Vivaldi, The Four Seasons - St. Stephen’s Cathedral Vienna

The concert:
The Performance of Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” starts at 8:30h pm and last about 60 minutes, with no break.

The venue:
St. Stephen’s cathedral, or Stephansdom (its Austrian name), also called Steffl (Its Viennese name). It is one of the most beautiful gothic Cathedrals in Europe and also one of the oldest.
In 1741 the funeral fest...ivities of Antonio Vivaldi were celebrated here.
“The Four Seasons”, his Masterpiece, performed in a cathedral like St. Stephen’s is something you shouldn’t miss.

Seating:
There are 3 Ticket categories. Within the Category there is free seating. Seats in Category 3. do not have a line of sight to the stage.

Dresscode:
St. Stephen’s Cathedral is a Church, please dress appropriately.

Orchestra Size:
The Harmonia Ensemble Vienna performs Vivaldis Four Seasons with 5 Musicians, a solo Violinist and a String Quartet.
Aside from playing in orchestras, the musicians of the Harmonia Ensemble Vienna perform as a chamber ensemble, always with the aim of broadening their musical abilities and horizons. The musicians thus followed an old tradition, as is customary with established orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic.

Information for people with disabilities:
Visitors with reduced mobility are able to enter via the main portal.

St. Stephen’s Cathedrals’ History starts in 1137:
The first documented mention of St. Stephen’s church and parish was in 1137 when the construction of the first St. Stephen’s Church began. It was consecrated in 1147, but it is assumed that due to its already considerable size it has not been completed by this time.

The Construction:
In 1304 the constr...uction of the Gothic Choir begins and is consecrated in 1340. In 1365 the Cathedral Chapter (former All Saints’ Chapter) has been founded. Duke Rudolf IV, known as “the Founder” was born on All Saints’ day, so he founded the All Saints’ Chapter for the chapel in the Vienna Hofburg Imperial Palace. He then moved them to the west galley of St. Stephen’s Church, which created the conditions for a future cathedral chapter and independent diocese.
The South tower is completed in 1433 and by its time considered the highest church tower in Europe. In 1450 the construction of the north tower begins and will not be finished until 1578.
In 1469, The Papal bull ‘In suprema dignitatis specula’ from Pope Paul II grants Vienna its own episcopal seat. Although the new diocese comprised the city of vienna and extended to the south, it is considered poor.
In 1647 the baroque High Altar is consecrated.
In 1722 St. Stephen’s becomes a metropolitan church with the Papal bull “Suprema dispositione” and the archdiocese of Vienna is established.
In 1732 the catacombs were set up under the cathedral as underground burial places.
While the Cathedral is almost destroyed in the final days of the Second World War because of a large fire, it is reopened on april 26th 1952.

The Pummerin:
Austria’s largest bell, the ‘Pummerin’ was cast by Johann Achammer in 1711. It was raised in the South Tower and rung for the first time on 26 January 1712.On 12 April 1945, the bell was destroyed as it fell during the fire in the cathedral. A new bell weighing 21,100 kg was cast in 1951 in St. Florian (Upper Austria) and this new ‘Pummerin’ has hung in the north tower since October 1957.