174 CultureShock! Austria
celebrate the Wiener Festwochen in May and June with
special musical and theatrical performances and art
exhibitions. This is considered the main festival in Vienna,
yet there are numerous other festivals held in the capital
throughout the year. The Vienna Spring Festival in March and
April features works from the Baroque period to the 20th
century. The OsterKlang Festival is celebrated at Easter and
highlights the Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra and other
world-renowned orchestras. The Festival of Early Music,
or Resonanzen Festival, in January at the Konzerthaus
celebrates religious and secular music from the 14th to
17th centuries.
The long night of music takes place all over Vienna in
June. About 60 locations invite numerous, mostly Austrian,
musicians from classical to electronic music, from jazz to
rock, pop and folk and one ticket is valid for all concerts.
A shuttle service takes you from one hot spot to the next.
This unique event is from 7:00 pm to well after midnight.
At the other end of the spectrum is the Wien Modern
Festival, which highlights contemporary music. Concerts
are held at different venues throughout Vienna in October
and November. KlangBogenWien is held in July and August
to offset the absence of the Viennese Philharmonic and
the opera companies from the music scene. This festival
highlights modern music theatre, operetta and concerts.Salzburg
Salzburg is well known for its summer Salzburger Festspiele.
The festival was established in 1920 and features works
by Mozart, the city’s most famous son. It started with
the original production of Jedermann (Everyman) by Hugo
von Hofmannsthal. The festival opens every year with a
performance of this play in the Cathedral plaza, but it has
grown to include several different plays and operas, and
many concerts.
Although Mozart is the main focus, there are new works
by young composers. At first only the Viennese Philharmonic
performed at the festival, but since 1931, highly distinguished
international orchestras and conductors have played in