PHOTOGRAPH:
HELEN
CATHCART/LONELY
PLANET
of Schubert, Mozart and other greats
during Sunday Mass, and stars among
a diverse line-up of classical and
contemporary music at MuTh, its own
performing space near Leopoldstadt
(www.hofmusikkapelle.gv.at).- Staatsoper
Opened in 1869, the opulent,
Neo-Renaissance Vienna State Opera
stages some 300 lavish productions
a year. Its showstopper of an audiorium
has hosted every great maestro,
from Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss
to Herbert von Karajan and Simon Rattle.
For a taste of its architectural brilliance
and musical genius, join one of the guided
tours, which highlight the foyer adorned
with busts of Beethoven, Schubert
and Haydn, the Tea Salon glittering in
22-carat gold leaf, and the Gustav Mahler
Hall festooned with tapestries inspired
by Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Book
in advance for a performance, or try for
standing-room tickets (300 to400),
sold 80 minutes before curtain-up at
the box office (www.wiener-staatsoper.at). - Musikverein
The only serious contender for the
Staatsoper’s classical music crown
is the Musikverein, home to the Vienna
Phil, on the opposite side of the
Ringstrasse. Its acoustics are the best in
Austria, apparently (www.musikverein.at)
his career, as a choirboy. It was also the
backdrop to Vivaldi’s funeral in 1741 and
Mozart’s marriage to Constanze Weber
in 1782. The cathedral stages summer
concerts on Fridays and Saturdays from
July to October, and Advent concerts
in December. The 10.15am Mass on
Sundays is conducted with full choral
accompaniment (www.stephanskirche.at).- Hofburgkapelle
Follow the rhythmic clip-clop of fiaker
(horse-drawn carriages) along the
Kohlmarkt to Vienna’s resplendent
Hofburg — a palace fit for Hapsburg
emperors from 1279 until 1918. Its Gothic
Hofburgkapelle (Royal Chapel) is a
sublime place to hear the celestial tones
of the Wiener Sängerknaben (Vienna
Boys’ Choir). One of the world’s most
celebrated choirs, it performs a repertoire
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