Mozart Magic

I have to admit - I've never seen The Magic Flute before. Opera's not really my area of expertise, so I have very little opera-going experience, and if I'd have to choose between seeing a symphony and an opera, I would definitely choose the former. That being said, I was pleasantly enchanted by the Vienna State Opera House's performance of The Magic Flute, and ended up really adoring its quirky characters and humor by the time the curtain calls were over!

Being one of the premiere locations for operas in the world, the State Opera House's production had top-notch everything - brilliantly designed costumes, incredible special effects, awe-inspiring talent, and real birds*. Despite being a middle-aged man (and not a young person, as he was described to be in the opera), Tamino's actor played the role with youthful exuberance, patiently adventuring alongside a perky Papageno on their quest to save the lovely Pamina from her captor. Sarastro, the head of the secret order, dominated the stage with his intimidating presence and booming voice, while the Queen of the Night caused all of our jaws to collectively drop as she flawlessly hit the highest notes of her famous aria. Moons caught on fire, pyramids of light cast eerie shadows across the stage, snakes were slain, and veils of darkness swallowed the evil-doers in a spectacular show of stage effects, further complementing to the show's thrilling story. In the end, The Magic Flute lived up to its name, not only bewitching those on-stage with its melodies and characters, but all of us in the audience as well. Bravo, Vienna State Opera House, for a show I won't soon forget!

*By the way, I feel that it's worth mentioning that yes, indeed, they used real birds briefly during the show. When Papageno was introduced, he had a large birdcage full of doves strapped to his back, and a live pigeon balanced on his right arm. When he opened and closed the cage to examine each bird, they all behaved delightfully well, allowing him to show them off to the audience as needed. Kudos to whoever managed to train a bunch of birds to put up with Papageno's antics...!

Uncanny Mastery

When we went to see the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, I really didn't know what to expect. I obviously had heard of the Vienna Philharmonic, but never of this orchestra. What we saw and heard was nothing short of   incredible. When the conductor came out, set the score on the piano, but still gave the downbeat, I had no idea what would happen in the coming moments. I was not disappointed.

The first piece they played was the Mendelssohn Konzert für zwei Klavier und Orchestra  and I did not expect for the conductor to play after he gave the downbeat. Seeing him do so many different things (things I would struggle with individually) at the same time was surreal. he would cue someone, and then a beat later, he would go back to absolutely shredding the piano. There was one part where he was trolling with his right hand and conducting with his left, then stopped trilling, put down his glasses with his right hand, picked up a towel to wipe his face, put his glasses back on, ALL WHILE CONDUCTING. He didn't skip a beat the entire time. To hear this piece and how difficult is one thing, and it's another to know that someone performed one of the piano parts while conducting. However, it's really something special  to see a performer with such a mastery of the instrument, the baton, and a wealth of knowledge about the piece itself. One of the most impressive performances by an individual I've ever seen.

Prague Part Two!

In my last post on Prague I talked about my first impressions and how amazing I thought the city was. Now that the trip continues on I still find Prague amazing especially the unique shops such as the leather store, and the music that we had the privilege of experiencing.

On the second day of our adventure Professor Powell took a handful of us to a genuine leather shop that sold high quality items for a very reasonable price. I had noticed a day earlier that the straps on my purse had only two threads holding them together, I was in dire need of a new bag. Lucky for me this leather shop had exactly what I needed and more. After browsing all the beautiful bags for probably a good forty-five minutes I was finally set on two bags. One I knew my mom would like, and a smaller one that was more practical for traveling. I have absolutely no regrets with my purchases. The price for two leather bags wasn't bad either. It was a highlight of Prague that I am reminded of every time I reach for my new bag.

The travel friendly purse that I fell in love with!

Music in the city of Prague was great. I constantly felt surrounded by music the entire time I was there. On the night we arrived there was music playing by the astronomical clock starting my musical adventure. The voices of the many different languages continued this musical adventure as well as the various tunes coming from the restaurants. My favorite performance seen in Prague was the Czech Philharmonic. I enjoyed watching the conductor interpret the music and well as the tone that the orchestra produced. The night before the Czech Phil, e had seen an opera called Rusalka. Professor Powell made a comment that the couple behind him had hilarious comments about the Opera. Well that couple happened to attend the Czech Phil the following night and sit by Alan and Taylor. Through conversation we learned that the wife was a dance choreographer from Lacey, WA and the husband was stage director of the Metropolitan Opera. It was fun to hear their comments on the opera and then listen to their raving reviews of the Czech Phil. Their stories were great! It was fun to see how small of a world it really is and hear another's opinion on the shows that we were all attending.

Prague was great all together. The music that filled the streets and the romantic feel of the city is unforgettable. Definitely a destination that I would like to return to in the future.

First Day in Vienna

On our first day in Vienna we met our guide, Herbert, in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral, where he told us about some of the history of the building. One of the interesting facts he told us of was how the cathedral was saved from intentional destruction during World War II, when German Captain Gerhard Klinkicht disregarded orders from the city commandment to destroy the church. Interesting enough he then proceeded to donate a substantial amount of his wealth to the church when he died years later. Herburt also told us of multiple stories that had developed over the years that tried to explain why one of the two towers of the cathedral is shorter than the other. I decided to include to write this one down because it was quite entertaining:

“Once there was a young mason who was in love with an older mason’s daughter and wanted to marry her. The older mason did not like the younger mason, so he challenged the younger mason to a race. If the younger mason could build his tower faster than the older mason, then he could marry the daughter. However, the older mason’s tower was already half-way built and these towers took up to 14 years to build! But the younger mason agreed and went to work. As time went on he realized his work was futile, and so he asked the devil to help him. The devil agreed but only on certain terms; as long as the younger mason did not mention any holy names during the construction of the tower he would be fine, but if he should accidentally say any holy name during the time of construction his soul would be sold forever to the devil. So the younger mason agreed because he was in love and construction began to go by faster. Things were looking good as his tower was gaining in height, until one day he saw his love walking as he was atop the tower. He tried to get her attention by shouting hello and waving, but she didn’t realize he was speaking to her. So to get her attention he shouted, “Maria!” And at that moment he realized that he had spoken a holy name; so he fell off the tower and into a giant hole in the ground which took him straight to hell. Apparently from this moment on everyone was scared to finish the shorter tower because it was cursed, so they put a cap on the top and called it good. THE END.”

We all had a pretty good laugh about it. Our guide then led us through some passageways which connect the various courtyards of the city. Apparently the rich people of Mozart’s time had no consideration for the common people, so they would drive their heavily loaded carriages and ride their horses through the main city streets at high speeds and trample anyone or anything that got in their way. So the common people came up with their own system of smaller passageways to get around and avoid being trampled. Through one of these passageways we came upon the stairs where Mozart was kicked down after the Archbishop of Salzburg fired him. We then were lead to the Café Frauenhuber where Mozart as well as other composers such as Beethoven performed and even premiered some of their works.

After our tour, Lyndi, Miranda and I found a trendy little restaurant called Freshii which offered a healthy selection of foods. Lyndi and I had quinoa bowls with veggies, feta cheese and kalamata olives. Mir ordered some kind of healthy burrito. We then visited the Viennese Hofburg and took some pictures of the beautiful baroque architecture and statues. After that we headed over to the Demel Khocolat Shop, a place that the tour guide had highly recommended for fine chocolates. What was especially neat about this shop was that it had a display window in which there were figurines of ballroom dancers made entirely out of chocolate.

Later that day we took a guided tour so we could explore the catacombs under the St. Stephen's cathedral. Here there are both a newer and an older part. The older crypts were refurbished with white walls so they didn’t seem eerie at all. The newer part, however, looks much older (and spookier!) In this part we were able to look into the actual ossuary caverns where bones and skulls are stacked high. I definitely jumped when I saw one of the skulls peering out from between the bones! It was quite an experience to see the burial place of 11,000 of the victims of the Bubonic plague. It reminded me of how precious and short our lives are and made me thankful for the medical advances we've made since 1735.

Overall we had a very nice tour and were able to visit some great historical sights near St. Stephen's cathedral. I can’t wait to see more of Vienna!

Adventure in Salzburg

We accomplished a lot on our first day in Salzburg! We had heard about all sorts of different sightseeing spots and decided to go a lot of them in one day. The three major places we visited was the cemetery where Mozart's sister Nannerl is buried, the "catacombs" in the mountain, and the monastery atop a huge hill.

The cemetery was very sobering. There were so many graves! Not only that, but seeing some graves date back to the X century was awesome to see.

Nannerl's grave was also a sight to behold. However, there were various cleaning tools around her grave that kind of ruined the ambiance for me

The "catacombs" walk was a short path up from the cemetery up into the cliff face a little bit. Although the area wasn't very expansive, I enjoyed seeing the extremely old chapel, consecrated in 1178 under the Salzburg Archbishop Conrad of Wittelsbach. Even though it is nearly a thousand years old, they still hold mass in it today!

The last thing we did before the concert was climb up to the monastery. The view was to die for! We had a lot of fun playing in the final dregs of snow and looking at the castle. We were able to stay until sunset, which was just magical.

Salzburg Castle

The trek up to the castle in Salzburg was shorter than expected. All the time in Salzburg, we looked up to this towering fortress and it looks farther up than it is. A couple of switchbacks later, and we reached the top!

Inside, our first stop was to a beautiful vantage point where we got an amazing panorama of the city with the Alps in the background. The castle is now used as a museum, with many different exhibits. One of my favorite exhibits was the dungeon, where we saw the various iterations of the castle, and how it grew over the centuries. Above each iteration was a portrait of the archbishop who was in charge during that time. At the end of the tour, we saw the Salzburg Bull, a gargantuan organ that played an F Major triad to tell the citizens to get up and work or go to sleep. It was expanded to play arrangements from a big cylinder, like a music box. There were also exhibits on weaponry and armor used in the castle, and instruments used in that time.



View from the top



Early instruments



                                           

Cannon view



View of the castle from the top

Wien!

We arrived in Wien (Vienna is the translation of Wien to english.) on Thursday afternoon, and checked into the Wombats Hostel.  We are just a few blocks from the main train station, and have been loving the ease of the Zug system (Zug means train in Deutsche).  The feel is reminicent of Berlin, but seems to be more clean and more quiet.  We had a few hours to explore on the day that we arrived, and a few of us went over to St. Stevens church in downtown on a mini adventure.  The church was incredible! We took a moment to glance inside to see the gothic architecture, and marvel at the ornate artwork covering the walls and celing.

Next, as we milled about trying to pick a direction to explore, Annalise pointed to a building with a large green dome.  After walking over to the structure, and finally finding the front door, we found ourselved in another immaculatly deccorated space that was hosting an organ concert.  We took a seat in a pew, and listened to a Bach prelude and Fuge.  It was incredible to actually hear the organ in one of the many churches that we have visited on the trip, and the dome construction made the sound reverberate all around the room.  The best part was the final chord of the Fuge, wiht the classic "this is the last chord, so I am going to sit on it for a good 10 seconds just so everyone knows without a doubt that this is finished" ending.  The sound reverberated for a good few seconds after the release.  (Every time Austin and I hear an organ, we find ourselved trying to figure out how we can work in organ lessons to our schedules.

Wien has been off to a great start, and I am really enjoying the city.  I am usually not much of a city person, but I am very impressed with the architecture, the historz, the abundance of music, how quiet the city center is, and the general atmosphere. Also, the bike paths look wonderful, and I wish I could have taken my bike over here with me!

Magnificent, Magical Mozart

Anyone who thinks that classical music is "dead" need only visit Salzburg on Mozart's birthday. Similarly, anyone who thinks classical music is "boring" need only attend a performance of Mozart's the Magic Flute at Vienna State Opera House. While back in America many of my fellow students consider music like Mozart's to be stuffy and outdated, his compositions are still alive and thriving in Austria. I would argue that Mozart is, in fact, an Austrian rock star, still highly revered 260 years after his birth.

Being in Salzburg on Mozart's birthday was quite the experience. People from all around the world come to celebrate with different events throughout the day. We decided to attend the final event of the day, the cake-cutting ceremony, before making our way to a concert by the Vienna Philharmonic. Imagine, if you will, about a hundred or so people all crowded around one large cake adorned with Mozart's face and various musical decorations while a brass quintet and a children's choir performing out the windows of Mozart's birth home, flooding the streets with music. For music lovers like us, this was a truly magical experience. However, I couldn't help but think that while Mozart may have found grown adults fighting over cake quite humorous, I doubt he would have appreciated the number of people who gave speeches before the cake was actually cut and served. In all my studies of him so far on this trip, he has never struck me as a particularly patient man so this struck me as a bit ironic.

Hearing the Vienna Phil perform a Mozart symphony on his birthday was equally incredible. Their performance of his Haffner Symphony was beautiful. Their technique was flawless and they really knew which little quirks in the music that make Mozart special to bring out. There is really nothing more I can say about the Vienna Phil other than various synonyms for "beautiful" and "perfect" to be quite honest. Earlier that day we also had cake and coffee at a cafe in Salzburg that Mozart used to frequent. It was so weird to sit their and imagine Mozart a few feet away, maybe working on a new composition. It really felt like we were walking in his footsteps that day.

However, none of this can be allowed to overshadow the performance of Mozart's opera the Magic Flute that we saw last evening because it was equally spectacular. While I love Mozart's symphonies, I feel as if one cannot truly understand who he was, both as a composer and a person, until they have sat through a good production of one of his operas. The Magic Flute is incredible because it somehow manages to be both ridiculous and beautiful at the same time. On one end of the spectrum, you have the Queen of the Night singing what I can only assume is one of the most difficult arias out there. The performer we heard at the Vienna State Opera House sang this aria so well, in fact, that our jaws nearly dropped to the floor. However, on the other end of the spectrum, you have Papageno (who I have a secret love for after being serenaded at our Mozart dinner in Salzburg) running around the stage (and through the orchestra pit and audience at times) singing about how lovesick he is while the audience howls in laughter. This is what I love about Mozart's opera. He combines all of these different emotions with the fantastical to create something both entertaining and beautiful. The production we saw did a particularly good job of portraying this. The effects used during the opera were incredible. How often do you attend a performance that includes live birds, giant dancing bears and rhinos, fireworks, and actors flying across the stage. However, the opera did not have to rely on these effects at all because the musicians were absolutely fantastic. Overall, I think it was a performance Mozart himself would have thoroughly enjoyed and it was a pleasure to experience it in a city that he loved.

Adieu,
Megan Cummings

Last Stop, Vienna!

The first couple days in Vienna have been great! We've gone to great cafes, museums, churches, and of course, concerts.

The night we got to Vienna we went to the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. They played a two piano Mendelssohn concerto and it was awesome! One of the piano players was the conductor of the group too. That was amazing to see the conductor play his instrument and conduct at the same time. He was amazing at both! Talk about keeping your chops up when you start conducting! Their second piece was a Brahms. Oh my gosh that was fantastic! The horn solo was just absolutely incredible. 

The next day we had a walking tour of the city. We got to see so many interesting sights and our tour guide told some great stories! We finished our tour by the old royal bakery so some of us went in to get chocolate from the shop. We now have tasted royal chocolate! Then some of us went to see Saint Stephan's church and go up the tower to look out over the city and then down into the catacombs. That was really cool. We got to see where a couple of the Hapbsburgs are buried. That night we went to a jazz concert. That was fun, it was a change of pace from all the other concerts. The guitar soloist was really good too! The only thing I was disappointed with was the fact that the guitar soloist was turned up so loud that it was hard to hear the other players in the band. You could tell they were good but it was just hard to hear them sometimes. It was nice to hear a jazz band again though, I haven't heard one in awhile. 

The next day we went to Eisinstadt to see Haydn's church. We had to go on an hour train ride to this little town... But that hour ride turned into a 3 hour ride when no one checked our tickets and the train separated at a stop with half going to Eisinstadt and the other half going somewhere else. We were on the wrong half that went somewhere else haha. So we had to stay on the train and wait for it to turn around and then get on another train that really took us to Eisinstadt. It was a real adventure. We were so hungry by the time we got to Haydn's church but we had a scheduled tour of the church so we couldn't get food just yet. The tour was great though! We got to see the original part of the church and got the history of it. Then we got to see Haydn's tomb and then the catacombs. For awhile Haydn was buried with the wrong skull, and when Haydn's real skull was actually returned to his body, the other skull was put in a place of honor in the catacombs. That night we went to the Vienna State Opera house and saw the Magic Flute. Oh my gosh it was phenomenal! The singers were fantastic, the orchestra was gorgeous, and the sets and props were magnificent! The character Papageno used real birds! I loved how they choreographed this opera, it was just so engaging. Papageno went out into the audience at one point and the into the orchestra at another, it was just so much fun to watch. The conductor conducted the whole opera without a score too... How amazing is that?! and the queen of the night sang her aria absolutely brilliantly! It was absolutely jaw dropping to hear that aria performed so well. If you haven't heard the queen of the night aria, look it up right now! 

Today Megan, Miranda, Claire and I went to a high mass sung in Latin. It was so cool! It was very traditional and the quartet that sang was gorgeous. Claire said they sounded exactly like the listening examples in music history. After mass we had lunch and then met back up with everyone else to go to the Tonkunstler Orchestra in the Musikverein (or the golden hall). The hall was stunning and the orchestra was amazing. They played a Haydn symphony and a Bruckner symphony. The Haydn was great, but oh my gosh the Bruckner was fantastic! Each movement felt like its own symphony because he had so many different emotions in the same movement. It was very fascinating to listen to and the brass was absolutely "face pealing", to quote Powell. Every movement had these fantastic brass fanfares and they were amazing! 

Conducting?

While seeing some of the best orchestras in the world, me, being a conducting student, paid quite a bit of attention to the conducting of each orchestra. 

Every year during Honor Band time, the PLU Wind Ensemble hosts a conducting symposium. Conductors from the area can register for the symposium and get advice and constructive criticism from a visiting clinician. And every year, the most common piece of advice I hear is over conducting. Too often can conductors get caught up in hovering over and perfecting the music that they are perpetuating. Often, that leads to stifling the musicians and their ability to make music. Conductors are meant to be facilitators of making music. 

Watching the conductors over here, I see a distinct lack of conducting. In fact, more often than not, it's very clear that the musicians do not need the conductor. They hardly ever look up. They move together, and look at each other to communicate. The conductors have rarely even had batons. We learned in conducting class that the reason that conductors have batons is so that musicians have an obvious way to see time. We look up, take a screenshot in our minds of the beat being provided by the Big White Stick, and look back at our music. I've found that many conductors have chosen to not even use a baton, and if they do, it's the size of a toothpick.

 

It is definitely enlightening to see such amazing musicians perform their craft, without the need of a conductor, and it is something to take back with me as a musician. 

Vienna Chamber Orchestra

Today we saw the Vienna Chamber Orchestra! We saw them perform at the Wiener Konzerthaus!

The first piece they played was Mendelssohn's concerto for two pianos. What I thought was really interesting is that one of the two soloists was the conductor himself, Stedan Vladar. The other soloist was his former student, Magda Amara! They were both incredible! He would be conducting and then all the sudden he would start playing an insane piano part while still cueing the rest of the ensemble! I have never heard so many notes fit into such a small amount of time! I just wanted them to play the whole thing again! :) 

The second piece on their program was Brahms Serenade Nr. 1 in D major! I had never heard this piece before but it was really gorgeous! I saw musicians smiling at each other and that made me really happy! This was one of my favorite concerts so far on the trip! 

Die Zauberflöte

Tonight, we saw the Magic Flute, and it was, well, nothing short of magical. We had an interesting experience attending the opera as well; we got back so late from Eisenstadt, the place of Haydn's mausoleum and church, that we had no time to change AND get something to eat before going to the opera. Most of us decided to accept the embarrassment and get something to eat rather than change quickly and possibly be late. I showed up in dirty boots, jeans, and a loose sweatshirt. Obviously, it was not ideal, however the experience is what I will remember, not what I was wearing!

The production had somewhat of a modernized take on it. The main characters all had traditional opera costume on; elaborate and fantasy-styled dress. Tamino was wearing what I can only describe as a pirate costume, Pamina wearing pretty normal a calf-length dress, Papageno wearing an old yellow suit but with feathers poking out in places, and the Queen of the Night wearing a beautiful red floor-length dress. Those apart of Sarastro's Order were all wearing business clothes: pants suits and skirts, including Sarastro himself. That was how you knew that they were initiated in that cult-like order. 

I knew very little of the story going in. I knew much more of the music. I went in thinking that Sarastro was indeed the villain of the story, when it turns out that the Queen of the Night was in fact the one deceiving everyone. Finding that out was very interesting, esoecially how Sarastro and his cult were displayed. We are taught to shy away from that, and go toward the individuality displayed on the Queen of the Night's side (something that reminds me distinctly of American philosophy).

The singing was of course absolutely amazing. The Queen of the Night absolutely destroyed the famous aria. Taming and Pamino complimented each other extremely well. And the three boys we figured had to be apart of the Vienna Boy's Choir School. They were no more than 10 or 12, but they sang and acted so very well. It was extremely impressive. 

Something I loved also were the use of special effects. Throughout the opera, the use of special effects were subtle, and not to flashy. That made it so that when something flashy did in fact happen, it was awe-inducing. For example, at the end of the Queen of the Night's aria, she angrily stormed off. At the time, a row of chairs were on stage and a white crescent moon was floating atop. When she strode offstage, she raised her hand, and the chairs all dispersed randomly, knocking over everywhere, and the moon caught on fire. 

Overalls, this was a performance I will never forget. To see such a classic Mozart opera performed in such a musical city in their beautiful State Opera House was amazing!

First Days in Vienna

Upon our arrival in Vienna we settled into the hostel and had the afternoon free! A group of us decided to go to the central part of the city at St. Stephen's Cathedral. I think the exit of the U-Bahn at Stephansplatz is one of the best I've seen- it is right next to the massive cathedral and it's awe inspiring every time! As we were wandering around the city we decided to poke our heads into a church and we stumbled upon a free afternoon organ concert! The church was extremely ornate and baroque and it was awesome to hear the organ in use. 

That night we saw the Vienna chamber orchestra. They played a Mendelssohn double piano piece and the conductor was one of the piano soloists, playing with a former student. They played so well together it was hard to tell which pianist was playing! It was amazing to watch the Stefan Vladar conduct from the piano while he was playing an incredible difficult solo part. Having the piano soloist conduct is exactly how Mendelssohn would have done it, maybe even at the Gewandhaus! After that piece they played Brahms' Serenade no. 1. I was familiar with the first two movements but the rest were fairly new to me. I love the way Brahms plays with rhythms and develops his melodies, and the performance was incredibly musical. I hope there are videos online of Vladar's conducting, he was so much fun to watch! We were so close that whenever he turned to the basses and cellos we could see his facial expressions and he was so engaging! The concert hall itself was also spectacular. 

I can't wait to see what else Vienna has in store!

Scenic Salzburg and the Vienna Phil

Salzburg is one of the most beautiful cities I have seen: its old town has narrow, winding cobblestone streets and picturesque passageways through courtyards, and it is complete with a fortress on a hill and the beautiful alps surrounding it. On the first full day we had, Austin, Lydia, Will, Collin and I walked up to the monastery on the side of the river opposite of the castle right before sunset. The view was beautiful!

Our last day in Salzburg was Mozart's 260th birthday! We celebrated by getting a piece of Mozart's birthday cake and seeing the Vienna Philharmonic! They played Mozart's Haffner symphony, which was incredible. The Vienna philharmonic doesn't have a permanent principal conductor, they work with conductors from all around the world. This gives me the impression that they are absolutely in tune with how each other play and how they communicate across the ensemble- the conductor is not a necessary part of the group for an ensemble of the caliber of the Vienna Philharmonic and they would still do just fine without. That being said, the conductor we saw was incredible! He was incredibly musical to watch. The second piece they played was with a violin soloist, Renaud Capuçon. I saw him in Seattle in November playing the Brahms violin concerto, and he was phenomenal! It was interesting seeing him play a very traditional piece and then an extremely modern one. He gave the same energy to each performance, even though they were on opposite sides of the spectrum for violin solos!

Our seats were directly in front of the bass section, which was perfect for Mendelssohn's Italian symphony. The basses played every bit as fast and clean as the first violins! I played the bass in string lab, but compared to the Vienna basses saying that I actually played a bass is a joke! The Italian symphony was the most engaging out of the concert and it left me excited to hear more Mendelssohn in Vienna!

Headless Haydn and the Super Long Train Ride

Today we went to Eisenstadt to see Haydn's tomb. Or rather, we tried to go to Eisenstadt. We eventually made it, but it turns out that in Europe it's not enough to get on the right train, you have to get on the right train car too. What was supposed to be an hour and a half train ride, turned out to be a LOT longer when the car we were in was separated from the car going to Eisenstadt, and we went in a completely different direction.

View out my train window

I mostly slept on the train

Once in Eisenstadt, we toured Haydn's tomb and the church he was buried in. It turns out that shortly after he was buried, two associates of Haydn dug up his body and stole his head, wanting to discover the source of his genius. They thought that geniuses have more brain tissue in certain locations of their head that corresponds to the area of the brain they used most. The theft was eventually discovered, but they managed to hold on to the head by "returning" the skull of another guy. So Haydn had the wrong head on his corpse for over a hundred years. Eventually the real head passed through the family of the thieves and was donated to the Society of the Friends of Music, and after this tomb was built in Eisenstadt, Haydn's head and body were reunited in a big ceremony.

Tonight we are going to see The Magic Flute, and then I'm hoping to discover what Vienna has by way of Swing dancing.

Vienna versus Vienna

Konzerthaus

The Vienna Philharmonic in Salzburg and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra in Vienna. These back-to-back performances left me thinking about them both. What an amazing opportunity to see such fantastic musicians! While it is almost impossible to best the sheer technical prowess and unity of the Vienna Philharmonic (techniques they clearly hold over the Vienna Chamber Orchestra), I have to say that I enjoyed the Chamber Orchestra more, primarily due to their musical combinations, as well as how they acted as performers. 

The Vienna Philharmonic performance was such an unbridled epitome of perfection that I can't say we've seen a better group perform, and so my favor of the Chamber Orchestra's performance is solely based on my personal enjoyment of the group. Watching two pianos trade off seamlessly while one pianist is simultaneously conducting the orchestra, was absolutely mind blowing. And then to follow it up with a Brahms symphony, almost made it feel like two separate performances. It was very apparent that the Chamber Orchestra was enjoying their performance immensely and maintained their musicality and expressiveness throughout the whole night. They were not only a pleasure to listen to but also a pleasure to watch.

Viennese Musical Power!

If I could choose one word to describe the Viennese ensembles I've heard, it would be... wow! What talent, what power, what genuine emotion. We've been spoiled rotten this entire trip, and it's only continued to get better as we've ventured deeper into the heart of Austria.

It all started back in Salzburg, where we were treated to a fantastic performance by the Vienna Philharmonic (they were on tour, which is why we're not actually hearing them IN Vienna!). Not only did they play a Mozart symphony on his 260th birthday, but they blasted us with a beautifully-bizarre Dutilleux violin concerto, and Mendelssohn's incredible Italian symphony. I was in awe the entire time; for every melody, every line, every rhythmic hiccup, they were technically together in brilliant fashion, breathing with one another as though the entire orchestra was a single living creature. While I do have to admit I liked the characters of the Gewandhaus Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic more, the Vienna Philharmonic still managed to blow me away. If it were more of a custom to give standing ovations in Europe, I would have jumped to my feet in an instant.

The magic continued in Vienna, where we heard the Vienna Chamber Orchestra the same day we arrived in the big city. Once again, wow! What a powerhouse group. Not only did the conductor, well, conduct, but he played a double piano concerto at the same time, accompanied by another equally talented pianist who rocked the Mendelssohn with him. The second half of the program featured a lovely Brahms serenade, which thrilled most, if not all of us within our group. As one of my friends said after the concert was over, Brahms' works "have the same quality as being in love". Personally, I agree wholeheartedly!

I suppose I should wrap this post up, since it is very late. Tonight will be our second night in Vienna; tomorrow, we visit Haydn's church, and attend Mozart's The Magic Flute at the state opera house. It's going to be so, so great, and I can't wait to wake up next morning.

Dining Culture

After eating out at restaurants, cafes, and other wonderful establishments for the past few weeks, I have become accustomed to (and I would even go so far as to say that I prefer) the dining culture in Europe.  The only other time that I have been traveling where I was on my own for meals was the Wind Ensemble tour to Tennessee last J term (whish is the bulk of the material for my comparison).  We had a group of that ate lunch together on our 10 day tour, and we were always focused on time.  We were in a rush to find somewhere to eat, while weighing the options between quality, convenience, and price. 

During our trip, I have been impressed with the quality of the food at practically every place we have eaten.  Never once have we been impatient for our food, and not once was the service bad. In fact, the our meals seem to be prepared faster than we expect, and are very reasonably priced.  One of the main differences is the lack of tap water in restaurants.  Yesterday for lunch was the first time that tap water was on a menu, and was 70cents for 1/8th of a liter.  Usually, water is only available in a fancy glass bottle, and costs more than the beer on tap.  In America, water glasses are constantly refilled, and is sometimes on the table before you even sit down.  There drinks come cold, but are not chocked full of ice.

The biggest difference and the best part of our dining experiences is the laid back atmosphere.  We have not felt pressured to leave, or felt rushed at any point thus far.  Our meals average about 45 minutes to and hour, and we have time to socialize.  The check is only brought out when we ask the waiter, and there is never any rush to leave after the check has been paid.  Often I get fed up with the fast pace of life at home, and feel that I am supposed to be relaxed and extremely productive at the same time (which doesn't make much sense).  Spending time in this dining atmosphere is excellent, and is something that I will surely miss. 

The lack of fast food further expresses the importance and value of spending time for meals.  The only fast food places that I have seen have been, Burger King, McDonalds, Subway, and KFC (sound familiar?).  There are places where you can get "fast food" here, but it is typically a pre made sandwich (made that day) from a bakery.  Most food is eaten in the place it was purchased, and most of the European versions of "fast food" are around the train stations.  I would just like to point out two major benefits to this model.  First, less fast food equals less packaging, waste, and stuff that ends up in a landfill (plus most of the packaging is paper!), and second, less fast food translates to more quality food.  (side note, there are so many more healthy people here than in America).  All in all, I am loving the dining culture in Europe, mostly because it allows for comparison with that of the USA. 

Vienna First Impressions and Vienna Chamber Orchestra

St Stephen's Cathedral

Today was our first full day in beautiful Vienna, capitol of Austria and former center of the Habsburg Empire. We started the day with a walking tour of the city. Our guide led us through the winding narrow passageways people used to use to go from courtyard to courtyard whilst avoiding the streets and had interesting facts and stories. Like many major European cities, we learned Vienna used to be Roman and was named after the Roman fortress Vindobona. In the 10^th century it grew as a crossroads for trade routs across Europe and in the 12^th century it became a more prominent city with a large cathedral, St Stephens. Our guide made a point of saying that the Viennese are good problem solvers, and by looking at the construction of the city it’s easy to see why. Besides the open courtyards, people also dug extensive tunnels under the city since it was difficult and more expensive to build upwards to add more floors. Also, during the gothic era rather than build a new cathedral the Viennese simply added two side aisles to their Romanesque church and a tower and a half, the second cut short due to lack of funding. Although our guide gave several other local explanations including a story about the mason’s assistant embellished with romance and a contract with the devil.  Predominantly St Stephen’s Cathedral has a late gothic style with angular arches and intricately decorated spires. Another interesting thing we learned about the cathedral was that during the Second World War the Nazis ordered Captain Gerhard Klinkicht to destroy the cathedral, but he refused. Unfortunately shortly after the Russians took Vienna from the Germans after the war the cathedral was severely damaged in a fire. Still it makes for an interesting story.

I particularly liked hearing about music history in Vienna and how many famous composers like Mozart, Hayden, and Beethoven lived and worked here. After the tour some of us went back to a traditional Viennese Kaffehaus (coffee house) where Mozart and other composers came for coffee and to premiere some of their pieces. The cafe had large velvet booths with a very turn of the century feel in its overall style. There were many different types of coffee and espresso to choose from and I also tried a piece of traditional Viennese chocolate cake, Sachertorte. It was delicious! Its amazing to think we have been walking in the footsteps of all of these famous composers and having coffee in the same cafes as Bach in Leipzig, Mozart in Salzburg, and many more here in Vienna.  

Kaffeehaus

On the subject of music, the concert we saw last night was my favorite thus far. In the Konzerthaus we saw the Vienna Chamber Orchestra play a piano concerto by Mendelssohn and a serenade by Brahms. First of all the concert hall is beautifully decorated in marble and gold leaf. The Brahms piece was beautiful, but the piano concerto was spectacular. The piece is played with two pianos and an orchestra. In addition to a guest pianist, Magda Amara, the conductor, Stefan Vladar, played the second piano and conducted at the same time. At first he would stand and conduct then sit to play his parts, but at one point he was playing the piano with his right hand while conducting the orchestra with his left. Since we were sitting in the front row we had a good view of the conductor and his talent and ability to multitask amazed me. I loved the two pianos together. Sometimes they coordinated playing at the same time and other times they echoed one another, one playing right after the other. It was wonderful. I can’t wait to return to that beautiful auditorium again tonight for the Kurt Rosenwinkel jazz concert.

Salzburg Pix

Here are various pictures from Salzburg!

This is the guy who famously fired Mozart by kicking him down the stairs in Vienna!

Where Mozart was baptized

From the organ loft!!!!!