This morning we travelled about a half an hour out of Salzburg, toward the Alps, to the little village of Obendorf, and to the nearby Hallein Salt Mines. There we enjoy a guided tour of the Salt Mines in Hallein. After being issued with white smocks and trousers, we began to resemble a Hazchem Incident Battillion! We boarded a small subterranean train and made our way deep into the mountain , some 150 meters underground. A series of long narrow mines and dimly lit caverns carved from the rock provided the setting for a series of underground galleries which demonstrated the salt extraction techniques and also told the history of the area and the mines, which date back to the time of the Celts. We were even offered to chance to taste the rocks, being handed large lumps of salt crystals, which did indeed taste like giant lumps of rocksalt. In the middle of the mine there was a small underground cave where we watched a film re-enacting the story of the ruling Archbishop Prince of Salzburg who ruled the entire area thanks to the vast wealth generated by the salt he mined.
A definite highlight of the tour was the miner’s shutes that we slid down, sending us 100 metres deeper into the mine. Lots of squeals and shrieks echoed through the mines mine as 80 or so MUCSters flung themselves into the darkness below, reaching speeds of almost 30kms an hour as they slid down.
Another highlight was crossing the subterranean lake deep below the mountain on a large wooden boat. As we crossed the mirror-like waters, we were told that the lake below us was a cool 270 meters deep in the middle, and to make the short trip a little more atmospheric, we were treated to a sound and light show which flooded the cave with lasers and brightly coloured lights.
A series of underground chapels and monuments was another feature of the mines, as well as a reproduction of the so called ‘Salzburg Man’, unearthed by miners in 1605, and believed to be a perfectly preserved corpse of a trapped Celtic Miner from over 1500 years ago. Eventually we emerged from the mountain to a winter wonderland scene of deep snow, and white pine trees, before we all snapped up souvenirs including various forms of edible salts, crystals, jewellery and rocks.
We then headed back to the busses, for the short trip along the Alpine Road to the little village of Oberndorf/Arnsdorf where deep snow had covered the buildings and turned everything into a tranquil white landscape, broken only by tall snow-covered trees, smoking chimneys and church steeples. We wandered through the little toy-like village to the ‘Silent Night Chapel’, built on the old site of St Nicholas’ Church in Oberndorf which was destroyed by floods about 150 years ago. The chapel is tiny, and has only enough room for a few people to sit and admire the two elegant stained glass windows that commemorate the collaboration between the music teacher Franz Xaver Gruber and the Local priest Joseph Moor who wrote the famous carol in 1818 when the church organ was broken and there was a desire to have some music for the Christmas Service when snow has isolated the town and there were no other musicians available to perform. We were met there by a member of the acclaimed Michael Haydn Choir, who guided us to the next town of Arnsdorf, where we visited the 1000 year old Pilgrim Church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church featured numerous shrines, all ornately decorated in the high baroque style, as well as the original single manual organ once played by Franz Xavier Gruber perched high above the nave, and a rather gruesome ‘bone chamber’ outside the church, which was stacked with human skulls and leg bones – all engraved with the names of the dead who had once been buried in the church’s tiny cemetery, but who were later exhumed and ‘restored’ to save space!
There we gave an informal and impromptu performance of ‘Stille Nacht’ standing ‘round yon Virgin Mother and Child’ – the church’s beautiful nativity scene which was the centerpiece of the church. Singing in freezing temperatures, as heavy snow fell gently around us, there really was a sense of silence and calm, and it was clear to all where the inspiration fro Gruber’s famous carol had come from.
At the church we were met by Stefan, a tall imposing man from the village, who was also a member of the Michael Haydn Choir who we would be performing with that night. He guided us on through the little farms and houses of the surrounding area to the village of Lamprechtshausen, where we were shown into the main building in the town… a large , modern multi-purpose facility that served as the school, public library, recreation centre, village hall and .music academy.
The local Michael Haydn Choir, named in honour of the famed local composer from Salzburg, had been looking forward to hosting us very much, and it was immediately clear that they had gone to a lot of effort to make us feel welcome. They had completely redecorated the school gymnasium, covering the walls in Australian outback colours of ochre, red and orange, and had commissioned a local artist to paint a series of huge murals depicting Kangaroos superimposed over Austrian maps and scenes… an incredible gesture of welcome. The local choir had also decorated the walls with giant ‘cow spots’ of black leather, representing the local rural community, and had designed special ‘cow spot’ t shirts especially for the occasion. The theme of the concert was ‘Milka ku meets Kanguru’ – an attempt to break down the stereotypical image of Austrians all being yodeling, old fashioned cow herders, and Australians all being outback adventurers with no cultural taste whatsoever. Whilst they sang a contemporary program of daring Austrian arrangements and compositions, ranging from Shoenberg to close harmony ballads, the Australians sang traditional Austrian and German sacred music dominated by a healthy sprinkling of Bruckner. A highlight was a combined performance of ‘Locus Iste’ which I had the great pleasure of conducting, and the two choirs combined strength of over 120 singers made a magnificent sound in the hall which was packed to overflowing, with every chair being brought into the space, and people standing at the back and in the aisles. We were told it ws the most people that they could ever remember squashing into the hall, and the Mayor was on hand to present me with a beautiful wooden lantern to mark the occasion, along with a facsimilie copy of the original manuscript and poem of ‘Silent Night’.
After hearing the magnificent Michael Haydn Choir, with their impeccable diction and intonation, MUCS were obviously inspired to give one of their finest performances so far on tour. Our forty minute recital of Bruckner, Mendelssohn, and a few short pieces by Tye, Leavitt and Rachmaninov was extremely well received with a long ovation and several curtain calls – even without curtains!!!
We exchanged gifts and then enjoyed a feast put on for us, and shared by the other choir snd the people of the village who had helped prepare for us… we exchanged songs, and even learnt a simple yodelling song! It was a great night and our hosts were wonderful. It was only due to the strict laws about bus driver hours that we left as early as we did, so that we would not be late departing the next day. It was a shame as we all wanted to stay longer, but hopefully we will all meet again, perhaps in Australia!
Tuesday January 26, Australia Day - Salzburg
We woke today, to find Salzburg blanketed in thick snow… a magical sight which I think everyone was secretly hoping to experience for themselves!
We had a full morning free to explore the city, visit the churches, take coffee in the famous coffee houses, hit the classy shopping, go ice-skating, visit the Sound of Music sights, sleep in, visit the wonderful museums of art or Mozart’s birth or living houses, or a host of other options.
A large group of us decided to take the steep climb up to the top of the mighty Salzburg fortress, and in the heavy snow it certainly made for a picturesque scene. Once at the top we enjoyed stunning vistas of the area surrounding Salzburg, and marvelled at the array of domes and steeples that dot the city… there are 38 catholic churches in Salzburg alone! From the massive Dom, to the distinctive Red Onion Dome of Nonnberg Abbey (where Maria Von Trapp first lived as a member of the convent), the view is one of the most beautiful in Europe.
We decided to take the detailed tour of the fortress, given a large number of MUCSsters had not been there before, and for an hour or so we walked the inside passageways and staircases of the great castle, including a windy visit to the high tower for photos. There we raised the Australian flag in honour of Australia Day… it seemed rather appropriate, although I don’t think there was any panic in Salzburg below!
On the way down, we visited the tiny Fortress Church of St George, as well as the old gunnery platforms and medieval shops that once served the 300 or so people who lived inside the castle walls.
The snow and subzero temperatures made for an invigorating walk, and by the time we had walked down and back through the old town, another visit to Tomaselli’s Café was in order, where lots of fantastic cakes and coffee were consumed in style.
People then made good use of a few hours in Salzburg by doing some more shopping , and I suspect MUCS significantly boosted the local economy in a relatively short time. At 2.30pm we all independently made our way across the River to the New Town, and to the famous Mozarteum (one of the greatest Music Conservatoriums in the world), to the Great Hall of the Old Mozarteum where we were all booked in to attend a Symphony Concert by the Mozarteum Symphony as part of the Salzburg Mozart Week festivities.
We were treated to a wonderful concert, featuring a Haydn Symphony, a Mozart Symphony and a Mozart Piano Concerto and enjoyed the Baroque splendour of the famous Hall, with its lavish gold decoration and gorgeous heavily ornamented organ.
We headed for the Restaurant around the corner for Roast Pork and Pasta, before deciding what to do with the rest of the night. A large proportion opted for the opera – Mozart of course – and thoroughly enjoyed the $9 student tickets to see a great production of The Marriage of Figaro… performed by the Salzburg Opera Orchestra and the best singers of the Mozarteum in an extremely funny production.
By the time the opera was over, and other had wandered around the picturesque streets of this historical city, it was getting VERY cold and late. A quick trip back home on the trolley car along the River Salzach, and we all eventually returned to our hotel, which was now well covered in deep, powdery snow… like a scene from a Christmas postcard!
Andrew Wailes
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment