Castles · Tour

The Room Where Mozart and Salieri Were Set Against Each Other

A concert by the Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra, usually in the Orangery, the room where Mozart and Salieri were once set against each other for the title of the court's finest composer. The programme changes daily but draws on Mozart and Johann Strauss: Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni, Die Fledermaus, The Blue Danube and the Radetzky March all turn up. The concert runs about an hour and three quarters, with a 15-minute interval, and the Orangery garden is open to walk in while the orchestra rests. A lighting design runs through the performance. Some dates are played elsewhere in the palace, in the Great Gallery, which held the court's dances and ceremonies, or in the smaller White and Gold hall. Seats come in four grades: VIP, A, B and C. Category C sits furthest from the stage and costs least. VIP means the front rows, priority entry at both the hall door and the bar, a glass of sparkling wine, a VIP programme and a cloakroom of its own. The better seats go first, so book early if the grade matters to you. Cancellation is free up to 3 days before the day of the concert; after that, and for a no-show, nothing is refunded.