NEW MUSEUM COMPLEX STRENGTHENS VIENNA'S ARTS REPUTATION.

Byline: Richard Irwin Staff Writer

VIENNA, Austria - Raising the baton, I realized I was making a fool of myself - again. I've had many misadventures around the world, but none seemed quite as bad as this one.

I simply was not prepared to conduct one of the world's premier orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic. I barely know a waltz from a polka. Earlier, it had seemed like a good idea, but it was too late to back out now - the musicians had all gathered in the hall. Gingerly stepping onto the podium, I prayed that I wouldn't fail too miserably.

``You just have to keep the tempo,'' my guide said, ``the musicians will do the rest.''

Taking a deep breath, I attempted to lead the orchestra through the first movement. We stumbled along at first, my tempo lagging, so I picked up the pace. The musicians gamely struggled to keep up with the novice conductor.

Their looks of concern did not bode well for me, and finally, after what seemed an eternity, the orchestra simply stopped playing. In fact, one of the disgusted musicians waved his arms in exasperation and scolded me: ``We can do it much better without you!'' Many orchestra members stood up and walked out, ending my short career in classical music.

Fortunately, the entire experience was one of virtual reality, made possible through the miracles of digital technology.

If you think you can do better, step into the new House of Music in Vienna and try your best. This marvelous interactive museum, which opened last summer, offers many activities to draw you into the music that made the city famous.

The House of Music is only a small part of the new cultural facilities springing to life in Vienna. The Museum Quarter, scheduled to open at the end of this week, is just a few blocks from the House of Music, and promises some dramatic contributions to the city's arts scene.

The House of Music has already made some important strides toward that end - while providing a fascinating experience for visitors.

High-tech equipment is used to project digital orchestra members on a huge video screen. They know when you mess up because the computer follows the electronic baton, speeding up the orchestra or slowing it down accordingly.

The more sweeping your arm movements, the louder the orchestra plays. If you concentrate your movements toward one section, it plays louder.

I felt bad when I crashed and burned on my first two attempts. But with a little advice, I was able to keep the orchestra together through an entire composition. For my troubles, I was issued a certificate stating that I had conducted the Vienna Philharmonic.

Fittingly, the museum's building has a rich musical history. The baroque palace was used by Otto Nicolai, the well-known composer who wrote the opera ``The Merry Wives of Windsor.'' Nicolai founded the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 1842, and its very first concerts took place there. Later, the palace was used by Vienna's University of Music and Performing Arts.

After falling into dilapidation, the building was renovated by a private group of corporate investors. Spending $50 million, they turned it into an innovative, high-tech museum, where the classical music from the past meets the cutting-edge music of today.

True to its origins, the first floor is dedicated to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Memorabilia fills the rooms where it all began.

The second floor features a strange world where visitors explore sounds - those a fetus would hear in the womb, for example. In the Instrumentarium area, visitors play oversize instruments. They can even climb inside a giant organ pipe, or play a drum nearly 10 feet in diameter.

The history level salutes the musical heritage of Vienna. This area documents the lives of seven musical geniuses - Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Straub, Mahler and Schonberg. Its exhibits include models, theater tickets, original scores and personal items, including Schubert's spectacles and Haydn's marriage certificate.

Children and adults alike can really break loose in the Brain Opera, a special area developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. Visitors will find odd-looking hyperinstruments that teach them about harmony, melody and rhythm. The instruments translate body movements and touch into sound.

It's actually very invigorating, once you get used to these most unusual instruments. You can mix the sounds and tones together to create your own futuristic opera.

The Museum Quarter, a short distance away, figures to mesh smoothly with these innovations. Its various sections will open throughout the summer and fall as they are completed, and by the time the entire complex is up and running, it will feature approximately 180,000 square feet of exhibit and performance space.

``It's comparable to the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts in New York City or the Mall in Washington, D.C.,'' said Wolfgang Waldner, chief executive officer. ``When finished, our Museum Quarter will rank as one of the world's 10 largest cultural complexes.''

Waldner previously spent 10 years as director of the Austrian Cultural Institute in New York. Since taking over the project in August 1999, the amicable executive has seen the complex rise from a hole in the ground to a sparkling beacon of culture.

It is just 10 minutes from the center of Vienna, occupying the former imperial stables. The complex will be home to various cultural organizations and will seek to mix fine art, performing arts and musical events.

Inside the immense courtyard of the former winter riding hall, two imposing edifices have been built. The avant-garde monolithic structures stand in stark contrast to the baroque architecture that dates to 1716 and the reign of Emperor Karl VI.

The bold, white Leopold Museum documents the modernist movement that emerged in Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century. The exceptional collection of Rudolf Leopold includes paintings, watercolors and drawings by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Richard Gerstl and other important artists. It opens on Sept. 21.

At the other end of the courtyard, a big, black building will house the Museum of Modern Art. When it opens Sept. 15., it will offer one of Europe's largest collections of modern and contemporary art, with more than 2,600 works of art. Until now, the huge collection had to be displayed in two separate locations.

The Kunsthalle Wien will serve as exhibit hall with 33,000 square feet of space. Its three floors will be used for contemporary visual and historical art exhibitions, film series, conferences and performances.

Children will have their own areas to explore within the quarter. The ZOOM Children's Museum and a children's theater will help youngsters examine the worlds of theater, dance, opera and music.

A dance quarter will become the city's center for modern dance. Dancers will study and practice in a 2,700 square-foot studio complex. Performances will be held in two recital halls, a small one with 350 seats and a large one with 1,000 seats.

Rising above the entire complex will be a 200-foot-high tower, the official symbol of the Museum Quarter. The aptly named Information Tower will hold a large library, as well as a multimedia center.

The Museum Quarter will link the historic inner city with neighboring districts. It is located adjacent to the Museums of Fine Arts and Natural History.

It reflects the best of urban planning - a convenient complex that will offer unparalleled access to some of Europe's finest cultural events and activities.

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(1 -- 4) At the House of Music in Vienna, clockwise from top, visitors can conduct a virtual orchestra; transform touch into sound; perform on jumbo instruments; and experience a special aural chamber.