Musikverein

Vienna, Austria

The Wiener Musikverein is a concert hall in the Innere Stadt borough of Vienna. It is the home of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra. The 'Great Hall' (Großer Saal), due to its highly regarded acoustics, is considered one of the finest concert halls in the world, along with Berlin's Konzerthaus, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Boston's Symphony Hall. With the exception of Boston Symphony Hall, none of these halls were built in the modern era with the application of architectural acoustics, and all share a long, tall, and narrow shoebox shape.

The plans were designed by Danish architect Theophil Hansen in the Neoclassical style of an ancient Greek temple, including a concert hall and a smaller chamber music hall. The building was inaugurated on 6 January 1870. A major donor was Nikolaus Dumba, industrialist and liberal politician of Greek descent, whose name the Austrian government gave to one of the streets surrounding the Musikverein.

The Great Hall's lively acoustics are primarily based on Hansen's intuition, as he could not rely on any studies on architectural acoustics. The room's rectangular shape and proportions, its boxes and sculptures allow early and numerous sound reflections.

Today Musikverein is the most used venue for the annual Vienna New Year's Concert.

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Founded: 1870
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Austria

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4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Dr. M Hope (6 months ago)
It is a beautiful place adorned with detail and gold statue, painting and lists inside the recital and high ceiling. The place itself was romantic and elegant There are two type of ticket. Seating and standing. I choose standing. The standing quite far from the stage. But you still able to hear the orchestra. The problem is the vibes. When you choose standing, you feel like watching concert. Well, the best thing to do when you go for orchestra is SIT, Relax and Enjoy the deep sould of the melodies. For me, I regret to choose standing. If I am about to go there again. I will definitely choose Seated ticket. Again... old wifes saying," CHOOSE WISELY" Better choose wisely the best view to see, to listening and to enjoy the show.
Tina Fresco (7 months ago)
The English speaking guide we had was really really good. The guided tour well paced. Seeing it in real life is really something. The room holds so many memories for those of us where January 1. always brings the new years concert from Wien. Interesting to see the practise rooms in the many levels UNDER Musikverein. Very interesting. The tour is well worth the 10 euro.
Dave (7 months ago)
Watched a fantastic performance at the Vienna Music House. Well worth a visit. 2 hour performance was very entertaining. Best eat before or after as limited options at venue. Metro train next to venue and local tram line. Walk to city centre.
Blake Cronyn (7 months ago)
We went to see the Mozart concert. While the music was excellent and the building/room impressive, I found that the experience lacked a “wow factor”. Having seen other orchestras and musicals in Vienna, I would advise booking the best you can (as early as possible) if you are looking for a premium experience.
Stefan van Aalst (8 months ago)
It is really a great experience when visiting Vienna, however, the price is not for everyone. Plenty of space left when we were there to do a last minute ticket sale to allow for people having less money to spend. €250 for 4 for 2 hours with even student discount... That's not for everybody's budget while the cultural part it's enriching for the many.
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