Chamber Music Matinee 1

“Vienna, City of Everyone’s Dreams …” is the allusive motto of the six chamber music matinees, each of which – in keeping with a fine tradition – will be performed by musicians of the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester. In other words, Vienna is not just Vienna. Or, Vienna is more than Vienna. This is immediately evident from the first matinee concert. In the programme are works by Mahler, Beethoven and Mozart. There is no denying that all three have a great deal to do with Vienna, but to be honest, Mozart’s father was from Augsburg and Beethoven from Bonn, so both are actually German, while Gustav Mahler was a Bohemian who came to Vienna rather late in his artistic career. Nevertheless, the excellent reputation held by Viennese opera for more than a century is thanks to Gustav Mahler, and the very existence of the First Viennese School undoubtedly goes back to Mozart and Beethoven (and also Haydn). So indeed, Vienna is more than Vienna, and yet Vienna remains Vienna.