Music: Revival

In a contest for the title of the world's greatest opera house, Vienna would probably lose to Milan's La Scala, and might have strong competition from New York's Metropolitan. But Vienna is the heart of Operaland, not only because it was an artistic home to generations of music's greats from Mozart to Richard Strauss, not only because it has devoutly performed opera for more than 300 years through occupation, war and famine, but because in a sense, all Vienna is an opera stage. The baroque palaces no longer signify military power or proud aristocracy —they look like sets waiting for lights...

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