The ( or ; ), commonly shortened to , is a concert hall in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, Austria, which is located in the Innere Stadt district. The building opened in 1870 and is the home of the

Vienna Philharmonic The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. It ...

orchestra. The acoustics of the building's 'Great Hall' () have earned it recognition alongside other prominent concert halls, such as the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the

Concertgebouw The Royal Concertgebouw ( nl, Koninklijk Concertgebouw, ) is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" translates into English as "concert building". Its superb acoustics place it among the finest concert halls in ...

in Amsterdam and Symphony Hall in Boston. With the exception of Boston's Symphony Hall, none of these halls was built in the modern era with the application of architectural acoustics, and all share a long, tall and narrow shoebox shape.

Building

Musikverein, Viena, Austria, 2020-01-31, DD 170-172 HDR

The 's main entrance is situated on Musikvereinsplatz, between

Karlsplatz Karlsplatz () is a town square on the border of the first and fourth districts of Vienna. It is one of the most frequented and best connected transportation hubs in Vienna. The Karlskirche is located here. The first district can be reached e ...

and . The building is located behind the

Hotel Imperial The Hotel Imperial, also known as The Imperial, is a five-star luxury hotel in Vienna, Austria. It is located on the Vienna Ring Road (''Ringstraße'') at Kärntner Ring 16, in the Innere Stadt district. Description The Hotel Imperial's faça ...

that fronts on Kärntner Ring, which is part of the

Vienna Ring Road The Vienna Ring Road (german: Ringstraße, lit. ''ring road'') is a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic Innere Stadt (Inner Town) district of Vienna, Austria. The road is located on sites wher ...

(Ringstraße). It was erected as the new concert hall run by the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna, on a piece of land provided by Emperor

Franz Joseph I of Austria Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

in 1863. The plans were designed by Danish architect

Theophil Hansen Baron Theophil Edvard von Hansen (; original Danish name: Theophilus Hansen ; 13 July 1813 – 17 February 1891) was a Danish architect who later became an Austrian citizen. He became particularly well known for his buildings and structures in ...

in the Neoclassical style of an

ancient Greek temple Greek temples ( grc, ναός, naós, dwelling, semantically distinct from Latin , "temple") were structures built to house deity statues within Greek sanctuaries in ancient Greek religion. The temple interiors did not serve as meeting places, ...

, including a concert hall and a smaller chamber music hall. The building was inaugurated on 6 January 1870. A major donor was

Nikolaus Dumba Nikolaus Dumba (Greek: Νικόλαος Δούμπας; 24 July 1830, Vienna – 23 March 1900, Budapest) was an Austrian industrialist and liberal politician. He is considered to have been an important patron of the arts and music and a benefact ...

, an industrialist and liberal politician of Greek descent, whose name was given by the Austrian government to a small street () near the . The Great Hall (''Großer Musikvereinssaal''), also called the Golden Hall (''Goldener Saal''), is about long, wide, and high. It has 1,744 seats and standing room for 300. The Scandal Concert of 1913 was given there, and it is the venue for the annual

Vienna New Year's Concert The Vienna New Year's Concert () is an annual concert of classical music performed by the Vienna Philharmonic on the morning of New Year's Day in Vienna, Austria. The concert occurs at the Musikverein at 11:15. The orchestra performs the same c ...

. The Great Hall's lively acoustics are primarily based on Hansen's intuition, as he could not rely on any studies on

architectural acoustics Architectural acoustics (also known as building acoustics) is the science and engineering of achieving a good sound within a building and is a branch of acoustical engineering. The first application of modern scientific methods to architectura ...

. The room's rectangular shape and proportions, its boxes and sculptures allow early and numerous sound reflections. The Great Hall originally included a historic pipe organ built by

Friedrich Ladegast Friedrich Ladegast (August 30, 1818 – June 30, 1905) was a famous German organ builder. Ladegast was born in Hochhermsdorf (now Hermsdorf), Saxony, to a carpenter and cabinet-maker. He worked first for his brother Christlieb, an organ builder ...

. Its first organ recital was held by Anton Bruckner in 1872. The present-day instrument was originally installed in 1907 by the Austrian firm of

Rieger Orgelbau Rieger Orgelbau is an Austrian firm of organ builders, known generally as Rieger. The firm was founded by Franz Rieger. From 1873 it was known as Rieger & Söhne, and from 1879 as Gebrüder Rieger, after his sons took over. At the end of World Wa ...

, highly esteemed by musicians such as Franz Schmidt or

Marcel Dupré Marcel Jean-Jules Dupré () (3 May 1886 – 30 May 1971) was a French organist, composer, and pedagogue. Biography Born in Rouen into a wealthy musical family, Marcel Dupré was a child prodigy. His father Aimable Albert Dupré was titular o ...

, and rebuilt in 2011. In 2001, a renovation program began. Several new rehearsal halls were installed in the basement.

Halls

The names of the six halls refer to gold, Johannes Brahms, glass, metal, stone and wood respectively.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Music venues completed in 1870 Cultural venues in Vienna Concert halls in Austria Vienna Philharmonic Event venues established in 1870 Buildings and structures in Innere Stadt Theophil Hansen buildings 1870 establishments in Austria