Vienna Music Society

We had such a wonderful time attending a performance at the Vienna State Opera that I wanted more. Vienna is the music capital of Europe, and there were holiday concerts advertised at every church and hall. I finally selected a concert at the Wiener Musikverein (Vienna Music Society), the famous venue of the Vienna Symphony’s annual New Year’s concert that is broadcast around the world. The program was a classic lineup featuring three of Vienna’s great composers: Haydn, Mozart, and Vivaldi.

The Music Society building was beautiful, though not as opulent as the State Opera. The foyer was a large empty room with multiple coat check counters. Instead of walking up a grand staircase, we were directed to a small stairway hidden in a corner. It was confusing, but we eventually found our seats in the balcony of the Golden Hall, with its incredible golden ceiling.

On stage, there was a 25-piece orchestra, with strings, woodwinds, and harpsichord. The violinists had no chairs - they would be standing for the entire two-hour performance! The orchestra didn’t fill the stage, but they easily filled the hall with their wonderful music.

The program for the first hour consisted of movements from symphonies by Haydn and Mozart. During the interval, we stayed in our seats and watched as the Standing Room patrons moved into unoccupied chairs.

After the interval, a smaller 19-piece orchestra (strings and harpsichord only) performed Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni/Die vier Jahreszeiten (The Four Seasons). I was familiar with The Four Seasons, but had never seen it performed live, in its entirety. It was exquisite! The violin soloist, Fritz Kircher, was magnificent. I was entranced! Now THAT’s the way to experience Vivaldi’s masterpiece!

We reclaimed our coats and walked home, feeling thankful for the marvelous concert and a memorable last evening in Vienna.