The Ehrbar Hall in Palais Ehrbar in Vienna's 4th district is more than just an insider tip among Vienna's concert halls. The term " gem" is more appropriate, despite its proud size able to accommodate 400 concert-goers.
It was built in the 19th century by the piano maker Friedrich Ehrbar, who was economically very successful as a purveyor to the imperial and royal courts. He supplied not only the Habsburg house, but also the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, as well as the royal families in Greece, Serbia and Portugal. Unfortunately, entrepreneurial fortune was not forever on the side of the Ehrbar family and in the 1980s the last piano left the small factory in Mühlgasse. Even today, Friedrich Ehrbar instruments are still among the best-sounding grand pianos from the Viennese school.
In 1911, the Ehrbar Hall replaced an older, smaller room whose capacity had become too small, and the gallery was added, giving the hall its present layout. The architectural style and decoration followed the characteristics of the Italian High Renaissance and soon the hall became a musical center of the city due to its great acoustics. Around the beginning of the 20th century, the most popular musicians of the time performed there, traditionalists as well as representatives of the new era: Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner, Max Reger, Pietro Mascagni, Ignaz Brüll and many more. Gustav Mahler's "Das klagende Lied" was premiered there, as well as Arnold Schönberg presented the first part of his Gurre Lieder to the public in the Ehrbar Hall.
The Ehrbar Hall was for a long time the home of the Prayner Conservatory, a renowned music school that was privately owned and had its headquarters in the Ehrbar Palace. In addition to the Ehrbar Hall, there were classrooms, a small concert hall, a ballet hall, a rehearsal stage and two theory halls. Unfortunately, due to lack of tuition fees, as a result of the corona pandemic, the conservatory went bankrupt in the summer of 2020 and was closed. This, however, does not affect the further use and events of the Ehrbar Hall, which is steeped in history and protected as a historic monument. Internationally renowned artists of classical music will continue to perform there in this concert hall created for this purpose.