Dr. Eric Conway writes:
Day 7 in Salzburg: Through the Austrian Alps!
Today
the choir did not have a concert planned - almost as though we did sing
today for our national U.S. holiday - Memorial Day!
As
we looked ahead at the activities planned for today, little did we know
that we were going to be blown away as much as we were after seeing
some of the beauty of the region.
We
first were given a “Sound of Music” tour in the morning, featuring
most sites shown in the movie including Leopoldskron Castle (residence
of Van Trapp family), site of the lake scene behind the residence where
everyone fell in the water, and the gazebo where the song: “sixteen
going on seventeen" was sung. As we once again tried to finish the
movie on our way to the Van Trapp residence, we were reminded why the
movie was so successful. First, the Rodgers and Hammerstein score is
brilliant, with tunes that are as American as apple pie. The timeless
themes of love, faith, individualism are still relevant today. But one
of the biggest reasons for the success is the beauty of the Austrian
landscape as a backdrop for the movie. Today, we saw the backdrop for
the movie up-close and personal. The sites where the movie was filmed
were even more beautiful in person than one could imagine on a small
television screen. Surprisingly, most Austrians have never seen The Sound of Music.
It is mostly an American phenomenon. Oddly, the movie has injected
billions of dollars of business over the 50 years since the release in
1965 into Austrian culture. Sadly, more people know about Salzburg in
relation to The Sound of Music, than do people know that is where Mozart
was born. See photos attached from sites seen today related to the
movie. The photos of Moodsee church, where the wedding was held is
included from our concert given in that church on Saturday!
We
then toured the Salzburg Lake District - forty-five minutes from the
city, where we drove directly beside and through the Alps to get to our
destinations. The view was breath-takingly beautiful! We went to the
towns of Fuschl, St. Gilgen, Bad Ischl, and Hallstatt! I took over 400
photos from the day.
EC
Link to drive up a mountain in the Alps:
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. - Aristotle
************************************
Eric Conway, D.M.A.
Fine and Performing Arts Department, Chair
Morgan State University
No comments:
Post a Comment