Vienna State Opera

The main auditorium of the Vienna State Opera in February 2023, looking down the red-carpeted aisle to the open stage between tiers of red boxes with plain gold-and-cream fronts. It is grand but surprisingly restrained, because what you see is a 1950s rebuild. The house opened on May 25, 1869, with Don Giovanni, in front of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth. Bombs set it on fire in March 1945, sparing only the front facade, the grand staircase and the Schwind Foyer. It reopened on November 5, 1955, with a new auditorium and Karl Böhm conducting Fidelio. Standing places at the back sell cheaply on the day, which makes this one of the easiest great houses to try.