It’s time for another video installment. This is video number three. Since Beethoven’s Fifth is the starting point for the playlist, how do a Russian composer and a Russian conductor fit in? Via the orchestra, …
October 10, 2015
Austria news, stories & travel reviews
Austria news, stories & travel reviews
Gergiev and Vienna do Scheherezade in Salzburg
Music video number ein
This is the first of a series of curated YouTube videos. As videos are featured they will be added to a playlist here. The first piece to be featured is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Don’t …
September 12, 2015
Take up the cause of Schmidt
The BBC Proms is taking up the cause of Franz Schmidt in a concert on September 10 at London’s Royal Albert Hall. A performance of Schmidt’s Symphony No. 2 will be given by the Vienna …
September 1, 2015
How to start with Mozart and end up with nihilism
Mozart’s Haffner Symphony is a fairly famous piece of music, but who the hell was Haffner? Haffer got not just the symphony but also a 55-minute-long serenade. That’s about 90 minutes of music by Mozart …
June 12, 2015
Why My Daughter's Middle Name is Vienna
When people find out that my daughter’s middle name is Vienna, the first question is inevitably some variation of, “Oooh, you didn’t name her after that mean chick from the Bachelor, did you??” So, no. …
November 30, 2012
Land of Haydn: Burgenland, Austria
Many people are largely unfamiliar with how important Franz Joseph Haydn was to classical music. He is called the “Father of the Symphony” and “Father of the String Quartet,” yet he is not as well …
October 14, 2012
An Unforgettable Trip to Salzburg, Austria, and Dachau, Germany
They say every little girl’s dream is to be a princess. When I told a family friend that I’d been accepted into the Salzburg Global Seminar and would be living in an 18th century castle, …
Backpacking in Europe, the Hard Way
This was the trip of a lifetime. Traveling to Budapest, Hungary, I experienced the time of my life while trekking simultaneously through the hardships of a stolen passport, wallet and train pass. I was studying …
December 2, 2011
Dreaming with Freud in Vienna, Austria
Vienna, Austria, is a dreamlike city filled with two imperial palaces, one hundred art museums and countless Viennese cafes. So where do you begin for only a few days’ visit? If, like me, you’re married …
Vienna, Austria, for Parsimonious Persons
Being a San Diego native can give one a shortsighted perspective of history. Besides the Portuguese tuna fisherman, Children’s Pool and Point Loma Lighthouse, San Diego is limited for the most part to the sights …
January 20, 2011
Salzburg, Austria
My sleepy eyes drank in the Austrian countryside as the overnight train from Venice moved closer to Salzburg. The glorious green hills were a refreshing change from the equally stunning but distinct Italian scenery. I …
Solemn Nights in Austria
Austria’s Christmas (Weihnachten in German — literally, "Solemn Nights") starts officially on the fourth Sunday before Dec. 25. This is the beginning of Advent, traditionally a time of fasting but today a period of boisterous …
Turning Viennese
Austria is not Mexico. That's the slogan Ron and I devised after our third day in Vienna. The whole slogan goes, "Hey, settle down, man. This isn't Mexico," which means: There are rules you aren't …
October 11, 2007
Young Euros Take Peculiar Vacations
Tijuana is becoming a destination for European youth looking to spend long-term stints in a new culture. But they're not coming to the border city for great weather, nightlife, or proximity to San Diego. Five …
December 5, 2002