In The Soul of Central Europe
By Robert Haru Fisher
If music can be said to be the voice of the soul, then Austria is certainly at the heart of the matter. Here, you can visit the homes of Mozart, look and listen where the likes of Haydn, Bruckner, Mahler, Schonberg, Schubert or Strauss played, and best of all, hear their works at festivals, regular concerts, on the streets, and in the shops. It's not all classical, either, for there is plenty of modern music, jazz, and everything in-between, including, of course, repetitions of
The Sound of Music. Even the respected Volksoper in Vienna puts on that soupy fairy tale at times, along with such diverse masterpieces as
Madama Butterfly, West Side Story, the Magic Flute and Fiddler on the Roof. (Tickets range from E6 to E65 (about US $8 to $75). The website is
www.volksoper.at.
Above all else, the Austrians like gemutlichkeit, which can mean a wide variety of things, but is most often translated into English as “coziness.” As examples, they cite everything from a hot drink in front of a fireplace's warmth, relaxing in a coffee house, or a gourmet meal with friends. You can improvise your own meaning during a visit, of course...(more)
AT-A-GLANCE:
| • Capital: |
| |
• Vienna |
| • Population: |
| |
• 8,206,524 |
| • Largest City: |
| |
• Vienna (population
1.6 million) |
| • Neighboring
Countries: |
| |
• Austria is
bordered by Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia
and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and
Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. |
| • Language: |
| |
• German, Slovenian, Croatian, Hungarian |
| • Size: |
| |
• 83,858
square km |
| • Currency: |
| |
• Euro (EUR) |
| • Upcoming
Events: |
| |
• Visit Mozart's Austria
...and celebrate his 250th birthday with us with great
celebrations staged throughout Austria...book now and celebrate
with us...(more)
• Xenia Hausner - GlücksFall (A stroke of luck)
A stroke of luck - tough luck. In her new work, Xenia Hausner constructs a fictitious reality, which she re-invents taking unexpected turns...(more)
|
| • Fun Fact: |
| |
|
| • Tourist Office
(U.S.A.): |
| |
• Austrian Tourist Office
Phone: (212) 944-6880
Fax: (212) 730-4568
Email: travel@austria.info
http://www.austria.info/us |
|
|
|
|
|
