HAUS DER MUSIK

Description

Essentials about the Haus der Musik in brief

Vienna has always been a city of music. What could be more natural than to pay a visit to the Haus der Musik (House of Music)?! The Haus der Musik is an interactive sound museum in Vienna’s city center that offers its visitors new and innovative approaches to the subject of music.

The exhibition at the Haus der Musik

Opened in 2000, visitors to the Haus der Musik can expect a unique musical experience on an area of 5,000 square meters spread over four floors. The museum presents an interactive and multimedia exhibition on all facets of music and music history, from the beginnings of human sound production to contemporary music.

The museum of the Wiener Philharmoniker on the first floor

The museum is housed in the historic Palais Erzherzog Carl from the 16th century. In 1842, Otto Nicolai moved in as a famous resident. Nicolai was First Kapellmeister at the Court Opera and prepared a cycle of orchestral concerts here. This resulted in the “Philharmonic Concerts”, which makes Nicolai the founder of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. That is why the Museum of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was established on the second floor of the building.

The Sonosphere on the second floor

On the second floor is the so-called Sonosphere, where visitors can experiment with sounds and music at various terminals. In differently designed rooms, an attempt is made to create an individual auditory awareness. These include the prenatal sensory noise, the auditory pathway, the perception laboratory, instrumentarium, sea of voices, polyphonium as well as the sound gallery.

Composers in Vienna on the third floor

The third floor is dedicated to music history with a selection of composers active in Vienna. Information panels, pictures, personal objects, instruments, precious originals and contemporary documents provide personal access to greats such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss (son), Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schönberg, Alban Berg and Anton Weber. Also on the third floor is the Virtual Conductor. Here the visitor selects a piece of music, picks up the (radio) baton and can thus conduct the Vienna Philharmonic.

The virto|stage on the forth floor

Finally, the virto|stage awaits visitors on the fourth floor. This is a virtual stage modeled on an opera house. Different plays are offered on two stages, with visitors becoming the directors themselves. The zeitperlen virto|stage was conceived by Johannes Deutsch and brings together music, singing and visual worlds. Through movements of the body, the music and the stage set are influenced, creating an individual opera. Especially for children there is the zookonzert virto|stage, which is based on Marko Simsa’s children’s book and offers a fairy tale to participate in.