Strauss and Mozart concert · Vienna
Opera singers and ballet dancers join up to 40 musicians for waltzes, polkas and Mozart duets in the halls of Vienna's imperial palace.
Crystal chandeliers, crimson velvet and an orchestra that slips a musical joke in between the waltzes.
Why the palace
The Hofburg was the principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty, and the seat of the Emperors of Austria until 1918. Since 1946 it has been the official residence and workplace of the president of Austria. The orchestra's own pages note that the Festival Hall is usually closed to the public outside concerts, so an evening of music is one of the few ways into the room.
Mozart settled in Vienna in 1781 and wrote The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute for its stages. Johann Strauss II was born in the city in 1825 and became its Waltz King. A programme that sets the two side by side is a short tour of what Vienna sounds like, with a few Hungarian-flavoured operetta tunes along the way.
The orchestra promises musical jokes every evening, and guests on the booking page mention humour and light moments between the pieces. Opera singers and ballet soloists from Vienna's opera houses join the players, so the hour and a half moves between waltz, aria and dance instead of sitting in one mood.
On the programme sheet
Read the evening like a card of numbered dances: overture, aria, polka, waltz, one after another. These are the pieces the programme sheet has named, and what each one is.
Johann Strauss IIOverture
The programme sheet lists first the overture to Strauss's operetta, which was first staged on 5 April 1874 at the Theater an der Wien. An operetta overture runs through tunes from the show to come, so it works as a trailer for the evening.
W. A. MozartAria
The programme names an aria from Figaro under its German title, “Nun vergiß leises Flehn”. The opera had its first night on 1 May 1786 at the Burgtheater, which then stood right beside the Hofburg.
W. A. MozartDuet
Papageno's aria about wanting a wife, and his duet with Papagena, come from Mozart's last opera. It was first performed on 30 September 1791 at the Theater auf der Wieden, about two months before he died, and it is sung in German.
Josef and Johann StraussPolka
Several polkas are named, among them Josef Strauss's “Ohne Sorgen” and “Feuerfest”, and Johann Strauss's “Im Krapfenwaldl”, “Eljen a Magyar” and “Vergnügungszug”. The family wrote polkas of several kinds, from the slower French polka to the fast polka schnell, and the Pleasure Train of the last title dates from 1864.
Johann Strauss IIWaltz
“Roses from the South” is a waltz of 1880, opus 388, built from tunes of his operetta Das Spitzentuch der Königin. Waltzes are the slow-turning centre of a Strauss programme, and this one is among the best loved.
Emmerich KálmánOperetta
“Heia, heia in den Bergen” comes from The Csárdás Princess, which opened on 17 November 1915 at the Johann Strauss Theater in Vienna. Kálmán was born in Hungary in 1882 and moved to Vienna after his early success in Budapest.
Franz LehárTenor song
This is the song “You are my heart's delight” from The Land of Smiles, written around the tenor Richard Tauber. The revised version of the operetta opened in Berlin on 10 October 1929.
Johann Strauss IIWaltz
The Blue Danube closes the programme sheet. It was first sung on 15 February 1867 by the Vienna Men's Choral Association, and Strauss's orchestral version became a success at the Paris World's Fair the same year.
The programme is subject to change, so treat this as the style of the evening and not a promise of every piece.
The halls
The ticket covers concerts in the Hofburg and at the Konzerthaus. The orchestra's own pages name its halls, and the confirmation you receive tells you which one hosts your evening.
Rooms and faces
The Festival Hall in concert, the soloists, the Neue Burg on Heldenplatz, the Ceremonial Hall, the Konzerthaus, the Strauss monument and portraits of Strauss and Mozart.
Vienna concerts to compare
| Concert | What it offers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Strauss and Mozart concert at the Hofburg | About 1.5 hours of Strauss waltzes and polkas and Mozart duets, with up to 40 musicians, opera singers and ballet dancers, in the Hofburg or the Konzerthaus, with a choice of seating categories. | Listeners who want the palace setting, a full orchestra and a choice of seat categories. |
| Classical Masters Concert at Haus der Musik | A one-hour programme by a professional string quartet, the Wiener Klassik Ensemble, with works by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss, near the State Opera. The ticket is marked wheelchair accessible, and photography is not allowed inside. | Travellers who want a shorter, quieter evening with a string quartet. |
| Imperial Gala Concert at Palais Auersperg | Mozart, Strauss and Vivaldi in a Baroque palace, with an option to add a four-course dinner before or after the concert and a VIP option with an interval drink. The palace has no lift and the ticket is not suitable for wheelchair users. | Guests who want dinner and concert in one booking and can manage stairs. |
Concert evenings in Vienna
The first card opens the Hofburg concert. The other two are separate listings for other Vienna concerts, each with its own rating, fare and format.
About 1.5 hours of Strauss waltzes and polkas and Mozart duets, with up to 40 musicians, opera singers and ballet dancers, in the Hofburg or the Konzerthaus, with a choice of seating categories.
Look up seats and dates ↗A one-hour programme by a professional string quartet, the Wiener Klassik Ensemble, with works by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Strauss, near the State Opera. The ticket is marked wheelchair accessible, and photography is not allowed inside.
Look up seats and dates ↗Mozart, Strauss and Vivaldi in a Baroque palace, with an option to add a four-course dinner before or after the concert and a VIP option with an interval drink. The palace has no lift and the ticket is not suitable for wheelchair users.
Look up seats and dates ↗Other things to book in Vienna
Arrival notes
The palace, the composers and the seats: guides
Which seats, and how to book How to book the Strauss and Mozart concert in Vienna's Hofburg: what the ticket is, which hall and seat category to choose, and the other concerts.
Go to this guide → Getting in, what to wear The practical guide to the Hofburg concert in Vienna: the Heldenplatz entrance, collecting tickets, what to wear, the cloakroom, access and the evening.
Go to this guide →FAQ
About ninety minutes. Check the calendar entry for the start time of your date.
In a hall of the Hofburg on Heldenplatz or in the Mozart Hall of the Konzerthaus. The orchestra's pages name the Ceremonial Hall, the Festival Hall and the Konzerthaus Mozart Hall, and your confirmation names the hall for your date.
Probably most of them, but the programme is subject to change. This page describes the style of the evening and does not promise a piece.
The orchestra recommends smart casual. The cloakroom is included in the ticket.
The seating plan is in the product pictures on the booking page. Guests recommend arriving early for the better seats in your category, and one prefers the first category for the view.
The ticket is marked wheelchair accessible, and the orchestra calls its halls barrier-free. Check your hall on the booking page before you travel.
Yes, until 24 hours before the concert, and you get a full refund. A booking on GetYourGuide can also be made now and paid for later.
No. This is an independent guide. The Vienna Hofburg Orchestra, the Hofburg and the Konzerthaus are separate bodies, and you book through GetYourGuide.
Prices on this page are per adult in US dollars; the calendar switches them into your currency.