The Sovereign Conservatory

With the arrival of late February, the bitter frost of the Viennese winter began to soften beneath the pale golden warmth of the returning sun. Snow melted from the baroque rooftops of the Inner City, feeding the sparkling fountains of the Ringstraße and uncovering the tender green shoots of early crocuses in the imperial gardens. For two weeks, the grand historical estate in the Augarten—formerly an imperial hunting lodge of…