Concert At Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral

The cathedral is a stunning place to experience beautiful music! The musicians were very talented. Bring a seat cushion as the pews get harder as the night goes on.

Great group playing, be sure buy tickets early so can sit toward the front. sound was wonderful inside theater.

Lovely performance in beautiful venue. Would highly recommend this to those who enjoy the classics.!

Good, not great. We enjoyed the historical ambiance but the Saint Peter church concert was so much better.

I went to a concert at St. Stephen's Cathedral. I paid €35 ​​for a seat at the front but couldn't see a thing because of the church pillars. It was a seven-piece orchestra; the performance was mediocre, with a violinist playing out of tune. Despite there being 2,000 paying attendees, there were no amenities—the TV screens remained off, and no stage had been set up. We had to leave quickly after the concert. It wasn't worth the money; I wouldn't recommend it.

The disappointment comes from sitting at the back and finding that the music was not loud enough for Vivaldis 4 season. It did not carry through this magnificent cathedral.

There are aom pieces of music that cannot be adequately appreciated without seeing them performed. This is one of those that you can't truly appreciate fully unless it is live and in person. It was a bit warm in the cathedral even in a cool evening so dress lightly but appropriately and you will be fine. Ask the usher to scan the emailed ticket after entering to find out your actual seat.

Seats were in the very back and it was very difficult to see the performers.

Great classical concert with great seats. We were in third row. A f great way to see the outside and inside of this beautiful and historic cathedral

The palace was beautiful with exceptional gardens. There is too much to see in one day. Easy access from the subway

The musicians were excellent but the venue was extremely hot and our view was obstructed by a pillar

The organists let much to be desired. While their duo rendition of Liszt's les Preludes was commendable and pleasant, the rendition of JS Bach's Prelude and Fugue in a minor (BWV 543) by one of them was terrible. The prelude contains passages with a rapid succession of notes, which he played with a very fast speed, making of them a tangle hard to listen to and the notes impossible to discern. In an attempt to demonstrate virtuosity, he played like a maniac and totally ruined the music. The fugue, which was however played with acceptable speed, was damaged by changing pitch and intensity of the voices in a wanton manner, by shifting the electronic console controls. This made unpleasant and subtracted attention from the following of subject and countersubject along the piece and turned the fugue into a collage that apparently only wanted to show how many different and varied stops the organ has. Young organists like these are totally mistaken if they think that this mode of playing of a work by Bach is acceptable, proper or enjoyable. The result was killing or at least seriously maiming a masterpiece like BWV 543. I could not force myself to applaud. If Bach himself had attended this performance, he would have run out of the church, screaming at the top of his lungs. Because of the BWV 543 fiasco, I did not stay to listen to the remaining pieces in the program. My highest expectations and my main reason to attend the concert were for BWV 543. It ended up being a big disappointment. There are several recording of this prelude and fugue on YouTube that far exceed in quality what I had to listen to at this concert. I recommend the organist to listen to them and learn how to properly play this masterpiece.

Amazing! Beautiful music in an incredible cathedral. Highly recommend!

The organist was very talented and clearly very passionate about the instrument and music. It was very atmospheric and immersive. Be prepared to sit for an hour or 90 minutes listening to ever so slightly repetitive renditions. It was a memorable experience and very enjoyable overall.

What a beautiful setting for an orchestra concert. The small group of musicians were incredibly talented and the acoustics were wonderful.

Not as advertised, not mozart beethoven or any famous composers. Beautiful venue but not worth it. So do not recommend

Everything was exactly as advertised. A great experience and well worthwhile. It was certainly world class entertainment. The beautiful sounds filled the entire gothic cathedral so to that extent seat preference wasn’t that significant.

The setting is magnificent, the acoustics superb and the playing faultless. An unforgettable evening.

Good acoustics and also a chance to see the inside of the Church. Although tickets said there was no view of the orchestra we did have a glimpse of it The viator app was useless. I downloaded it and followed an email link to create an account. The link took me to a page telling me to download the app which I did and it took me to an email link telling me to download the app which I fix and it took me to an email link telling me to download the app and so on ad infinitem. I deleted the useless app and got the emailed tickets. Via rot was so useless I would avoid using it if at all possible.

The venue and music were wonderful and good value. There was however room for improvement in the entry process. There were no signs nor guidance for queuing and many people gathered inside the Cathedral only to be turfed out just before 8pm. once our tickets were scanned it was a free for all with people taking up any seats. Even the Cat 1 entrance was unmanned for a time and Cat 2 customers gaining entry. We were unaffected but many people were changing seats constantly. Needs attention.

You kept sending emails for the entire time prior to the event then how to get our tickets we got our tickets and didn’t have the seats

A beautiful concert for our last night in Vienna. Would highly recommend! If attending, please don’t film. It’s very distracting.

The concert was great, the organ sounds fill the church with classic music and transformed yiu to the past. Excellent experience!

I wouldn’t say it was music at all Seemed like a very angry person banging on keys I gave never seen so many people walk out Sadly

Organ music is pretty boring so they can't sell all the tickets at face value. As a result you get a mass herding of humanity that really isn't all that interested in respecting the scene. Nevertheless, everybody did their best and the location is amazing. The organist's resume is impressive, but I don't have the knowledge to comment on his playing.

Magnificent cathedral, a must see. I experienced “Via Crucis”, (Die 14 Stationen des Kreuzwegs) S.53, a work for mixed choir, baritone soloist and the magnificent 12,000 pipes organ of St. Stephans Cathedral. Franz Liszt’s work is devoted to the Stations of the Cross. It is one of the last works of Liszt. The soloist and mixed chorus were sublime. The Organist, priceless.

Once you accept that the program didn‘t feature traditional church organ pieces you would be overwhelmed by the spectrum of the organs sound, an experience not to be missed.

Attended the organ concert, we didn’t expect much but this is just disappointing. Would’ve walked out if we weren’t sitting at the front. Tourist trap imo

A great experience we probably would have missed if I didn’t book in advance. A down time experience.

This was a really good experience. The concert was by a leading church organ player in Vienna. It lasted for an hour and consisted of about 6 individual pieces. The music was amazing as the organ is so big and powerful, it seemed to make the cathedral shake. The cathedral itself is very historic and provided the perfect background to the music. Everything was well organised and we didn't have to queue for long. We were easily able to find our seats. In conclusion, I would recommend this experience, especially if you enjoy organ music. You won't find much better.

We did an xmas concert here on the 21st at 8 pm. We had front seating but got in later and thus did not get the front row experience we hoped. Nonetheless, the church is breathtakingly beautiful and the acoustics amazing. What a treat to listen to talented musicians playing in these stunning surroundings. One of the highlights of our trip!

Being a Christmas concert we expected a lively and uplifting evening. I attend many organ recitals in the UK but this was dull and uninspiring. The organist even made In Dulce Jubilo dreary! Quite a few people walked out before the end. In the city of Strauss and Mozart, this concert was extremely disappointing.

It was okay….a 5/10 at best. The page turner for the organist missed his cues several times causing the organist to linger on notes. The composition choice was somber and boring. Ever hear of Vivaldi, Canon in D, Pachelbel? They didn’t even fire up the big pipe organ…..just the little one….and they started late! What a disappointment! Barely even felt the organ in my chest like we should have. Send this organist packing….when you have the acoustics of this fine cathedral you showcase the pipe organ. Felt like we were at a funeral! Attended a concert at St Peter and Paul Cathedral in Krakow 3 weeks ago for half the price….my heart was pumping….could feel the organ…excellent choice of composition, the organist was lively and spot on …crisp and clean…without a page turner and for half the price! Yawn!!! Save your money and go to Poland! For a fraction of the cost! You should be ashamed of this performance!!

It was a waste of my time going to this concert, it was not a Christmas concert at all and there was only five or six people playing in the orchestra

This was not what we were hoping for. It was not much of a “Christmas” concert, and although it was fine to hear some nice music inside a beautiful, historic cathedral, the chairs were pushed so close together that it felt worse than being on an airplane. We assumed that a concert billed as a Christmas concert would have more than one and a half Christmas songs, so if that’s what you are looking for, I am sure there are better options for the cost.

We booked at the last minute and were fortunate to get seats. I would seriously recommend anyone considering a Cathedral concert around the Christmas period, to do it in advance. The acoustics are superb, the singers, musicians and the atmosphere in the Cathedral were quite magical. Wrap up well as there is no heating and sitting still for 1.5hrs will require resilience. If possible obtain a seat cushion or bring some kind of barrier to sit on. One comment I would make: I wish there was a playlist available.

We went in the winter, dress warm! The concert orchestra was smal but quite sufficient. They played beautifully and the vocalists were equally good. If you go on a Sunday th he concert is 10:00 pm not 8:30. All in all it was a lovely venue.

Beautiful songs nice orchestra divine voices!beautiful church but very cold inside I loved the balcony trompets The sits werw ok

Pictures on advert showing people playing instruments . We had just a singing group who were very good but not at all what we expected. It says check what sort of concert you will be booking but know where does it say other than just concert at venue?

The concert was really nice! But, despite for the fact that we bought tickets early October - we got seats on second last row, with no view.

Absolutely awful sound quality . I didn’t expect a view but I did expect to hear . They should have used microphones because if you’re anywhere from the middle to the back you can hear nothing . Total waste of money

We were very disappointed with our seats in the church. They were a few rows from the back. It seems like they just want to pack in as many people - regardless of the experience they all will have. The sound or the atmosphere is not the same and they could cut the crowd by half and make it much more enjoyable and valuable.

boring. for christmas concert, there is a vast selection of music that could be chosen... we were very disappointed by quality as well

Highly suggest when you buy tickets for events like this, that you always sit in the front of the church and not in the back the acoustics in the middle in the back of the church are horrible. You can’t hear anything and you’re distracted as they’re filming everything. Overall performance was wonderful. Just hard to hear everything.

The concert and church are beautiful. They WAY oversell capacity. The seats are smushed together. In the back where we were, you couldn’t see anything and the acoustics are terrible with no additional speakers set up making the sound tinny. I’m sure in a closer section it would be worthwhile but for $110 a ticket, the back sections are entirely not worth it. People nearby fell asleep, were on their phone or left early so my sentiment was shared.

It’s really not a Christmas concert but rather a concert with a few Christmas songs thrown in at the end. Skip it unless you like being cold and are OK hearing a few Christmas songs.

I visit Vienna annually to enjoy the Christmas markets and add a concert or performance to enhance the experience. This year I was able to reserve this concert and was sincerely exited. We waited outside in the cold for over 43 minutes with hundreds of others.Concert started late. no introductions. no foreword. It sounded unrehearsed, very last minute, not a professional job I left after 17 minutes.

Every thing was good until we got to the event. We were issued tickets in the very Back of the Church we could not see the performers. I would not have bought the tickets if I had known where we would be seated. We arrived 30 min early enough time to have received good seats. The performance was grate what we could see and hear.

An absolutely exquisite performance! The strings, brass, the soprano & baritone literally filled the entire church with glorious music!