Today we have a study morning in the concert hall of the Figaro House, where Mozart wrote his famous opera. Here Peter discusses and plays on the Bösendorfer piano a range of compositions that hail from the Golden Age of Viennese music, the period of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. This is followed by lunch and a visit to the Leopold Museum, which houses some of the world’s most important Austrian artwork. The collection spans the 19th and 20th centuries and was assembled by Rudolf and Elisabeth Leopold, who invested in works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and their contemporaries at a time when these artists were considered unfashionable. The evening is at leisure, or people may wish to attend an opera or concert or enjoy a stroll and a glass of Glühwein in one of the Christmas markets.

Peter’s lecture this morning tells the story of the famous piano competition between Mozart and Muzio Clementi, held at the Viennese Court, on Christmas Eve, 1781. We then walk to the Museum of Musical Instruments in the Neue Burg wing of the Hofburg, which houses – among others – pianos played by Mozart, Liszt and Brahms. After lunch, We are guided through the Kunsthistorisches Museum art collection to view some of the gallery’s many Christmas themed paintings. These include Hans von Kulmbach’s ‘Annunciation’, Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s ‘Hunters in the Snow’ and Jacob Jordaen’s ‘Twelfth Night’ (the Bean King). We then have free time to wander through the Christmas market located in front of the gallery. The evening is at leisure, or people may wish to attend an opera or concert.

Finally, we round off the afternoon with a stroll through the Town Hall Christmas Market. The evening is at leisure.

Day 5