THE PROFESSION
The taxi driver knows the latest back stage gossip from the opera house. The maid hums Schubert lieder while brewing coffee. The shopkeeper can debate the baton technique of leading conductors. Throughout Austria, everybody seems to be caught up in music, whether as a cultural pursuit, political issue, spectator sport, historical tradition or simple daily pleasure. Other countries may name their streets after composers, but Austria must be the only place where a crack train is called the Mozart Express, and where the national airline has planes called Beethoven, Schubert and Bruckner. Even affairs of state become insignificant next to...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
