Vienna, City Of Music

from Kempinski Travelling in Style magazine, issue 51

Europe's Culinary Heritage

03 | ICONIC DESTINATION

Who could fail to feel the passion and joy of a city that has nurtured so many great composers? With its symphonies, waltzes and choirs, Vienna resounds to a thousand musical strands. Here, three musicians who have made Vienna their home, attracted like Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn before them, tell us why the city inspires them.

**Collection of historic musical instruments of the Hofburg Palace museum.**

**Frieze by Gustav Klimt, inspired by Beethoven's 9th symphony, at the Secession Building.**

**Streicher pianos: period instruments in the Beethoven Room.**

**Engraving showing the ‘hearing machine’ that was attached to Beethoven's piano to direct the sound towards him.**

**Portrait of Nannette Streicher, piano maker and faithful friend to Beethoven.**

**Bust of Beethoven at the Beethoven Museum Heiligenstadt.**

My secret Vienna

BY HILA FAHIMA RUSCHIN, OPERA SINGER.

Israeli opera singer, Hila Fahima Ruschin, has been a member of the Vienna State Opera since autumn 2013.

Vienna is a constant source of inspiration for musicians and artists from all over the world. The city has music in its roots, not just in its concert halls, but also in the famous cafés where you can listen to a walz played on the piano as you tuck into an Apfelstrudel.

It is one of the most elegant cities and it's full of tradition and culture. I still feel honoured to sing in the Vienna State Opera. It’s such a wonderful place, resonating with history of the biggest names like Mahler, Von Karajan and Lorin Maazel. I remember my first time on its stage. There is something magical about this place, the building, it almost feels like you go back in time to another century and I love it.

The main story of music in Vienna starts in the second half of the 18th century. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and many others, produced their finest work here. The peak of its glory came under the reign of Joseph II - an enlightened monarch, music lover and patron of the arts.

The Hofburg, the former Imperial Palace, has preserved a precious collection of old instruments bearing witness to this history of music loving. It is one of the world's finest collections of historic musical instruments, housed in a quiet wing of the palace, far from the busy world outside. The Beethoven room is sumptuous, with its display of Streicher pianofortes from the period. Nannette Streicher was a celebrated Viennese piano maker who also hosted concerts by top musicians in her home - Beethoven included. She and Beethoven became close friends.

Born in Bonn, Beethoven arrived in Vienna at the age of 22 and stayed until his death 35 years later. Nannette Streicher supported him throughout that time, especially in the last, difficult years when his deafness had become a serious handicap. The great composer's tragic life is thoroughly documented in the charming little Beethoven Museum in Heiligenstadt – a nice trip to a quiet part of town.

Beethoven is one of the most elegant and beautiful composers of all time. I remember when I discovered Fidelio (the only opera he wrote) as a young soprano in the academy of music. After I moved to Vienna, I watched Fidelio for the first time, at the State Opera, and felt so honoured to sing in the same city where he was inspired and wrote his magnificent music.

**The grand staircase of the Kunst Historisches Museum. The horse seems to have escaped from the collections but didn't want to be interviewed!**

Rosewood pedal piano with Egyptian Herm heads and bronze fittings, made by Joseph Brodmann in 1810. It is equipped with pedals like an organ and has a special soundboard underneath. A number of great 19th century musicians, including Beethoven, adopted the pedal piano but it later fell into disuse.

**Mozart monument in the elegant Burggarten.**

**Clavierist Peter Frisée playing the organ in the Jesuit Church, close to the University of Vienna (Universitätskirche).**

**The Sala Terrena: Vienna's oldest concert hall, in the historic city centre. Mozart played several concerts here for Archbishop Colloredo, an important patron of the Mozart family.**

**The House of the Teutonic Order near St Stephen's cathedral, where Mozart lived in 1781 when he settled in Vienna.**

Amadeus the wunderkind

BY PETER FRISÉE, CLAVIERIST

Peter Frisée is a clavierist who plays the organ and harpsichord as a concert soloist and is also a chamber ensemble musician. He can be heard on television, radio, CD and online. Elizabeth Wolf, founder of Artissimi, creators of bespoke cultural tours in and around Vienna, interviewed him about his love of the city, Mozart, and his favourite musical instrument - the organ.

Peter, what does Vienna mean to you, particularly as an organist?

I’m naturally inspired by Vienna and it’s very important to me. It’s full of sublime places where art, architecture and music come together, such as churches that hold concerts and choral music. So as a clavierist, Vienna naturally inspires me.

Do you have a favourite organ in Vienna?

There are some superb examples in this city, but my favourite is the one at the Jesuit Church. It’s an amazing French concert organ and is situated in a unique, baroque environment.

Mozart, of course, is everywhere in Vienna. What can be said about his relationship with the organ?

He loved it and once wrote to his father, "To my eyes and ears, the organ is the king of all instruments." He is known to have been a fantastic organist and according to Brigitte Hartmann in her book, ‘Nichts als Musik im Kopf’, he impressed from an early age: “September 18th, 1762: Mozart started his very first trip to Vienna. During their trip, the family avoided unpacking the travel piano. At the Franziskaner Church in Ybbs the monks heard adorable music during their lunch and went to see who the player was. They could hardly believe their eyes…”

But Mozart didn't compose even one piece for the organ.

He composed many pieces in which the organ plays a supporting role, providing a continuo, rather than a solo role. This was very common in Mozart's time. However, Mozart did write a series of pieces specifically for the Orgelwalze - a mechanical pipe organ. The story of how it was used is really strange. The music was commissioned by Count Joseph Deym von Stritetz for a funeral mass to be played on the Orgelwalze in the Müllersche Kunstgalerie, a wax art gallery. A different lament was played each time the clock struck the hour, one of which was Mozart’s Adagio and Allegro. Today this piece is usually performed on an organ, or on a piano by two people.

And how do you define yourself as a musician?

In Mozart’s time, musicians were expected to play the organ as well as the piano or harpsichord but that’s not the case today. However, I choose to play all three which is why I call myself a 'clavierist'.

What fascinates you about the organ as a musical instrument and what does playing it mean to you?

The sound, technique, and aesthetics work differently on each one, so the same piece of music will sound different everywhere it’s played.

To quote my favourite composer, Charles-Marie Widor, “Organ playing is the manifestation of a will filled with the vision of eternity."

The Church of St. Michael, one of Vienna's oldest churches. The baroque décor over the master altar was created by Jean Baptiste d'Avrange in 1782. According to an inscription at the church entrance, Mozart's last, unfinished requiem was played on the organ here after his death in 1791.

The Jesuit Church. In 1703 Emperor Leopold I commissioned the Jesuit Brother Andrea Pozzo to give the interior a sumptuous overhaul. It was Pozzo who created this strikingly realistic trompe-l'oeil dome in the Italian style.

**Bärbel Bellinghausen's stringed instrument workshop.**

**It takes her three months to make each violin.**

**The Hofburg Palace museum's collection of historic musical instruments includes a room entirely devoted to Haydn.**

**Bärbel Bellinghausen also makes beautiful silk covers for her violins. www.bellinghausen.at**

**Each part of the violin is traditionally made from different types of wood: ebony for the fingerboard, maple for the bridge, and spruce for the sound post and the top of the instrument.**

My beloved cello

BY TRISTAN SCHULZE, COMPOSER

Tristan Schulze is a composer, cellist, and conductor. He founded the string trio, Triology, in 1995.

Whenever I return from touring, I feel suffused once again with the music that permeates Vienna. There's something light and joyful about it: a legacy from a time when people eagerly awaited new compositions from the great musicians of the day, such as Haydn. I love Haydn, especially for his string quartets: he was the master who taught both Mozart and Beethoven. One of my favourites is Op. 54, Nr. 1 in G Major. It is so fresh, witty and full of humour – listening to them is a real pleasure. His string quartets are musically important too, as when he was writing them, Haydn created the symphony form which is present in classical music all the way through to Shostakovich.

As a composer, my cello is a precious companion. It's delicate and it’s alive - it can be happy or stressed. Once, while travelling to India, I couldn’t afford an extra seat and the sound post of my beloved cello was badly damaged. The sound post is called the ‘soul’ of the instrument in many languages, so it was a bit of a disaster. Luckily a Sitar builder brought the instrument back to life, but I'm quite glad no European cello maker saw how he did it!

Instrument makers are so important for a musician and Vienna has a long tradition of stringed instrument crafts people. They are true artists who will often follow an instrument throughout its life. If you happen to pass by a discreet courtyard, and hear a few plucked notes, you might find a small workshop where sheets of maple and spruce wood are waiting to be turned into unique works of art. It takes 420g of wood to create a miracle of sound, capable of warming the hearts of all who listen.

Bärbel Bellinghausen is one such artist. Bärbel pours her heart into building violins, violas and cellos. Each violin takes her three months to make and if you want one, you’ll have to add your name to her three-year waiting list! She tests the wood repeatedly, knocking on it to catch the exact moment when the instrument’s top panel is ready. When asked about the secret of violin making, Bärbel explains that famous makers, like Stradivarius and Guarneri, found perfection. Their instruments can't be improved upon, and they still provide the basis for violin making today. Every new instrument is an interpretation of their work, but even so, a Bellinghausen sounds like no other.

Musical Vienna - A Walk In The Footsteps Of The Great Composers

There are many ways to discover Vienna. We suggest a route that takes you to cafés such as the famous Café Central and through the old city centre with its elegant shops. But most of all you will find some real treasures of Viennese architecture and a selection of places that commemorate the city's musical history. You will need around two days to take in all the sights on this walk, some of which are shown below.

Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna: Capturing the sounds of the city.

Vienna and music are inextricably linked. More famous composers have lived here than in any other city and everywhere you go, you are reminded of its illustrious musical history. But while Vienna is renowned for its waltzes and operas, jazz, pop, and rock are as much at home on the stages of the city’s concert halls as classical scores. From its stately position on the famous Ringstrasse boulevard, Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna plays its part in the musicality of this beautiful city. For instance, we can help you discover a secret and fascinating Vienna by organising wonderful music inspired tours*. Concerts and live performances are regularly held in the hotel’s Lobby Lounge but if you really want to capture the essence of Vienna, and for a truly memorable stay, choose the spectacular Kempinski Waltz Time package. Your evening begins with a sumptuous dinner followed by limousine transfer to a local concert, before returning to the hotel’s luxurious 320 sq m Presidential Suite. Here you’ll have front row seats at the world premiere of… your very own waltz! Exclusively composed for you by the talented Tristan Schulze, the inaugural performance is captured on film - a unique memento and an enduring connection to the city of music. Designed by the renowned architect, Theophil Edvard Hansen, the hotel became part of the Kempinski constellation in 2013 following a complete renovation. Hansen’s passion for neoclassicism and history can still be felt in the high ceilings and timeless design, enriched by distinctive pieces of walnut furniture and eye-catching paintings depicting ballet and musical scenes. Viennese flair is present in every detail, from the traditional horsedrawn ‘fiaker’ carriage waiting at the front of the hotel, to the doorman’s cheery greeting. But the past blends perfectly with the present as you’ll discover in the swift check-in procedures, inroom tablets and bedside coffee machines. Although Vienna’s main sights and hidden gems are only a few minutes away on foot, there are many reasons to linger a little longer at the Palais itself. At Michelin-starred EDVARD, a tribute to the hotel’s beloved architect, you can sample modern Alpine-Mediterranean cuisine in a refined setting. The all-day dining restaurant, Die Küche Wien, has a more laid-back atmosphere with live cooking stations where you can watch talented chefs cook classic Austrian dishes. For local speciality coffee and tea, served with sweet treats such as freshly baked apple strudel, find a cosy spot in the Lobby Lounge to while away an afternoon, before heading to the bar or cigar lounge in the evening. The hotel’s historic charm and striking design continues throughout Kempinski The Spa, where colours and patterns from the Ottoman Empire reflect Vienna’s strategic location on the border between Western and Eastern Europe. Work out in the fitness area then relax and indulge yourself with the luxurious treatments on offer at the spa, which are influenced by the four European seasons. And if you want an inspirational setting for a meeting, celebration, or event, the ballroom and six function rooms can be transformed for occasions big or small.