Mesmeric Metamusic
Composer Olga Neuwirth creates magnificent soundscapes from apparent chaos by Cynthia Peck
Following one modernist paradigm in the fine arts – that a painting is nothing more than some colors and shapes – can music be defined merely as some pitches and rhythm? It would be a listless and laughable means to describe the music of Olga Neuwirth, one...
Austrians like to show off their serious appreciation of classical music. But if you want them to erupt into joyful singing, you’ve got to play them some Austropop. And you may learn some Dialekt, too
It was two o’clock on a Friday morning. I’d followed a herd of
colleagues to Bettelalm: a sweaty underground cavern that has
no business in Vienna’s genteel...
The 1970s pop icons are reunited and on tour at Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra, and up-and-coming tour Vienna’s most storied venues at the Waves Festival
Here are two events no music lover should miss this summer:
Electric Light Orchestra
Nearly as iconic to the 1970s as bell bottoms, platform shoes and mullet hairstyles, the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and their quirky...
Three Israelis return to the land of their ancestors, confronting the specters of the past and challenges of the present
How to live in a country that tried to kill your grandparents?
And can you be friends with someone whose forebears were the executioners? An Austro-German-Israeli co-production, Back to the Fatherland poses these questions and gives gut-wrenching and heartening answers as...
The Junges Ensemble at the Theater an der Wien: boot camp for six newly minted opera singers
The opera world can be “a crazy and dangerous place,” smiles Jochen Breiholz of Theater an der Wien (TadW). Of course it’s an overstatement, but Breiholz does know something about how strenuous the business can be: He’s the director of artistic administration and...
After a six-year hiatus, the Californian alt rockers are finally back on tour
Once labeled as “a nu-metal band for people who don’t like nu-metal bands,” by the Chicago Tribune, the Californian band Incubus has been a critical favorite almost since its foundation in 1991, thrilling audiences with energetic, rough performances and an idiosyncratic style that defies classification, including elements...
Widely regarded as one of the greatest singers/songwriters ever, Elvis Costello is known for his witty lyrics, often using wordplay in his songs, which has brought him the reputation of being a “pop encyclopedia.” Rising to fame with his 1977 debut album My Aim is True, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has won...
From chill lake-side vibes to eclectic performances in old Italian towns, the European festival circuit has it all. Here are our 5 favorite open air festivals in or around Austria!
© Michael Hametner
Acoustic Lakeside Festival
Presenting a cornucopia of singer/songwriters, Acoustic Lakeside is a good fit for those seeking an oasis of calm – Nothing fits better to soothing vibes than a...
Vienna closes its concert halls in the summer, but the nearby countryside offers a plethora of musical events
For much of July and August, Vienna’s concert halls lock their doors. But the state of Lower Austria, which embraces Vienna from all sides, makes up for the shortfall by hosting concerts across the entire countryside.
Plethora means an excessive amount of something,...
