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Event Information:
In Austria,
New Year's Eve is usually celebrated with
friends and family. At exactly midnight,
all radio and television programmes operated
by ORF broadcast the sound of the Pummerin
(bell of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna),
and right after that the "Donauwalzer" ("The
Blue Danube") by Johann Strauss II is played,
which many people dance to at parties or
on the street. Large crowds gather on the
streets of Vienna, where the municipal government
organises a series of stages from which
bands and orchestras play music. Fireworks
are set off both by ordinary people and
the municipal governments.
Vienna has
its roots in early Celtic and Roman settlements
that transformed into a Medieval and Baroque
city, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian
Empire. The city is well known for playing
an essential role as a leading European
Music Centre, from the great age of Viennese
Classicism through the early part of the
20th century. The Historic centre of Vienna
is rich in architectural ensembles, including
Baroque castles and gardens, as well as
the late-19th-century Ringstrasse lined
with grand buildings, monuments and parks.
Art and culture
have a long tradition in Vienna, including
theatre, opera, classical music and fine
arts. The Burgtheater is considered one
of the best theatres in the German-speaking
world alongside its branch, the Akademietheater.
The Volkstheater Wien and the Theater in
der Josefstadt also enjoy good reputations.
There is also a multitude of smaller theatres,
in many cases devoted to less mainstream
forms of the performing arts, such as modern,
experimental plays or cabaret. Vienna is
also home to a number of opera houses, including
the Theater an der Wien, the Staatsoper
and the Volksoper, the latter being devoted
to the typical Viennese operetta. Classical
concerts are performed at well known venues
such as the Wiener Musikverein, home of
the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and the
Wiener Konzerthaus. Many concert venues
offer concerts aimed at tourists, featuring
popular highlights of Viennese music (particularly
the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and
Johann Strauss).
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