VR Music Ride

Experience a virtual reality ride on the theme of “Vienna, the city of music” at Time Travel. Immerse yourself in the history of Viennese music using VR glasses. In line with the latest market trends in virtual reality, a 360° spatial experience awaits you. Join us on a journey from classical music, accompanied by waltz couples, to typical Heurigen songs and modern pop music. Meet the great musical geniuses Mozart, Beethoven and “Rock me Amadeus” – Falco – live.

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The Viennese waltz

Once considered wicked, the Viennese waltz has been a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage since September 2017. The Viennese waltz has a long tradition and is an important part of the approximately 450 Viennese balls . It makes a long ball night really complete.

The ViennaOpera Ball is traditionally opened with a left-hand waltz. Turning in three-four time, left or right, is something typically “Viennese” and nowhere is it celebrated as much as in Vienna. It is also customary to begin weddings and festive occasions with a waltz.

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How do you dance the Viennese waltz?

The Viennese waltz comes from the word walzen, which means to turn and grind. It was built in the last quarter of the 18th century. in the Bavarian-Austrian region. It is a dance in three-four time for single couples and can be described as a preliminary form of “ländler dancing”. The dancer jumps and turns constantly.

It is a social and competition dance in 3/4 time, danced at a tempo of 58-60 beats per minute. In comparison, there is also the Slow Waltz (English Waltz). The Viennese waltz (formerly called the French waltz) was first mentioned in old Viennese folk comedies in the 1770s and was already known before the French Revolution. It replaced the aristocratic minuet as the definitive ballroom dance.

Initially, the waltz was sometimes heavily criticized for being immoral, danced too fast and too close together. The left-hand waltz in particular was initially frowned upon in so-called “better circles” due to its lewdness, especially because of the intimate contact between the couples.

This also had to do with the ladies suddenly showing their ankles while dancing. The ladies were also tightly laced and some fainted immediately due to the fast twisting movements.

The Congress of Vienna and the Biedermeier period

In 1814/15 , the Congress of Vienna turned the waltz into a social event and it was often danced. After the Napoleonic Wars, Europe was restored to its former structures and the negotiations took place in Vienna. Of course, there were not only negotiations, but above all a lot of waltzing . It is not for nothing that the famous saying “Congress dances, but it doesn’t move” was coined .

During the Biedermeier period , Vienna definitely became the waltz metropolis of Europe. The Viennese waltz gained in acceptance and popularity.

Johann Strauss’ father founded the Strauss dynasty and mainly composed waltzes. However, he is better known for his marching music, such as the famous Radetzky March, a tribute to General Radetzky. Together with Johann Strauss Vater , Joseph Lanner is considered the founder of the Viennese waltz.

The waltz was later brought to perfection by Strauss’ sons Johann, Josef and Eduard . Concert tours took it as far as America. Johann Strauss Sohn (1825-1899) went down in history as the “Waltz King”. His tours have taken him as far as Russia and even America.

His most famous work is the Danube Waltz, which was premiered in February 1867 in Dianabad . The nine-minute original version of the Danube Waltz should not be missed on any New Year’s Eve. This is the traditional way to dance into the New Year in Vienna. The Danube Waltz is also on the program at the New Year’s Concert and is considered the unofficial anthem of Austria.

The Viennese ball culture

Towards the end of the 19th century, the waltz was always at the center of Viennese operetta. The technique of the waltz initially originated from ballet technique and has developed from a very fast turning movement to today’s more floating dance form.

The classic Viennese waltz is still danced today with a left turn and is considered the most “Viennese” of all dances. The Viennese waltz is one of the five standard dances danced at standard tournaments worldwide. It also occupies a special position on balls and redoubts. The waltz can certainly be described as a dance sport, as it is not without effort.

Vienna’s ball culture has been part of Austria’s intangible cultural heritage since 2010. The origin goes back to the monarchy , where a certain etiquette had to be observed. In addition to certain dress codes, this also includes the opening, the ladies’ party and the midnight interlude, as well as the closing of the ball. This tradition has not only been preserved in Austria, but has also significantly influenced the style of other balls in Europe.

Special balls in Vienna include the Zuckerbäckerball, the Philharmonikerball and the Kaffeesiederball, to name but a few. The ball season reaches its climax with the Vienna Opera Ball, which traditionally takes place on the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday. The Opera Ball marks the end of the ball season in Vienna until next year, when it’s time to waltz again.

After his father died suddenly of scarlet fever in 1849 at the age of just 45, his son was able to take over his father’s orchestra. It was not until 1852 that Johann Strauss Sohn was entrusted with performing the music at the imperial court. This was later followed by the title of k.k.Hofballmusik-Direktor.

The operetta “Fledermaus” and the “Gypsy Baron” created further hype. As the Waltz King, he was showered with invitations and honors. During the day he composed countless waltzes and operettas and in the evening he played late into the night. He became famous worldwide for the Danube Waltz, which is considered Austria’s secret anthem.

Strauss’ enormous workload took its toll: physical breakdowns necessitated a series of stays at a health resort in the years 1853 – 55. He was inspired in Badgastein and then spent several seasons as a guest in Pavlosk near St. Petersburg, where he was also able to win over the Russian Tsar’s family. It was the performances in Pavlovsk that finally allowed Strauss’s son to step out of his father’s shadow in Vienna.

In 1862, he married Henriette, a former singer seven years his senior, called Jetty, who also became his manager. After she died in 1878, he married the actress and singer Ernestine Dittrich, known as Lili , who was 25 years his junior . However, they soon divorced because of another man. He consoled himself with Adele Strauss, 31 years his junior. In order to be able to marry her, he converted from Catholicism to Protestantism and even left the Austrian state and became a citizen of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

In 1872 he embarked on his longest concert tour, which took him across the Atlantic to the “World Peace Festival” in Boston and on to New York . However, he soon suffered from homesickness and was happy to be able to perform in Vienna again.

He died on June 3, 1899 at the age of 74 as a result of pneumonia. He was married three times and left no children.

His monument in the Stadtpark is one of the most photographed in Vienna and we can visit his grave of honor at the Central Cemetery. His former home on Praterstrasse, where he composed the famous Danube Waltz, can also be visited. There is also an interesting museum about the Strauss dynasty in the 9th district.