lorrainehornig

I’ve just returned from a Christmas Markets river cruise along the Danube River that featured stops in Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Music dominates these regions and the Opera House is a cornerstone of every large city. They are filled to capacity at every performance. This region boasts the settings for “The Sound of Music” and is the birthplace of Mozart among many other equally famous composers.

In Salzburg, a few doors down from the building in which Mozart was born stood a music store. Naturally, I had to go in and search out the mandolins. The photo below shows the display that greeted me.

In the evening we enjoyed onboard musical entertainment featuring classical and folk performances. One night in Vienna we attended a program highlighting the music of Mozart and Strauss. It was absolutely electrifying! I found myself inspired with a burst of renewed enthusiasm for my mandolin and found myself missing it; longing to sit down with it for a couple of hours and immerse myself in the joy I always feel when I play. I found myself debating, as I listened to these classical tunes, if they would or would not lend themselves well to the mandolin. I concluded that many would and am actively searching for Mozart transcribed for Mandolin.

I guess my point in writing about this is that we should always be open to new musical adventures; new avenues for enrichment and inspiration. Exposure to and immersion in musical genres of which we may only be minimally familiar nourishes our passion. I’ve always appreciated classical music, but was never before blown away by it. Somehow, sitting within a few feet of the performers made the experience all-the-more dynamic.

On a final note, during one of the evening performances a segment was dedicated to songs from “The Sound of Music”, including “My Favorite Things”. The performers asked two people: me and a man sitting near me, what our favorite “things” are. He said, “My Violin” and, of course, I answered, “My Mandolin”. Cool, right?