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Recommended by European Mozart Ways
Author Archives: David Nelson
Two Views of Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral
St. Stephen’s Cathedral is in the very center of Vienna. The square outside is always bustling with visitors, and just as many venture inside to see its magnificent interior. Although I have taken many photographs of it over the years, … Continue reading
Visiting Beethoven on his Birthday
Today is December 16, 2012. Beethoven was born on this date 242 years ago. Actually, we are not sure that he was born on December 16, but we assume this because church records show he was baptized on December 17. … Continue reading
Vienna’s Magnificient Karlskirche
The Karlskirche (St. Charles Church) is Vienna’s great Baroque Church. For the music lover, several interesting stories took place here. When Mozart was quite young, he contracted Scarlet Fever during a trip to Vienna. Once he began to recover, his … Continue reading
Vienna State Opera with a Fisheye Lens
Before this trip I purchased a fisheye lens for my Nikon. Fisheye lenses have lots of intentional distortion and are good for special effects, but you don’t want to use them all the time because they can become a little … Continue reading
Vienna’s Christmas Market
Today, on my first day in Vienna for this trip, I stopped by the large Christmas Market in front of the Rathaus. I was actually cold, tired, and wanted to get back to my hotel room, but when I saw … Continue reading
Posted in Vienna - General Travel
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Vienna’s Naschmarkt
Vienna’s Naschmarkt is a wonder. On this little strip of pavement between two busy roads, you can find some of the city’s best foods and inexpensive gifts. Visiting Naschmarkt is an experience in itself with its narrow lanes and small … Continue reading
Posted in Vienna - General Travel
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The “Conductorless” Orchestra
National Public Radio recently had a story on a scientist from the University of Maryland who studied the movement of violin bows in an orchestra as they related to the motion of a conductor’s baton. The result of the study … Continue reading
John Eliot Gardiner and Beethoven’s Ninth
Last night, I heard Sir John Eliot Gardiner with his Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and Monteverdi Choir play an all-Beethoven program: “Calm Seas and Prosperous Voyage” and the Ninth Symphony. The concert was in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The orchestra … Continue reading
The Vienna Philharmonic’s Summer Concert at Schönbrunn Palace
If you come to Vienna in early summer, you have the opportunity to attend one of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s newest traditions – the Vienna Philharmonic’s Schönbrunn Summer Concert. This is a free concert on the grounds of the beautiful … Continue reading
Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances” – A Reflection On His Life
Sometimes a great composer writes their last few pieces knowing that their days are growing short. Beethoven’s late quartets pushed his music far beyond what he had written before. Mahler’s Ninth Symphony is tinged with premonitions of death. Bach’s Art … Continue reading