Music Capital Vienna - Part 14 of the Former Austro-Hungarian Empire Free Travel

📍 Vienna · 👁 1176 reads

D4 This time we shared a ride from the Czech town of Český Krumlov to the "Music Capital" Vienna.

Vienna, the capital of Austria, located in the heart of Central Europe, lies in the Vienna Basin at the northern foot of the Alps in northeastern Austria. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the blue Danube River flowing through the city, encircled by the beautiful Vienna Woods.

In the 18th century, the incredibly maternal Maria Theresa, this "European mother-in-law" and "Mother of the Austrian Nation," an empress who bore 16 children with her husband, was keen on reforms, combating church power, promoting social progress, and simultaneously fostering artistic prosperity. This gradually made Vienna the center of European classical music, earning it the reputation of "Music Capital."

The three great masters of Vienna—Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert—created extensively in Vienna during the fifty years from 1780 to 1830, giving birth to Haydn's "Emperor Quartet," Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro," Beethoven's "Symphony No. 5," "Symphony No. 6," "Moonlight Sonata," "Symphony No. 3," and Schubert's "Schwanengesang" and "Winterreise."

In the late 19th century, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Hugo Wolf, and the Strauss父子 lived here.

Johann Strauss's "The Blue Danube," "Tales from the Vienna Woods," and other famous compositions were successively created.

Two years ago, there was a three-day museum tour in Vienna. This time, our journey in Vienna begins the musical exploration from the heart—St. Stephen's Cathedral.

After arriving at the Vienna hotel and having dinner, we took the U3 metro line to Stephansplatz and emerged.

St. Stephen's Cathedral, the guardian of Vienna's old town, has towering, conical spires that soar into the sky. Its colorful roof, inlaid with green and yellow patterned tiles, glistens in the sunlight. The coat of arms formed by the tiles and the double-headed eagle representing the Habsburg dynasty are magnificent.

Inside the cathedral, sunlight streams through the vibrant stained-glass windows, creating a dreamy halo.

The cathedral's grand organ, the Gothic pulpit, the statue of the "Sorrowful Jesus," and the intricately carved Baroque altar.

The catacombs beneath St. Stephen's Cathedral also house the bones of about 2,000 plague victims and the entrails of seventy-two members of the Habsburg royal family.

Next to St. Stephen's Cathedral, on the second floor of a six-story building called Figarohaus, is the former residence of Mozart and his wife and children from 1784 to 1787 in Vienna. At that time, Mozart from Salzburg broke with the archbishop and moved to Vienna, starting his life as a freelance artist.

In 1782, Mozart's opera "Die Entführung aus dem Serail" premiered in Vienna, followed by his opera "The Marriage of Figaro." Mozart also taught the young Beethoven here.

In his short life, Mozart left behind hundreds of works, including forty-one symphonies, beloved operas like "The Marriage of Figaro" and "The Magic Flute," and numerous serenades, chamber pieces, church compositions, and piano and violin concertos.

At Schönbrunn Palace in the west of the city, the six-year-old Mozart gave a court concert for Empress Maria Theresa.

The performance was perfect. Amid thunderous applause, the child prodigy completely forgot the strict court etiquette. He rushed to Empress Maria Theresa, and when she picked him up, he kissed her heartily on the cheek!

Today, every year in early June, the Vienna Philharmonic holds a "Schönbrunn Palace Night Summer Concert" in the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace. This concert encompasses works by music masters from around the world, with diverse styles and broad concepts, expressing the theme of feeling at home everywhere under music.

The Schönbrunn concert has become another top-tier brand concert in the global music scene after the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert in the Golden Hall.

One waltz appears almost every year at the summer night concert: Johann Strauss II's "Wiener Blut."

Starting from St. Stephen's Church Square, the Graben Street stretches about 300 meters. Most buildings along the street were built in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Here, fashionable shops like Chanel, Gucci, and Hermès gather, along with numerous open-air restaurants and cafes, making it extremely lively.

In the middle of the Graben Street, with twinkling lights and an ultra-rich Christmas atmosphere, stands the largest Baroque "Plague Column" in Europe.

The base of the column features reliefs depicting the creation of the world, the plague epidemic, and the Last Supper. The column body shows the emperor removing his crown, kneeling to pray to God to protect his subjects, and under the guidance of angels, saints striking down the plague personified as a witch.

The inscription reminds people not to forget the punishment God brought upon this city.

D5 The next morning, we picked up the car and drove to the Prater Park between the Danube and the Danube Canal.

The striking "Riesenrad" (giant Ferris wheel), built in 1897, offers a panoramic view of the entire city of Vienna when riding it.

On the afternoon of October 12, 2019, the "Ineos 1:59 Challenge" took place at Prater Park. Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge crossed the finish line in 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds, becoming the first person to complete a marathon in under two hours.

On the banks of the Danube, the medieval castle-shaped St. Francis of Assisi Church was built in 1898 to commemorate Emperor Franz Joseph's 50 years of reign.

The church is made of brick and stone, with a red roof and yellow walls. Numerous spires are arranged in varied heights, creating a layered effect, quite different from traditional churches.

Vienna's old city walls and bastions from the Middle Ages played an important role in resisting the Ottoman Turkish army's sieges of Vienna on two occasions.

In 1857, after Franz Joseph I ascended the throne, the old walls and bastions were demolished and replaced by a ring road, transforming Vienna into a modern, beautiful city. This formed the 57-meter wide, 4-kilometer long "Ringstraße."

Many grand public buildings were constructed along the Ringstraße, encapsulating the essence of 19th-century Austrian architecture. Their functions covered religion, academia, commerce, politics, and art, becoming a symbol of Vienna. Below are some particularly famous buildings.

Hofburg Palace

Vienna City Hall

Kunsthistorisches Museum and Natural History Museum

Karlskirche

Vienna State Opera

Musikverein (Golden Hall)

On the east side of the Ringstraße, the Stadtpark (City Park) was completed in 1862, Vienna's first public park.

Established along the Vienna River, it features a flower clock, lawns, flocks of birds, and statues of musicians, creating a beautiful scene.

Strolling through the park, we seek out statues of many musicians, including the gilded full-body statue of Strauss playing the violin.

The world-famous "The Blue Danube," often called Austria's second national anthem, is a waltz by "The Waltz King" Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866 as Opus 314. It consists of an introduction, five small waltzes, and a coda, adapted from a poem by Karl Beck:

"You sentimental, you young, beautiful, gentle, kind-hearted, like gold in the mine shining brightly, true feelings awaken there, by the Danube, the beautiful, blue Danube.

Sweet fragrant flowers bloom, soothing the shadows and wounds in my heart, flowers still bloom in barren bushes, nightingales sing, by the Danube, the beautiful, blue Danube."

Next to the cedar tree is a bust of the organ master.

A full marble seated statue of Schubert, the "King of Lieder."

In the park, there is a small square where Strauss often performed concerts, and a Kursalon concert hall that can accommodate 150 people. We were curious to speculate whether this grand banquet hall, resembling a concert hall, ever hosted concerts or waltz balls, especially since we paid 2 euros for parking here.

The entire city of Vienna is like a giant music sanctuary, where the spiritual communication experienced here requires no words.

The world-renowned "Music Capital" Vienna interweaves classical music with classical architecture, like a giant magnet, not only attracting numerous musicians here but also nurturing generations of outstanding conductors and performers.

The Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Society of Friends of Music) in Vienna is world-famous for its Golden Hall. In 1867, a concert hall was designed, with a clear-lined dark red facade in the neo-Renaissance style.

One of its halls, richly decorated with thirty gilded standing female statues, is often called the Golden Hall.

After its completion, it became the performance venue for the world-famous Vienna Philharmonic.

The Musikverein also has other halls such as the Brahms Hall and the Mozart Hall.

The Vienna State Opera, known as the "World Opera Center," opened on May 15, 1869, with its first performance being Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni," thus beginning its glorious history.

The opera house was destroyed by bombing in World War II and reopened on November 5, 1955, with Beethoven's opera "Fidelio" to celebrate its second spring.

Musicians, directors, and stage designers consider presenting their works before the discerning Viennese audience as an artistic pleasure.

Musicians such as Mahler (1897-1907), Richard Strauss (1919-1924), Karajan (1956-1964), and Abbado (1986-1991) have all performed at the opera house.

Today, with 300 performances each year, whether opera or ballet, the program never repeats a single day.

Crossing the Ringstraße, opposite is Karlsplatz with the Karlskirche. The church's portico is in the style of an ancient Greek temple, with beautiful Corinthian columns supporting a triangular pediment. Lifelike statues and two columns with bas-reliefs are exquisitely detailed.

Strolling along the Ringstraße, in the Burggarten stands a statue of the talented musical genius Mozart. On the lawn in front of the statue, red flowers form a musical score with treble clef symbols.

The melody of the Austrian national anthem "Land der Berge, Land am Strome" is taken from Mozart's "Kantate" dance.

"Land of mountains, land of rivers, fields all around, spires rising high, land of hammers, prosperous future!

Homeland of great sons, people praise you, beautiful and sublime Austria."

In 1762, the six-year-old "prodigy" Mozart was brought to Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna to play the piano for Empress Maria Theresa.

Hofburg Palace records the rise and decline of the multi-ethnic state during the Habsburg dynasty.

Empress Maria Theresa brought Vienna to unprecedented prosperity.

In 1806, Emperor Franz I announced the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, leading to the establishment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and its breakup in 1918.

Today, one wing of the Hofburg serves as the official residence of the President of the Federal Republic.

Hofburg Palace combines Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical styles. The vast palace covers an area of 240,000 square meters. The upper floors were for imperial offices, receptions, and grand events, while the lower floors were for living and accommodation.

The currently open imperial living quarters display: Emperor Franz Joseph I's bedroom is very simple, with an iron bed and the most basic toiletries outlining the life of this longest-reigning emperor.

In contrast, his empress Elisabeth (Sisi)'s chambers are extremely luxurious.

A marble small altar, Louis XIV furniture, and a dazzling array of Chinese porcelain by famous painters.

The Imperial Treasury displays crowns, scepters, robes, clothing, jewelry, insignia used by the Habsburg dynasty, as well as some precious ecclesiastical items.

The plain-looking Augustinian Church served as the court church, where royal weddings and funerals were held. Among the most notable weddings was that of Napoleon, who was so busy with wars that he did not even have time to attend his own wedding to Marie Louise, so someone else stood in for him.

The wedding of Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth was also held here.

The small court church has luxurious interior decorations and two organs.

In the Loreto chapel to the right of the main altar, silver urns contain the hearts of 54 members of the Habsburg family.

Schubert once conducted his own Mass here, and Bruckner's Mass also had its world premiere here.

Franz Joseph I can be described as a highly tragic emperor. Ascending the throne at 18, he was incredibly diligent, working at least 12 hours a day, taking cold baths, sleeping on a cold camp bed, and mastering eight languages. Yet the Austro-Hungarian Empire ultimately disintegrated.

He married the exceptionally beautiful Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) and had three daughters and one son, but his eldest daughter died in infancy, his only son committed suicide, and his wife was assassinated. He experienced the Austro-Prussian War, the Balkan Wars, and World War I—a life full of sorrow, reflecting the Austro-Hungarian Empire's transition from prosperity to decline.

Vienna's wavering Habsburg dynasty also witnessed an unprecedented cultural and musical boom.

In 1832, the waltz swept through Vienna like a miracle drug, its charm even surpassing wine.

The waltz's rhythm originated from early 19th-century country dances, which could most perfectly express simple feelings in a simple way. The waltz is light as the wind; it is a sentimental program music, an emotional expression. Sometimes, it is a free program music, occasionally interspersed with the sounds of sleigh bells, hammers, and whips.

It conveys themes of longing, love, joy, pain, and disappointment, reflecting a rapidly changing, stormy passion that stirs people's hearts.

A Viennese waltz is like a poem, telling people what they know but cannot express.

The Strauss父子 completely conquered Vienna.

Johann Strauss I lived in a Romantic era of European literary and artistic prosperity, where passion, moonlight, and Gothic ruins replaced reason, clear skies, and Greek temples. In Vienna, this passion developed into a dance that everyone could join.

People were deeply intoxicated by Strauss's astonishing performance, and Strauss devoted the same passion to every piece, often making the audience ecstatic.

The carnival season between Christmas and Lent in Vienna became a festival of waltzes.

From Maria-Theresien-Platz to Rathausplatz and Volksgarten, these become joyful Christmas markets.

Vienna believes itself to be a city where dreams come true.