Vienna, City of Culture
(Published in The Brass Herald)

It's difficult not to begin an article about Vienna without quoting the clich�d line from the Ultravox song; 'Oh, Vienna'. Especially when it provides the perfect summary for a city without cultural equal, a city where monumental Imperial heritage, glorious operas and moving classical music have been a feature of everyday life for centuries. But it's not just a city living in its past, today Vienna has as much richness and diversity in its musical life as it has always had. I went in search of music old and new in the 'capital city of culture'.

The heightened musical status which Vienna now has owes much of its reputation to one of the most influential and successful families in history. Based in Vienna, The Habsburg Family ruled Austria (and indeed most of Europe) for over 600 years and from as early as the 13th century began patronising musicians to play and write music for the Court. By the 18th and 19th centuries the investment was drawing composers to Vienna such as Mozart, Haydn, Schubert and Beethoven and establishing music as a very fashionable interest.

Until 1842 Vienna did not have a professional symphony orchestra; instead, the works of these great composers were performed by ensembles specially assembled for the occasion. Fortunately though, thanks to Otto Nicolai (of the then Imperial Opera House), we are able to celebrate over 160 years of great music making from what many regard as the greatest orchestra in the world; the Vienna Philharmonic. In 1900, the Vienna Philharmonic performed abroad for the first time at the World Exhibition in Paris under the baton of Gustav Mahler. But Mahler is just one of the many gifted composers and interpreters to have worked with the Orchestra. The likes of Wagner, Verdi, Bruckner, Brahms and Liszt have all performed with the Orchestra, either as conductors or soloists.

I asked Ian Bousfield, Principal trombone of the Vienna Philharmonic, to tell me what it's like to be part of Austria's most famous musical heritage. "Every time we walk onto a platform we feel the weight of the Orchestra's great history and the high expectations of the audience and critics bearing down on us. We're expected to be replicas of our predecessors in order to preserve the Orchestra's style."

With such a reputation to maintain the Orchestra is naturally very busy. In order to fulfil the extensive workload, the Philharmonic is effectively a double orchestra, with two very much equal and independent players for each seat, thus allowing the Orchestra to be in two places simultaneously. I asked Ian to describe the typical 'Philharmoniker' lifestyle. "The work is split between concerts with the Philharmonic, and also at the Opera House where the Vienna Philharmonic wears its other hat as the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. This can sometimes be a little tough," he admits "leading to the 'Philharmonic weekend special' of Mahler 3 on Saturday afternoon, G�tterd�mmerung on Saturday evening, Mahler 3 again on Sunday morning and Salome on Sunday evening, for example!"

But the Vienna Philharmonic isn't the only orchestra in Vienna; there's the excellent Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Hofkapelle Orchestra (who play a mass every Sunday morning in the Habsburg Palace), the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Nieder�sterreichischen Tonkunstler�rchester, the Volksoper (the other opera house in the City, where Puccini's Tosca and Strauss' Salome received their Austrian premieres) and Concentus Musicus (one of the foremost early music groups in Europe). Incidentally, this is more orchestras per population than any other city. Vienna is also host to several visiting orchestras each year which have recently included the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra from the US and the Philharmonia Orchestra from London. Such visiting orchestras often attract much attention, since stylistically they perform quite differently to the Viennese tradition. One of the major characteristics here in Vienna, is the significant difference between Viennese brass instruments and those of other symphony orchestras. The trumpet has a rotary valve system and, in places a narrower bore, the trombone and the (Viennese F) tuba also have a narrower bore and the tuba has a different valve system and fingering. Still, the greatest differences are found in the (Viennese F) horn, which again has a narrower bore, an extended lead pipe and a system of piston valves.

Classical music plays a major role in most Austrians' lives. Going to an opera is very much a social gathering and the newspapers have reviews of almost every concert. The atmosphere is truly incredible; passers-by stop to listen to the talented array of street performers and classical music is all around, in shops, restaurants and cafes. There is also an extensive custom of folk music in Austria, especially in the local taverns. It's a heritage much akin to the brass band tradition in the UK. In 1992, a group of folk musicians who met to play regularly in Josef Mnozil's tavern became the highly auspicious brass group Mnozil Brass, who now perform more than 120 concerts a year around the world. In fact, many classical composers have based works around traditional Austrian folk melodies, such as Haydn's 'Acht Sauschneider M�ssen Sein'; a theme and variations based on a children's song.

A lesser known Viennese composer is Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, who was Beethoven's counterpoint teacher and one of four major composers to write a trombone concerto in 18th century Austria. Accordingly Vienna has been chosen by many aspiring musicians as the perfect environment to study music. There are three highly prestigious conservatories in the City which strive to keep the musical ethos as vibrant as ever. You only have to go to a concert in Vienna to hear just how fruitful the music scene is; Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti and Lorin Maazel all conduct here regularly and recent brass highlights have included performances from Canadian Brass and Wynton Marsalis to name but two.

Vienna has some excellent ensembles of its own including the famous Vienna Boys Choir, Art of Brass and Vienna Brass. One of the most exciting groups to herald from the area is the Vienna Trombone Quartet who are simply sensational. Its members are Otmar Gaiswinkler (Principal Trombone of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra), Erik Hainzl (Nieder�sterreichischen Tonkunstler�rchester), Dietmar K�blb�ck (the other Principal Trombone of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) and Wolfgang Pfisterm�ller (Bass Trombone of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra). A quick listen to their 'Russian Melodies' CD proves immediately that they are both musically and technically phenomenal artists.

If you love music then there is simply nowhere else on earth that even comes close to Vienna. Just walking down the street and breathing in the atmosphere here is an enlightening and inspirational experience and the quality and commitment of its musicians is exceptional. Long may the Viennese musical tradition continue!