The Sound of Beautiful Music

When considering a list of world famous composers with greats such as Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Johann Strauss II and Mahler, Austria's contribution is unsurpassed. It should come as no surprise that beautiful music is at the center of Austrian life. Since our arrival in Austria, we have enjoyed several unforgettable musical performances. This month's post is dedicated to the 'Sound of Beautiful Music' we've enjoyed this last month. So that you can experience what we have enjoyed, we've included embedded videos. They are short clips, taking almost no time to watch.

Note, it you might find it necessary to click play twice for videos or click the + icon for still images to display full screen. As with other posts, we recommend viewing from your computer or large display.

The Year was 1965! Celebrating the 60th Anniversary!

As we first received our Mission Call to serve in the Alpine German Speaking Mission, Sister Fjeldsted quickly remarked, "We've been called to the 'Sound of Music Mission'". If you look on our July, 2024 post, you can see that our grandkids made a poster stating as such, which was affixed to our luggage.

As most everyone knows, The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, adapted from the stage musical composed by Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is the fictional retelling of the Trapp Family and their escape during the Anschluss in 1938 leaving Austria. The film's success was unprecedented. It became the number 1 box office release after four weeks. It received 5 Academy awards and the initial release continued for 4 1/2 years. It was the number one all-time grossing film for many years.

With Sister Fjeldsted's love of music, and having grown up during this time, you can only imagine that The Sound of Music is her favorite movie ever. As a Christmas present, we stayed at the Palace (Schloss) Leopoldskron, the von Trapp home as viewed in the film.

Needless, to say, when people around the world think of Austria, often The Sound of Music comes to mind. Interestingly, the movie itself was not strongly received in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, but it's indirect contribution to tourism has been significant.

To indulge in a bit of nostalgia, here are few unforgettable images from the movie...

The Sound of Music, 1965

Opening Scene - Julie Andrews as Maria

Christopher Plummer as Captain von Trapp

The von Trapp Children and Max

The Captain asking Questions

As an extra treat, click on the embedded video below and enjoy the first few moments of the film as Julie Andrews sings the theme song.

The Sound of Music-Intro.mp4

Opening Scene from The Sound of Music, 1965

Here we are 60 years later.

Our room was on the third floor. We could imagine Louisa climbing in through the window as she did in the film.

The Terrace facing the lake

Our room viewing the mountains and lake

In front of the lake, the gate is still here after 60 years.

Trudy reliving her childhood on the swing

The next morning as we looked out our window, we were presented with a view of a lifetime. The deep blue sky, snow-capped mountains, and trees were casting a magical reflection on the lake below. The scene before us brought to our hearts what the movie expresses in song and music. Click on the image, and take a moment to enjoy the scene.

The view taken from our room at Palace (Schloss) Leopoldskron

After being carried away by the beautiful view, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast in the Palace. Following breakfast, we explored each of the lovely rooms. In reality, the home was Max Reinhardt's home. Max was the actual director and co-founder of the Salzburg Festival as captured in the movie.

A delicious breakfast...

Max Reinhardt's Library

A Beautiful Sitting Room at the Palace

The Year was 1825! Celebrating Johann Strauss's 200th Birthday!

New Year's Eve is celebrated around the world, and in Austria it's no exception. In German-speaking countries, New Year's Eve is referred to as Silvester, and it's a big deal, with fireworks, etc.

We were fortunate to be invited to join with good friends (Horst and Andrea, whom you've seen in an earlier post) at their home to celebrate Silvester and New Year's Day. That evening we enjoyed Raclette, a Swiss meal, which historically centered around a fire used to melt cheese which was then spread over small boiled potatoes or bread. Now, the tradition is recreated with a small tabletop electric oven and individual pans in which the Raclette cheese is melted.

Later in the evening, I joined Horst on one of his favorite pastimes--hiking up a nearby mountain that overlooks the eastern Vienna basin. Their family has an annual tradition of hiking up the mountain in the dark and arriving at the top just before midnight on New Year's Eve. Trudy and Andrea, elected to drive and meet us at the summit. Atop the mountains, we had a magnificent view of the fireworks in all the communities below.

Other people celebrating on the mountain top shared the Austrian New Year's broadcast on their radio. As midnight struck, we heard the famous bell at St. Stephan's Cathedral ring in the New Year. The bell has a diameter of 10 feet and weighs 20 tons. It even has a name, the Pummerin.

St. Stephan's Cathedral, Vienna

Johann Strauss II (son)

As the ringing of the Pummerin came to a close, the broadcast immediately began to play one of Austria's most beloved musical numbers, The Blue Danube Waltz, by Johann Strauss II. It is played each year after the sounding of the Pummerin and is broadcast nationwide and in many countries far and wide.

Johann Strauss II is arguably the most famous waltz composer of all time. In Austria he is known as the „Walzerkönig“ -- the King of the Waltz.

Then, next morning on New Year's day, the 'Sound of Beautiful Music' continued in the most incredible way. Every year the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra hosts a magnificent New Year's Day concert. If you would like a seat, then you must make your reservation 5 years in advance. Of course, the best seats are generally those sitting in front of a large screen in your own home, or in the home of our friends Horst and Andrea. As this year marks the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss II, extra attention was paid to the composer/musician and his works. The concert was under the direction of the brilliant Italian conductor, Riccardo Muti, who has lead the orchestra for the past 7 years.

The video below is the first few minutes of the famous Blue Danube Waltz played during the concert. Now that we think of ourselves as adopted Austrians, it most certainly stirs our souls. If it moves you too, maybe you too are part-Austrian or you have a love of great music. Take a moment and enjoy the sounds.

The Blue Danube Walz - Intro.mp4

The Blue Danube Walz, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

The Blue Danube Waltz served as the musical score for the 'Pan Am' space docking scene in the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film, 2001 A Space Odyssey. If you would like to enjoy the a bit of nostalgia, this link will take you to a YouTube recording with the full 11 minute waltz set to scenes throughout the movie. Partway through the 2 hour concert on New Year's Day, a delightful short video was presented. It was set aboard a futuristic space ship modeled after the one in the film. In this short release, titled 2025 - Eine Strauss-Odyssee, Johann Strauss' great-great-grand nephew, Thomas Strauss, pilots the ship and takes us back in time in both music and space to celebrate Johann's Strauss life.

A never-to-be-forgotten portion of the broadcast joined Johann Strauss' magnificent music together with beautiful ballet. I must state that I have never been captured by ballet, yet what I viewed on New Year's Day was an entirely new experience. The dynamics of the music combined with not just exquisite motion, but the artists' joyful expressions caused me to see ballet in an entirely new light. The setting for the dancers was an historic resort, preserved, but no longer in use, and located on the major mountain pass between our home in Leoben and Vienna. I've captured about 3 1/2 minutes. If you've never understood ballet, here's your chance! I promise, it is like nothing you've experienced. Do watch it. You'll be glad you did.

Acceleration - Intro & Finale.mp4

Acceleration, Vienna Philharmonic Orchstra and Ballett Zürich, Performed at Südbahnhotel am Semmering

Sister Fjeldsted on the Organ - The Sound of Beautiful Music, within our Souls.

Each week we meet as a small congregation in the 2nd floor of a large converted estate home near the center of the town of Bruck an der Mur. As it became known that Sister Fjeldsted plays piano and organ and would gladly do so, she won the hearts of those who have carried the task for many years.

Beginning with the piano, Sister Fjeldsted accompanied our congregation each week. What impressed us is the spirit with which the members sing. One would never imagine such a full and joyous sound from only 15 voices. Leading up to Christmas, it was time to move the accompaniment from the piano to the organ. In searching for information on the organ stops and settings, we discovered that the organ dates back to the late 60's to early 70's. The organ reflects a design that was intended for everything from rock-n-roll to sacred worship, with many strange adaptations to try to do both. With limited options, Sister Fjeldsted has been able to create a 'Beautiful Sound of Music' from the keys and pedals of this unique instrument. The greatest beauty comes from the Spirit that she and all of us feel each Sunday as we sing praises and feel the love of the Lord.

So that you to can join in for a few moments, here she is playing Hymn 32, The Happy Day at Last Has Come, or in German, Liednummer 27, Der Zeiten Fülle nun begannt, which was included in the first LDS Hymn Book in 1835. Take a moment, only 30 seconds, and watch.

In closing, we hope that you too can find and fill your lives with the 'Sounds of Beautiful Music.'

Trudy at the Organ.mp4

Der Zeiten Fülle nun begann, Sister Fjeldsted, Bruck an der Mur Branch

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