A captivating journey through Vienna’s musical history

When approached on the streets of Vienna by a smartly-dressed young man wielding a clipboard and images of musicians in performance, it was hard to resist his sales pitch. After all, classical music is almost obligatory on any visit to this impressive city.

Palais Schonborn (built in 1699) includes an impressive concert hall that combines a sense of courtly congregations and a history of chamber music performance. Here, today, in the heart of Vienna, the Barockorchester performs music composed over centuries by celebrated composers.

With the first violin - the impressive Valbona Naku - playing every note perfectly, with enthusiasm and from memory, the tone for the evening is set from the first stroke of the bow.

Professional musicians are everywhere in Vienna and the eight gathered in the Schonborn Palace were fine examples. Each one - piano, two violins, viola, cello, contra bass, soprano and tenor voices - set about captivating the audience with confidence and much of the music memorised to perfection.

Determining the repertoire for an evening such as this is made to look effortless, beginning with Mozart’s celebrated Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, which doubtless put much of the audience at ease. This was not going to be an evening of unfamiliar music, challenging as it might be for the musicians.

Dipping in and out of opera and the chamber repertoire gave a delicate cadence to the performance and the audience loved it. There was some genuine virtuosity from every performer, as the strings weaved above and around the piano. When joined by the two singers, the drama intensified and the operatic sense of performance was presented with ease and musical dexterity.

To say I was surprised by the performance would be true but somewhat unfair - Vienna was never going to provide anything less than professional. However, the obvious pleasure of the musicians and the enthusiasm of the audience made this a truly brilliant evening of Viennese musical magic.