The Vienna Waltz

ORF Original Series

Set in Vienna during the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) — the extraordinary gathering of European powers that redraws the continent's map following Napoleon's defeat — The Vienna Waltz follows two protagonists whose stories converge at the Congress's center. Isabella von Hartmann, 26, is a Black woman raised by the wealthy Viennese von Hartmann family (aristocratic bankers who financed both sides of the Napoleonic wars and now profit from the peace). She is entirely Austrian in language, culture, and sensibility — she speaks German and French, plays the piano at concert level, and manages her family's social calendar for the Congress with extraordinary skill. The von Hartmanns have positioned Isabella to marry diplomatically; she has other ideas. Her connection to Alexandre Dupont, a French diplomat and musician of mixed heritage from the Haitian aristocracy of Saint-Domingue, is the series' central romance — two people of color navigating the most powerful assembly of European aristocracy in a generation, finding each other in the musical salons and private dinners that surround the formal negotiations. Episode 1 — Der Kongress tanzt (The Congress Dances) Vienna in the full glitter of the Congress. Isabella managing the von Hartmann salon. Alexandre Dupont's arrival. Their first conversation, in French, over a Haydn sonata. Episode 5 — Das Konzert (The Concert) Isabella and Alexandre performing together in private — she on piano, he on violin. The Congress's diplomats in the audience do not understand what they are watching. The other musicians do. Episode 10 — Der Walzer (The Waltz) Series finale: The Congress concludes. Europe is divided. Isabella and Alexandre face a choice about whether their personal map can exist independently of the one being drawn around them. The final scene is a waltz — private, after the guests have gone, in the empty salon.

Story added by mr95 on July 26, 2026