For a gay or a lesbian person coming to Vienna
for the first time, it is a must to visit the famous
Vienna State Opera, where the greatest divas of
all times, but also gay ballet dancers like Rudolf
Nurejew and Vladimir Malakhov celebrated their
first triumphs. By the way, in the intermission
during opera or ballet performances, the foyers
of the building are sometimes even cruisier than
the gay bars in town! And only few people know
that the Opera was built by gay architects.
Besides the State Opera, the Wiener Musikvereinis the second place any fan of classical February 26th, 2009 at the Raimund Theater.
music should not miss. This institution with the
Great Hall in gold, which is the setting for the
world-renowned annual New Years' Concert, still
guarantees for an evening of classical music at
its best. The Musikverein recently made technical improvements and added new concert halls
while strictly preserving its architectural heritage. Mozart's most famous opera - the Magic
Flute - premiered at the Theater an der Wien.In
the 20thcentury, the theater was used for musicals but in 2006, Mozart's 250thanniversary, it
was transformed back into an opera house.
In the Vienna Volksoper opera and operetta are
equally at home as are musicals and ballet.
Among the highlights in 2009 is the all-time
favorite "My Fair Lady". Over the years, Vienna
has become one of Europe's capitals of musical.
"Cats", "Phantom of the Opera" and "Les
Misérables" are but a few of the successful productions of past years. The latest production
"Rudolf - Affaire Mayerling" will bring back imperial memories and drama when it opens on
February 26th, 2009 at the Raimund Theater.
If you happen to be an electronic music buff, you
won't be disappointed. Internationally acclaimed
artists like Kruder and Dorfmeister and Grammy
Award Winner Peter Rauhofer have put Austria on
the map as a center of excellent electronic music.
Meccas of the electronic scene among others are
Flexand Fluc Wanne,which both offer a unique
atmosphere thanks to their unusual locations.
Burgtheater
Vienna's Number 1 jazz club Porgy & Bess
enchants audiences with classical as well as
experimental-innovative performances.
Along the beautiful Ringstrasse, you will find
some of the most gorgeous buildings and sights,
including one of the most renowned German-
language theaters, the Burgtheater.
For those with some difficulty in understanding
German well enough to follow a theater production, stop by Vienna's English Theatre,which has,
in the past, played several queer-themed productions or plays by gay writers. The second English
language stage is the International Theatrelocated close to the Schauspielhauswhich prides itself
to be the contemporary theater for the later and
newest Austrian drama.
Vienna State Opera
1., Opernring 2
(+43-1) 513 15 13
www.wiener-staatsoper.at
