GERMANY - A MUSICAL INTERLUDEText and photography by Sandy Katz
|
||
|
Be it an oompah band in Bavaria, the wildest techno-club in Berlin, a Beethoven symphony played by a world-class orchestra, an all-American musical sung in German or an opera at Bayreuth,a vacation in Germany is filled with music. How could it be otherwise in a country that has given birth to so many of the world's most legendary composers?
Celebrating Bach Last year, Germany celebrated one of the |
|
|
|
greatest of them all: Johann Sebastian Bach. Born in Eisenach in the eastern state of Thuringia in 1685, Bach's death came in 1750 - exactly a quarter-of-a-millennium ago in 1999. He had lived in Leipzig since 1723 as the elegant city's "music-master" - an influential post in the 18th-century. Bach's legacy to the world was a spellbinding collection of oratorios, organ music, cantatas, masses and orchestral masterpieces.
Bach's musical aptitude was evident at an early age, a talent encouraged by his highly musical family: His father, Johann-Ambrosius Bach, was the official music-maker of Eisenach, and 20 of Bach's kinsmen were musicians. Yet Bach, as his life moved from Thuringia to Lubeck on the Baltic Sea, to Muhlhausen, to Weimar, Dresden, Potsdam and Leipzig, found time for a multitude of diversions, not the least of which were two marriages and fathering 20 children. A reason to visit
The International Bachakademie Stuttgart and its artistic Director, Helmuth Rilling, have achieved world renown with their unique programs and projects. Succeeding the 1995 "Requiem of Reconciliation" will be another outstanding international project, "Passion 2000". To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, the International Bachakademie has commissioned composer Wolfgang Rihm of Germany, Sofia Gubaidulina of Russia, Osvaldo Golijov of South America and Tan Dun of China and the US to set to music one of the four evangelist's Gospels. Each composer wrote in his own language, and the compositions were world-premiered at the 2000 Europaisches Musikfest Stuttgart, building a bridge between music of Bach and that of our time. The four world premieres, were performed by international ensembles and conductors, were frameworked by the St. John's and St. Matthew's Passions. Famous musicians took part in the 2000 Europaisches Musikfest Stuttgart. I attended the World premier concert: Composer Tan Dun's "St. Mathew's Passion" in Stuttgart's Liederhalle. The city of Stuttgart Stuttgart is more than an industrial center. Besides being the headquarters of Mercedes, Stuttgart is home of the highly acclaimed Stuttgart Ballet, the State opera and Philharmonic Orchestra. Stuttgart has one of the most beautiful settings in Europe featuring a wonderful panorama of rolling green hills, forests and vineyards. Surrounded by the wooded Swabian Hills, Stuttgart has devoted two-thirds of its land to green spots, including vineyards that are near the business district and the main railroad station. It is also the capital of the federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg. We visited the old town where, on the Schillerplaz, you can see Stuttgart's Old Palace, built in both 14th-century Gothic and 16th-century Renaissance styles, with a courtyard surrounded by galleries. It now houses the Wurttenberg Regional Museum, devoted to regional history. Nearby, the ultramodern Rathaus (Town Hall) attracts visitors with its Glockenspiel that plays folk songs.
Stuttgart is graced by parks, the most beautiful is Killesberg Park, on a hill in the northern part of town. Another park worth a visit is the Cannstatter Wasen, Stuttgart is also known for its modern buildings, particularly the asymmetrical Liederhalle near the town center. It contains three concert halls with excellent acoustics, is enlivened with mosaics, glazed brick and quartz. This motor industry town is also a center of Germany's lively musical scene, with hit shows like Cats and Dance of the Vampires. Two outstanding Festivals are highlights of the Stuttgart Wine Village. At the end of August wine connoisseurs and wine lovers from all over the world come to enjoy the largest wine festival in Germany that goes on for 10 days. Regional specialties such as Maultaschen (meat and spinach stuffing), Schupfnudein mit Kraut (potato noodles and cabbage), etc. are served with the wine. The Fall Stuttgart Beer Festival is now considered the largest folk festival in the world. It has the largest beer tents including the "Black Experience Tent" containing fir branches, waterfalls, lively music and a fantastic laser show, etc.
On the outskirts of Stuttgart The beautiful and varied countryside around Stuttgart is a paradise for walks and hikes, for example in the Swabian Forest and around the three Kaiserberg peaks in the Siebenmuhlental Valley. Ludwingsburg
The grounds of the Residential Palace cover about 30 hectares and are home to the garden show Blooming Baroque and the Fairy-tale Garden. From roses to medicinal herbs, from Japanese to a prize-winning Sardinian garden, there are a lot of amazing things to discover here. There are over 250 different rose varieties in the gardens and in June 30,000 blooming roses beckon visitors. The annual Ludwigsburg Palace performing Arts Festival lasts from June to September. Esslingen
Bad Reichenhall (Bavarian Alps) While in Germany, my traveling companion and I decided to spend the weekend in the spa town of Bad Reichenhall in the Bavarian Alps, close to Saltzburg. We rented a car and drove the enjoyable few hours on the beautiful nature's spectacular highway full of scenery out of a picture book.
This spa town boasts its own philharmonic orchestra, as well as four museums, annual Mozart weeks and a "star tent" music festival. Culture and cuisine go hand-in-hand. Here traditional Bavarian-Austrian cooking is an unforgettable experience for even the finest of palates. In addition to traditional fare, some hotels also offer "New Natural Cooking" a delight for the health conscious. Bad Reichenhall is a place that Germany's ancestors discovered very early on where one recuperates quicker than elsewhere. Among the most beneficial health-promoting forms of treatment are baths of brine, carbon dioxide, oxygen and moor mud, as well as hydrotherapy, breathing exercises, physical exercise therapy and the inhalation of etheric oils. Cure-takers once came to Bad Reichenhall seeking treatment for respiratory or skin disorders, but today's visitors seek rest and recuperation.
| ||
I went to Germany to attend the International Bach Academy's Bach Year 2000 European Music Festival. This Academy does research which centers on Johann Sebastian Bach. Its library is open to public and houses their most important asset: a comprehensive collection of literature on Bach. Also, they have a public phono and video library. Then there is the teaching and education side where they offer master classes, lecture concerts and reflections on music. The Academy offers a marvelous season of concerts and contemporary music, too. They also revive forgotten music.
Stuttgart State Gallery houses a fine collection of paintings from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The most popular museum here, however, is the Daimler-Benz Museum, in the Mercedes-Benz plant in the suburb of Untertukheim. It contains displays of cars, car engines and other motors-racing car, boat, airplane, motorcycle- in addition to the history of the venerable firm, which began in 1900.
The Stuttgart Christmas fair was first mentioned in a document in 1692, The Christmas market in Stuttgart is not only one of the oldest, but also the most beautiful. It is largest in Europe with over 200 stalls opened from November 30 to December 23, 2001.
In nearby Ludwingsburg, home of the grand baroque Palace referred as "The Versailles of Swabia" with its magnificent manicured gardens, we enjoyed a tour through some of the royal castle's 400 elaborately decorated rooms.
A visit to the preserved medieval village of Esslingen was welcomed with a greeting from the mayor and champagne reception in Germany's oldest champagne production cellar (Kessler). We enjoyed a glass of delicious champagne and a fresh pretzel. The saying goes " A Swabian could hardly imagine a baker who does not offer fresh pretzels every day." The pretzel has to be fresh within hours as a hospitality gesture.
Embedded in the Neckar Valley and surrounded by vineyards, this area was untouched by war. However, Stuttgart was 90% leveled. It looks back at history, which is over 1200 years old.
It was most pleasurable strolling through the winding narrow streets with their cobblestones and the attractive pedestrian zones full of shopping opportunities. This medieval town is the only one in the Region of Stuttgart that has been preserved so well. There is also the oldest row of half-timbered houses, gate-towers and churches.
Bad Reichenhall is surrounded by meadows and alpine landscape and has won approval as one of Germany's favorite vacation resort town. Salt from underground springs is an additional gift from nature.