Vienna, Austria–A Celebration of Fine Arts

April 9, 2017

This is my last night of eight in Vienna. I’m packed and ready to leave in the morning but I could definitely use another couple weeks in Austria. Every day has been unique and filled with culture, beautiful architecture, delicious cuisine, and history.

I visited cathedrals and museums every day but feel like I didn’t make a dent in what’s available. My knowledge of Austrian art previously was largely limited to Klimpt and his gold-accented portraits with an emphasis on stories of how the Nazis destroyed or stole the great art at the end of World War II.  What I saw here of both old and new art opened my eyes to a cultural depth that few countries can match. Below are a couple of famous Klimpt pictures that are in the Secession. The Leopold and Belvedere Museums are worthy of more time than I could give them and I highly recommend both. Pictured below is the front of the Belvedere. If your time allows, it has a lovely cafe for lunch or afternoon tea and offers a majestic setting for a reprieve for tired feet. The Museum of Contemporary Art was a bit disappointing to me but that’s probably just my taste in art, or lack thereof. The Secession is not to be missed as the building with the gold leaf globe on top designed by the artists themselves and the work inside are all part of the beginning of what is commonly known as “art nouveau”.  On the top floor is the Beethoven frieze that Gustav Klimpt painted in 1901 in honor of the famous Austrian composer for the 14th Secessionist Exhibition. The frieze tells the story of human desire for happiness in a world of external and internal evil forces then ends in happiness found in the arts, as at the end of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony when he incorporates the poem “Ode to Joy” by Schiller.

This takes us to the performing arts. Sadly, I didn’t get tickets to an opera but I attended the awesome Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Adom Fisher performing Mozart, Schubert and Bartok. The beautiful Musikverein which is home to the Vienna Philharmonic takes your breath away. Our seats on the stage, just behind the percussion section, offered an amazing view of one of the most highly respected conductors and orchestras in the world. The list of famous Austrian composers is huge but it includes Mozart, Strauss, Schubert, Bruckner, Mahler and Haydn. I can think of no better place to hear this beautiful music than in its homeland.  Vienna celebrates music at every turn. Here’s a statue in honor of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). “A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 – 1832)

Post Script 5/8/2017 When I returned home, I purchased a print of a small section of the Beethoven frieze and framed it for my bedroom.  While it isn’t gilded and doesn’t have the completeness or the grand scale of the original, I like it.