As I lay my head on the pillow
as I try to fall asleep
there is only pain
As I close my eyes
still with every breath
there is only pain
With every breath
a new memory
breathe in
breathe out
With every breath
a new happy memory
in my memory
and there is only pain
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4. 23)
“Frem for alt: Vogt dit hjerte, for derfra udgÃ¥r livet.” (Proverbs 4. 23 Danish 1992 translation)
Add comment august 25th, 2008
Saturday evening, we booked tickets for a classical concert in the Vienna State Opera (Staatsoper) with the Vienna Mozart Orchestra. Sadly, Marit had to remain at the hotel and take care of the sleeping Benjamin, so we were 2 people short. As it turned out, we got seated on the second row, even though we had not booked seats in this category, so that was quite nice 
The building itself is an experience. Somehow, I had the feeling I had seen it in some movies, but I have a suspicion that I was really thinking of a larger place somewhere in eastern Europe.
The greatest experience, however, was the music. The first 15-20 minutes I could not even make myself take a picture, as I just wanted to listen to the music. It struck me that this should not be something you capture for having a special memory, but rather the only way you enjoy classical music – live. It really is a totally different (and much nicer) sound experience, and you catch nuances of the famous works that you have not noticed before.
The Vienna Mozart Orchestra played extremely well, and both the classical costumes as well as the musical qualities contributed to making it a fantastic experience. The preferred mode of play seemed to be a somewhat understated, but still very nuanced sound, lying just beneath the real breakthrough of an audial (if that’s even a word) climax. It made me wonder if they could actually play with full strength or if the orchestra was simply too small, but in their very final extra-performance where they offered us “An der schönen blauen Donau” and “Radetsky March”, they seemed to be of the opinion that while Mozart apparently cannot be played in full strength, Strauss can
Along the concert, I was wondering if their somewhat understated interpretations were not purposeful and thus would have awarded them 9 out of 10 points, but clearly I was mistaken, so in my mind, they now have gotten full marks for playing in a very controlled just-below-breakthrough mode all through the classical works of Mozart.
In the end, a great evening. And so much more fun to listen to the works of Mozart than visiting his house. This is where Mozart truly comes alive!
2 comments august 25th, 2008
Just had the pleasure of spending the weekend in Vienna with my family. All in all, it was a good experience.
The food experiences were quite good, featuring amongst others an amazing Italian restaurant, the oldest restaurant of Vienna, serving very good traditional Austrian food, and of course Apfelstrudel with ice-cream and cream, served in the local zoo.
Of the not-so-good things can be mentioned the house of Mozart (the building in which he grew up), which was just disastrously boring, after having paid an entrance fee of 7,5 euros. Also, don’t ever bring kids in there – the children doesn’t like it, and apparently, neither does the museum attendants… After we left there, we found this meticulously bear in a shopping-windows close by, and wondered if he had a sudden accident caused by boredom
However, the pros far outweighed the cons. An excellent breakfast buffet every morning at the hotel, an excellent concert experience (to be told of further in a separate post) and even free wireless Internet at the Vienna Airport! (This makes you wonder what your airport taxes go towards in other countries…)
This was the only picture I could find where everyone in the family is at least partly visible, so here you go:
The background is that of the Stephansdom which is a quite grand and majestic church building.
Add comment august 25th, 2008
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