full performance takes about 40 to 43 minutes. The booking page does not say which nights carry Vivaldi, but a free programme for each evening can be opened online through the concert company's playing schedule, so check your date there before you commit.
Read next: Golden Hall or Danube Tower?
Seats and views
Seat categories differ in what you see, and the from-price is the lowest category, so compare what each one offers before you pay. The calendar totals your chosen category first. The hall is known for its sound, which Wikipedia attributes to its narrow shoebox shape, thick plaster walls and many reflecting surfaces, but sound and view are two separate things. Choose by view as well as by price, especially if you are travelling with friends who want to see the stage.
How the evening runs
The order follows the ticket's own notes and the hall's house rules, not a printed timetable. Your confirmation carries the start time for that evening. A gong calls everyone to their seats, and latecomers are admitted only at a break in the music. Plan to arrive in the hour before the concert rather than in its last five minutes, so that collecting the ticket, leaving your coat and finding your seat do not run into one another.
- Collect your ticket from the lobby, from an hour before
- Leave coats and backpacks in the cloakroom
- Enter the hall from thirty minutes before
- Listen, with phones off and no clapping between movements
- Leave by Karlsplatz or the taxi ranks
Cash, cloakroom and the programme
Bring coins or small notes. The cloakroom for coats and backpacks is mandatory, and for security reasons coats, bags, umbrellas and rucksacks may not enter the hall at all. A paper programme is on sale in the hall for a small cash fee, and the programme for each evening can also be opened online without charge. Neither fee is large, but both are paid in cash, and a queue for change is not how you want to spend the minutes before the music.
Who this isn't for
The hall asks for silence in a way many concert halls do not, because its acoustics carry even a whisper, and it asks you to switch off phones and to hold your applause until a piece has ended. If you are travelling with a toddler, a wheelchair user or a restless teenager, think about the Danube Tower or a daytime visit to a museum instead. Those suit a mixed group better.
- Wheelchair users, whom this ticket does not suit
- Children under 5, who are not admitted
- Anyone who needs a particular famous orchestra
- Anyone who needs one particular hall on one particular date
- Anyone who cannot sit quietly for two hours
Choosing a date
Choose the date in this order: first the hall, if you have a preference, then the programme, if Vivaldi matters, then the seat category. Reserve now and pay later keeps your place without a payment today, so you can hold a seat while you settle the rest of your Vienna plans. The calendar totals the seat in your currency before payment, and the confirmation repeats your start time. If two dates tie, take the one that leaves your day before it free.
If you want the hall's own season
The house sells tickets for its own season through its ticket office, with advance sales for members opening two months before each performance and the general sale a week later. That is a different route with different dates, and the hall's terms say booked tickets cannot be cancelled. Tickets for the hall's own concerts are not what this page sells. This series works differently: you choose a night, reserve now and pay later, and you know the hall you will be in.
Frequently asked questions
Is the concert worth it for a first visit to Vienna?
Yes for most visitors. You hear a live orchestra play Viennese classics in a historic hall for about two hours at an accessible price. It is not a headline-orchestra night, so judge it as a visitor concert.
Is it the same as the New Year's Concert?
No. The New Year's Concert is a separate event played by the Vienna Philharmonic on New Year's Day. This is a different series, in the same building, on its own dates.
How early should I arrive?
The lobby collection point opens an hour before the concert, and admission to the hall begins thirty minutes before. Latecomers are let in only at a break in the music.
Can I take photos or film?
Not without permission. The hall's rules prohibit video and audio recordings before, during and after a performance. Keep your phone switched off in the hall.
Can I clap between movements?
No. In Vienna it is customary to wait until a piece has finished. The ticket's notes also say that clapping between movements is frowned upon.
Do I have to dress up?
The hall asks for festive attire suited to the occasion and says to avoid sportswear and training gear. Bulky hats are best left at home, since they block the view for the row behind.
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