Are you fascinated by history and do you love Baroque architecture?
Do you enjoy classical music? Do you like to catch an opera now and then?
If you answer ‘yes’ it sounds like you might be a culture vulture. That’s exactly what our family friends thought, which is why they gave us a gift voucher from Music & Opera so we could pick one to our liking. The big question was: “which opera should we go to”? Actually, it wasn’t a difficult choice: to the cradle of opera, of course. Vienna here we come!
After we stored our luggage at the hotel, we arrived early, we went on a walk to discover some of the highlights of Vienna.
First stop was Karlsplatz with the beautiful Karlskirche, designed by Johann Bernhard Fisher von Erlach
Fairly austere on the outside, but once you are inside, it is all Baroque. An exuberant use of marble and faux marble, trompe l’oeil and beautifully painted walls and ceilings. There was also a gorgeous neon sculpture by Welsh artist Cerith Wyn Evans, Forms through folds (ascending), hanging in the church.
The sculpture was specially designed for the Karlskirche and weighs almost a tonne. Opinions are divided, but I thought it was a beautiful work of art which blended beautifully into the space of the church.
Our next stop was the National Library, after we had our lunch – a Wiener schnitzel- at the Karlsplatz.
The entrance hall was rather sober and gave no hint of the secrets housed within the National Library. It is only when you climb the stately staircase that you slowly get the feeling: “it must be amazing”.
And it certainly was. Together with us, dozens of visitors stood in awe admiring the bound collection of knowledge.
It is one of the largest baroque libraries in Europe. They own about 200.000 historic books stacked on nicely decorated wooden shelves, including some works from the German Priest & Protestant reformer Martin Luther.
It was in remarkably good condition. Afterwards, it became clear why: in 2022, the library underwent a thorough restoration.
Dusting all those books every day is no job that can be done in a jiffy.
The entrance to the Augustinian Church is on the same Josefplatz. When we stepped inside, we were treated to beautiful organ music. Someone was practising on the mighty Wiener organ. Lucky us again! The church is famous for his weekly Sunday High mass with full orchestra and choir. Unfortunately, we were unable to visit on Sunday to have our holy communion souls blessed ;-)
After a stop at Café Sacher for the famous Sacher-Torte we headed back to the hotel to freshen up, change our cloths and walk to the Musik Theater an der Wien to enjoy the opera ‘Voicekiller’ from Miroslav Srnka. A modern piece and actually based on a true story.
A real-life criminal case involving a soldier at a US army base in Australia during World War II is the starting point of the opera Voice Killer that the Czech composer Miroslav Srnka is writing for the MusikTheater an der Wien. Obsessed by the voice of his mother who used to sing him nursery rhymes, the soldier vainly searched for it among women who happened to cross his path. Three Australian women fell victim to the mentally ill serial killer before he was caught.
– source: Theater an der Wien –
Before you ask, yes, we enjoyed the opera. It was modern, refreshing and great to witness that the musicians played also alternative instruments, such as a grater and a thin sheet of Plexiglas. The whole performance was certainly a success thanks to the use of modern theatre techniques and the beautiful interplay between the artists. After a final drink, we were tired but satisfied as we went to bed, because it had been a long day.
