A lot of places offer an “experience”. And many call it a multimedia one. Mythos Mozart, however, is a Multimedia Experience with a capital M & E. Immerse yourself in Mozart’s musical world.
- An artistic, part-futuristic and thoroughly enjoyable experience
- Five large rooms offer different audiovisual environments
- Whole thing took me around 60 minutes
- Book a concert experience* in Vienna
- See also:
Music, lights, art…
(Press photo courtesy of and © Marcus Deak/Mythos Mozart)
Mozart’s ability to captivate audiences over 200 years after his death enters a new dimension with Mythos Mozart.
It all begins in the foyer.
As you wait for the doors to open into the first of five large rooms that make up the experience, you can smile for a camera and have your face mozartified (that’s a word, right?) and projected into picture frames on the wall.
And, no, I’m not posting my picture. It made my family laugh, though. (In the shop at the end of the tour, consoles allow you to send the picture to an email address.)
Don’t let this bit of amusement seduce you into thinking it’s all a bit of superficial fun, though.
You pass through the doors into the first room, for example, to encounter Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor and a sea of candles that flicker in tune to the music. Projections and black & white videos on the wall allude to Mozart’s final days.
Already, you can feel the bustle of the 21st century city outside seep away into the restful candlelight and evocative historical atmosphere.
The second room features wall-sized animated paintings that take you through Mozart’s Vienna.
Landscapes and cityscapes come to life to a background of music. Parks and street scenes flow and merge, and you even travel above 18th-century Vienna by hot air balloon.
At one point, the “Queen of the Night” (I think!) leant out of a balcony window to give us a rendition of her famous aria.
The next room introduces a little interactivity.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik plays out on the screen, but a wave of your hand changes one of the instruments. You then watch a musician join in the music seamlessly using the new choice.
The alternatives include numerous traditional instruments from around the world. So not just violins and pianos but, for example, also a Chinese erhu or a west African kora.
Room 4 begins the more futuristic part. A mesh of plastic synapses represents the process of creative composition, with lights and music creating an ever-changing soundscape to lean back to.
(Press photo courtesy of and © Mythos Mozart)
The final room then feels like something Stanley Kubrick might conjure up in a second career as an art director.
Wall and floor projections show an AI’s digital sculpture built from a huge amount of accumulated data about Mozart, his music, and performances of that music.
A mesmerising flow of images and music follows that feels like it needs a commentary by HAL (or rather HAL’s nicer sibling, who also happens to be a fan of Viennese classical music).
You then emerge into the shop area, with its themed merchandise and souvenirs that include an Augarten porcelain Mozart (but bring lots of cash for that).
All in all, professionals were clearly at work here: expert technicians, artists, and musicians. And everything crafted with a clear love of the music.
Tickets and tips
The experience is a sequential set of rooms, and doors open and close to guide you through at the appropriate time.
This means tickets come with a time slot, which makes advance purchase sensible to ensure you won’t have to hang around. Though I bought my tickets on site and only had a couple of minutes wait, fortunately.
(Booking service provided by Tiqets.com*, who I am an affiliate of)
The city brims with Mozart landmarks and attractions, of course…from Mozart-flavored concerts to biographical locations.
You’re actually just a short walk from the most relevant Mozart site in Vienna: the Mozarthaus museum where the composer once lived. So you might follow your multimedia experience with a distinctly historical one. A combination ticket* for both can save a you a little money.
And, for a double dose of Mozartean love, you can always do a day trip to Salzburg and visit his place of birth.
Back to Vienna and Mythos Mozart…if you want to sit down and collect yourself after all the audiovisual stimulation, then two next door neighbours offer a sweet option (with the emphasis on cakes):
- The Sluka Conditorei: one of my favourite cafés with its lovely interior (go through to the back – trust me on this).
- L. Heiner: another traditional café-confectioner and noted inventor of the Kardinalschnitte
How to get to Mythos Mozart
(The aboveground entrance)
The location is below the Steffl department store on Kärntner Straße: a largely pedestrianised road leading between the state opera house and Stephansdom cathedral. You may pass it on a city centre walk.
Facing Steffl, simply look to the left for the entrance to Mythos Mozart. The composer actually died in his residence in a building that once occupied the same block.
Subway: take the U3 or U1 to Stephansplatz and walk up. Alternatively, travel to Karlsplatz on he U1, U2 or U4 and walk down.
Tram: the location lies close to the Oper / Karlsplatz stop used by the tram lines 1, 2, D and 71, for example.
Address: Kärntner Straße 19, 1010 Vienna | Website