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Ybbs is a river in Austria, 81 miles long. They say the name has pre-Celtic roots. Ybbsfeldhalle is an impressive venue in a town of Blindenmarkt, which literally means “Blind Market” or the market for the blind (?). I haven’t found yet why. But I am sure there is a story behind. I keep searching.

This year Ybbsfeldhalle is the venue for a premiere. An old operetta was given a new life. Paul Lincke is a German composer. Berliner, to be precise. Born in Berlin in 1866.

The premiere is on the 6th of October. And then runs most of the month, with some matinees available too.

Frau Luna (Ms Moon in a very free translation) is a burlesque. “Castles in the air” is possibly the best-known melody. But somehow I like the march “Berliner Luft” too. Well before all the world wars, good old Berlin where the air (Luft) makes people laugh and dance.

 

Moedling is not far from Vienna. By London standards, it is part of it.

“Arnold Schönberg’s residence in Mödling (1918 – 1925), where he conceived a new method of composition, is being called the “birthplace of twelve-tone music.”

This coming Sunday, on the 24th of September Cornelia Horak and Koehne Quartett, offer you Serenades by Schoenberg.

Not necessarily those below, we haven’t seen the exact programme, but as they say “if you like this, you might like that”.

If I say “Pleyel”, many people would think “Chopin”. Because Pleyel is most famous for his pianos. An early piano, which still sounded a bit like a harpsichord, was loved by Frederic Chopin. The was only one concert in Paris performed by Chopin – it happened in Pleyel Hall. Haydn was Pleyel’s mentor. Like Haydn, Pleyel was very successful in London.

We are also grateful to Pleyel for the scores he published: i”n 1797 he set up a business as a music publisher (“Maison Pleyel”), which among other works produced a complete edition of Haydn’s string quartets (1801), as well as the first miniature scores for study (the Bibliothèque Musicale, “musical library”). The publishing business lasted for 39 years and published about 4000 works during this time, including compositions by Adolphe Adam, Luigi Boccherini, Ludwig van Beethoven, Muzio Clementi, Johann Baptist Cramer, Johann Ladislaus Dussek, Johann Nepomuk Hummel and Georges Onslow.”

But Ignace Pleyel is an accomplished composer and musician on his own. A rare case of a composer famous during his life and hardly played or even known now. 41 symphonies, 70 string quartets and several string quintets and operas.

Ignace Pleyel was born in Austria, in 1757, in Ruppersthal. Now Pleyel’s museum there is not only a museum clearly worth visiting but also a concert hall.

Pleyel’s works on Pleyel piano.

Gaming is not about gambling. Although I did expect a casino or two around the corner when I first saw the road sign. But no. Betting is not what Gaming in Lower Austria is famous for. By the way, it is pronounced G’ah-ming. Or something to this effect.

There is a famous old monastery,   the Kartause Maria Thronus Iesu and Franciscan University based there. Many young students, picturesque town and a typical Austrian restaurant in the old building of the monastery.

But there is also something else in Gaming, happening once a year and attracting people from all over the world.  Chopin Festival. This year – from the 11th of August till the 13th. Prices are much higher than for other festivals in Austria, but if you like Chopin – it could be worth it.

And this is how the festival looks and sound like. My favourite part starts around 5’07:

The next Musikfest Schloss Weinzierl is in May 2018. Save the dates in your diary and book the tickets – from the 10th of May till the 13th of May.

And those are just wonderful, very warm memories from this year:

 And much more here

If it wouldn’t be for the wind during the outdoor reception (yes, the glasses fell down with all the wine ending up on my skirt), I could’ve said that everything last Saturday was perfect.  The programme, the music,  the occasion, food and drink, service, but first of all – the idea itself. To bring together the local communities to celebrate probably the most famous Austrian brothers ever born in the region. Haydn brothers. The initiative is called “Haydn Region” and is basically an attempt to capitalise on the famous compatriot/s.  And why not, as long as it involves a lot of wonderful music and not much of commercial paraphernalia.

The opening ceremony for the initiative took place in Petronell, an impressive castle not far from Rohrau, where both brothers were born. The Haydn Museum was recently renovated (the cost of renovation is over €1.6 mln), and it is definitely worth a visit.  On the 1st of October this year, 11 am there is a matinee there. Adrian Eröd, Baritone, accompanied by Susanna und Manfred Wagner-Artzt. http://www.haydnregion-noe.at/programm.html

 

But back to Saturday, June the 10th. The opening ceremony included not only perfect, great local food and wine, and a lot of speeches in German, but also a very well thought through concert.   Canadian soprano Sarah Marie Kramer and her dramatic  „Scena di Berenice“ was one of the most memorable recent experiences. I guess I finally understood what they were writing about here

This was the programme:

 

And this is Joseph Haydn “Symphonie mit dem Paukenschlag” Nr 94, a very impressive piece. Enjoy.

There are two Haydns in classical music.  Spell-checking software refuses to accept Haydn in plural. And many people would know one Haydn only, Joseph. But there is also Johann Michael Haydn, the younger and less known brother.

Both were born in Austria, in a little town of Rohrau.  There is a lovely museum now there.

Both studied in Vienna and sang  in St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. Albert Christoph Dies believed that MIchael was a brighter student than Joseph.  But the history preferred the older brother. Maybe, it would help if Michael cataloged his music and took better care of his archives.

Wolfgang Brunner and Salzburger Hofmusik – Haydn less known.