Music in Austria

Austropop ia popular music of Austria. Personally I can not stand it. For those that not heard it you can find it on video sites like Youtube.

Austria is very important for Classical music its where some of the the greatest composers came from, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert and Johann Strauss II.

Austria also holds the largest music festival that's free in Europe. Held over 3 days and well over 3 million people attend. The Donauinselfest (German for Danube Island Festival) there are some 21 areas (called "islands" as well) that are normally sponsored by radio stations, newspapers and other companies. These are spread out over a 6.5 kilometer area of the total of 21 kilometer island. Musicians of an extremely broad range of genres perform.

There are many classical and opera festivals in the summer months in Austria, especially Salzburg music festival, the Opera Festival in Bregenz, and at Sankt Margarethen im Steinbruch, Burgenland not far from the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, Neusiedlersee. Numerous local Volksmusik festivals with local bands. Two of my favourite musicians are Herbert Pixner from South Tirol, and Hubert von Goisern from Goisern in Upper Austria-edge of the Salzkammergut. Both have modernised the traditional Austrian Volksmusik, and given it all a different slant. One of the most iconic music videos ever from Austria would be HvG's 'Hiast es net' (Hörst es nicht in German) filmed on Hallstatt lake, and can be seen on You Tube. Pixner tracks are there too-ie 'Spitfire'.
Schladming too has one of the largest brass band festivals in Europe-called Mid Europe, where bands come from all over the word, including Taiwan and UK. They also have a tattoo. This is just scraping the surface!