In Japan, Vienna is the Ongaku no Miyako, “the capital of music,” and that’s where Mayu Kotari wanted to be. A pianist from Tokyo, Kotari has been living, studying and performing in Vienna for the last four years, and “there couldn’t be a better plac...
Mesmeric Metamusic
Composer Olga Neuwirth creates magnificent soundscapes from apparent chaos
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 ...
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 si...
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 a...
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 […]
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 […]
