Where the bat flutters

Two opera houses perform the popular operetta Die Fledermaus over the New Year period: The Vienna Volksoper (December 31 and January 1) and the Vienna State Opera (December 31, January 1, 3 & 5). The appearance of an always prominent "surprise guest" in the second act of the State Opera's New Year's Eve performance is a tradition.

At Theater an der Wien, opera fans can ring out the year with Giulio Cesare in Egitto by George Frideric Handel The work from 1724 is produced by Keith Warner and musically supported by the Orchester Concentus Musicus Wien. – A great opportunity to hear countertenor Bejun Mehta.

In Der Fall Straus at the Kammeroper, the audience is witness to an exciting New Year's night in a bar – with music by Leo Fall and Oscar Straus (December 30 & 31).

New Year's Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic

The most famous concert in the world – the New Year's Concert – is held in the Golden Hall of Vienna's Musikverein each year in the morning of January 1 (preview and New Year's Eve concert with an identical program on December 30 & 31). Daniel Barenboim takes to the conductor's stand for the start of 2022. In any case, you can be there this year again via TV broadcast in over 90 countries.

Members of the Vienna Philharmonic can also be found among the Vienna Ring Ensemble. In the atmospheric Brahms Hall of the Musikverein, this formation plays another classic New Year's Eve concert in the guise of a chamber orchestra.

Beethoven and Strauss at the Konzerthaus

A truly packed musical New Year's program makes the Wiener Konzerthaus the place to be:

• The rare species of the art whistlers belongs to Nikolaus Habjan and can be heard with friends and the program "Heiße Luft" (Hot Air) (December 30).
• The Wiener Symphoniker brings the year to a close with Beethoven's 9th Symphony, conducted by Sakari Oramok from Finland (December 30 and 31, January 1).
• A change of year with music and charm is promised by the Great Thomas Gansch New Year's Eve Show, moderated by trumpeter and entertainer Thomas Gansch and Burgtheater actor Robert Reinagl. Also on the bill are Marianne Mendt, Willi Resetarits, the Salonorchester Alhambra, the radio.string.quartet, and many other brilliant musicians.
• In its program "Fairytales from the Orient", the Strauss Festival Orchester Wien presents oriental temptations in Viennese dialect (compositions of the Strauss dynasty, December 29 and January 1).

Wienerisch and different

Naturally, there are also unusual stage art formats at New Year's: in the crypt of the Peterskirche (Church of St. Peter), the operetta ensemble Oper@Tee thrills in a lively and punchy way with its Fledermaus performance with piano accompaniment (December 29 & 31, January 2 & 5). Really close to the very small audience.

For the brave: Humorous, entertaining, and actually downright quirky is the L.E.O – Letztes Erfreuliches Operntheater (Last Enjoyable Opera Theater) at the L.E.O. New Year's Eve Gala: from tango to operetta and grand opera, from Wienerlied to Kurt Weill and the Merry Widow. With two prima donnas, the host, a pianist, and a dancing couple. And culinary treats.

© L.E.O. Theater

Finding your favorite event

There's lots more going on around the change of year on Vienna's stages – from concerts (Karl Ratzer Quintet at the Porgy & Bess) to theater (Dorian Gray at the Akademietheater, performances at the Schauspielhaus), and musicals (Cats, Lady in the Dark). Here's the program:

Stage events from December 30, 2021 to January 2, 2022

Program changes possible due to COVID-19 – see websites of the organizers.