And just like that, it's over

Today was the last day of finals. I don't know what to say. I'll probably write a more in-depth post when I'm on my way to Munich tomorrow. But, for now, all I have to say is that I'm really sad to say good bye to everyone and everything here.

And so it begins...

I just started going through school papers, random maps, ticket stubs, and pamphlets that I've accumulated throughout the semester. I can't throw them all away, that would be too sad. Instead, I've decided to sit and go through every single piece and choose what I want to keep and what I need to throw out. This has been the beginning of a tedious process and I don't want to do it. It's just making me even sadder about leaving. Although, it is nice to remember fun memories by going through all of this.

Time for bed, I have a final in the morning!

Gustavo Dudamel und der Wiener Philharmoniker

I just wrote a paper about my time at the Musikverein to see Gustavo Dudamel conduct the Vienna Philharmonic. I decided that it would be a good idea to just copy and paste it here, so you can all read about my experience! Also, I feel like I should have done this earlier...I've had to write 4 papers about concerts I've been to for this class and I don't know why I never thought of just posting them all up here. Oh well, whatevs. Here's this one, enjoy!:

(Also, ignore the random citations...)

Being a Los Angeles native, when I found out that Gustavo Dudamel was going to be in Vienna to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic, I knew I had to attend the concert. The concert took place on Saturday, 10 December 2011 in the Großer Saal of the Musikverein at 3:30 pm. In addition to Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Vienna Philharmonic, the program also named a solo Clarinetist: Matthias Schorn. The program was comprised of three pieces and lasted for a total of two hours. The pieces performed included “Don Juan” Op. 20 by Richard Strauss, a clarinet concerto “Ego eimi” / ”Ich bin” from the cycle “Montafon” by Herbert Willi, and Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 (“Scottish”) by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy.

            Having purchased standing room tickets, I arrived at the Musikverein quite early to claim my spot. Unfortunately, they do not open the doors until one hour before the concert begins, so I was forced to stand outside for about an hour before finally being let into the warm building. While waiting outside, I met a woman from Germany who comes to Vienna dozens of times every year to simply watch operas, go to concerts, and enjoy the Viennese culture. Since I had never been to the Musikverein before, she told me a little bit about the process of standing room there. It was also beneficial that other IES students who had been to the Musikverein before were there, too. When we were let inside and upstairs, right outside the standing room, I was prepared for the mad dash to find a good spot. The bell rang and everyone ran to claim his or her spot. Luckily, I was able to stand right in front, near the center, and had a perfect view of the stage.

            The Musikverein is a beautiful building that is covered with gold decorations and statues. I was intrigued by the set up of the stage, as I had never seen one that had different levels for the orchestra rows – it was like stadium seating on the stage. However, this arrangement makes sense, considering the audience seats are completely flat instead of stadium-style. I also think it makes it easier for the audience to really watch the musicians play their instruments. As 3:30 neared, we all waited anxiously until the concert finally began.

            The musicians walked out and were greeted with a generous applause. When Gustavo Dudamel walked onto the stage, the audience’s applause grew slightly louder and the concert began with Strauss’ “Don Juan,” Op. 20. One of my favorite things to observe about Dudamel when he conducts is his hair. At the beginning of every concert, he walks out with his hair neatly slicked back and out of his face. However, throughout the performance, it swiftly falls out of place and his curly hair becomes more visible. Dudamel conducts with a unique level of energy and passion that I have not seen in other conductors. He never stands still, with both feet planted into the ground, for more than a second – if that. He is constantly bouncing around, swaying, and moving with the music. It is through his large, sweeping movements that one can tell how passionate Dudamel is about the music he conducts.

            The first piece was beautifully done and the musicians prepared for the second piece: the clarinet concerto “Ego eimi” / “Ich bin” from the cycle “Montafon” by Herbert Willi. Willi is a contemporary Austrian composer who was born in 1956 (“Herbert Willi”). He has won numerous awards and competitions and has traveled all over the world to perform and conduct music. Willi composed this clarinet concerto, which was commissioned by the Salzburg Festival, to mark Mozart’s 250^th birthday in 2006. The clarinet concerto is the third part of his cycle “Montafon,” which comprises the Concerto for trumpet and orchestra “Eirene” and the Double Concerto for flute, oboe, and orchestra “…geraume Zeit…” (“Work of the Week”). This was my favorite piece of the afternoon. The concerto is comprised of calmer, slow movements as well as rich and virtuosic clarinet solos. There are several moments throughout the piece in which an almost jazz-like theme emerges with a great percussion part. Having been the principal clarinetist of the Vienna Philharmonic since 2007, this was Matthias Schorn’s debut as a soloist with the Vienna Philhamarmonic; he had an amazing performance (“Matthias Schorn”). At the end of the piece, the audience applauded loudly – even more so when Herbert Willi, himself, walked on stage from the audience. I felt very honored to have seen this piece performed with the composer sitting in the same room.

            After a short intermission, we all returned to our spots to enjoy the last piece of the concert: Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Although I love watching Dudamel conduct and I think the Vienna Philharmonic is an amazing orchestra, this was my least favorite piece. It may have had to do with the piece’s length, combined with the fact that I had already been standing for about an hour, but I just did not enjoy this piece as much as I enjoyed the first two – especially the clarinet concerto. However, I did still like the second half of the concert and loved every second of being at the Musikverein.

            When the concert came to a close, the performers received a standing ovation from the audience and the applause lasted for a very long time. The audience began to dissipate and I decided to explore more of the Musikverein. As I was walking down a hallway that ran along the left-hand side of the Großer Saal, I noticed that there was a small group of people gathered around the side stage door at the end of the hall. As I got closer, I realized why they were there: Gustavo Dudamel was right there, signing autographs, taking pictures, and talking with them. Obviously, I immediately freaked out and managed to squeeze my way right next to him. After waiting my turn, I was able to get Dudamel’s autograph and take a picture with him. I also told him that I am from Los Angeles and have seen him conduct at the Hollywood Bowl before. I was definitely a bit star-struck after our interaction and I left the Musikverein with a huge smile on my face. This may have been my favorite performance that I have seen in Vienna all semester and it might have something to do with the fact that I got to meet Gustavo Dudamel. The Vienna Philharmonic gave an amazing performance and I am very glad that I was able to see them before leaving Vienna.

ME AND GUSTAVO DUDAMEL

Der Musikverein

Post-College Plans?

Today, I decided that I'm going to apply to be a Student Assistant with my study abroad program in Vienna after I graduate from college. I spoke with one of the staff members about it and our talk made me excited for it. Since the date of my return to the United States is quickly approaching, I've realized how much I'm going to miss being in Vienna. This has been an amazing experience. I've had my ups and my downs, but it was worth it all in the end. I couldn't have imagined going through four years of college and not studying abroad. I am so glad that I did this. I'm going to miss this so much. Going back to the United States (back to real school) is going to be weird; it'll take some getting used to.
I really really want to come back here, so why not?! I kind of can't wait until I can finally apply for the position...but, I have to wait another year until I can do that. Wow, I can't believe I'm half way done with my junior year. I graduate in 1.5 years!
Okay, this post needs to end now, I'm thinking about too many things and freaking myself out haha


Now, back to studying for finals and writing more papers! YAY

10 million things to do and see in one city

Life in Vienna has been pretty crazy since I last wrote on here. I started classes on September 20th and they've all gone pretty smoothly so far. So what have I been doing over the past 3 weeks? Well, I have definitely been to a lot of museums...let's make a list: Leopold Museum (fo' FREE) Kaffee-Erlebnismuseum "Coffee Experience Museum" (got free coffee, wine, and bread) Haus der Musik (saw live music and had fun with the interactive exhibits) Kunst Haus Wien (oh my goodness, I love Hundertwasser's artwork and architecture! He has definitely become one of my favorite artists. Everything he does is so colorful and creative and wonderful. I just can't get over it.)

Albertina (They had a "From Monet to Picasso" exhibit going on) Wien Museum Mozarthaus (We only saw one floor of this one because we didn't realize that it wasn't part of the free Sunday thing for the Wien Museums until a woman told us that we needed to buy tickets....so, we just left after that happened...) Römermuseum Neidhart Fresken (the oldest secular mural paintings in Vienna) Beethoven Pasqualatihaus (Where he wrote his 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th symphonies, along with his opera "Fidelio") I think that list covers all of the ones I've seen over the past few weeks. I went to most of them for free, except for the Coffee, Music, Hundertwasser, ad Albertina ones. But, those were all part of Lange Nacht der Museen "Long Night of Museums," and we just had to pay for one 11-Euro ticket to get into all of them! That event went on from 6pm to 1am on the first Saturday of October and it was a lot of fun and completely worth it. If I had paid for each of those museums individually, it would have cost over 30 Euro! And then the next day was the free day for the Wien Museums. On September 30th, I went to the Zentralfriedhof, which is a beautiful cemetery in Vienna that has a huge church in the center of it. The grounds are gorgeous and it's the cemetery where several famous composers are buried, including Beethoven, Strauss, Brahms, and Schubert. There is also a Mozart memorial there. Mozart was buried in a mass grave, so no one knows exactly where he is buried, but he definitely wasn't buried in Zentralfriedhof, they just made a memorial for him there because the cemetery has become famous because of all the composers (and other famous people) who have been buried there.

I also finally had the chance to ride the Riesenrad (Ferris Wheel)!! It was fun and we had an amazing view of the city. It's not a super thrilling thing to do, but I think it's something that everyone needs to do at some point while in Vienna. The Riesenrad is just so iconic and everyone knows what it is, you have to go on it eventually.

Over the course of 3 days (the 25th to the 27th), I saw 2 operas! Don Giovanni and Alcina. Surprisingly enough, I liked Alcina more than Don Giovanni. I think a lot of it had to do with the set for Alcina. Alcina's staging was much more elaborate than Don Giovanni's and just looked a lot fancier. Also, I realized that I actually sang one of the arias from Alcina for my jury last year - I felt kind of dumb for not remembering it before it was being performed in the opera, but oh well. Both of the operas were amazing and I can't believe that each of them only cost me 4 Euro - that's the price of a kebab box, guys! What else have I seen...Oh! I explored more of Schönbrunn and fell in love with it. Schönbrunn has beautiful gardens that go on forever, I feel like I haven't even seen half of the grounds. I can't wait to actually go inside one day soon!

I think one of the best things I've done in Vienna happened this past Thursday. It was the last warm and sunny day that we had in Vienna before the rain kicked in on Friday. A friend invited me and Rachael to hang out at the Danube, so we went. After laying out and walking around for a couple of hours, we walked over to the U-Bahn station on this bridge. Then, we all decided to jump into the river. I had said earlier that if they did it (again), I'd do it, too. But, all of a sudden, when the time actually came, I got nervous and was unsure. I knew I had to do it, though. When else was I going to get the chance to jump into the Danube from a bridge?! We climbed over the railing and I held onto the bar for my life. My friends counted down...they jump. I'm the last one to jump and it's one of the most invigorating feelings ever. I just can't imagine ever feeling that alive again, it was such a rush and I loved it. I did end up landing kind of funny and I now have a pretty gnarly bruise on my leg from it, but it was completely worth it and I'm really glad I jumped. The evening ended with us all hanging out, talking, and having fun in a bar across the street from my friend's apartment. It was the kind of afternoon/evening I really needed. I have to say, I've met some pretty cool people since I've been here. I'm glad I've been able to meet students from all over the United States (and some from other parts of the world, too) and I'm looking forward to getting to know them even better. That's one of the main reasons for studying abroad: meeting new, different people who have had different experiences than I have had and I really just love meeting new people. Although I've done quite a bit in Vienna, I still feel like there is so much that I need to see. But, at the same time, there is a lot of traveling I still need to do! I'm off to Salzburg in the morning, for the second time! I didn't get to do and see everything I wanted to the first time I went, so it's time for round two and this time I'm going on The Sound of Music Tour. I don't know if you guys know this, but I LOVE The Sound of Music. Like...a LOT. I literally grew up on the movie and music and have been obsessed with it since I was about 3 years old. My father told me that my sister and I used to watch it basically everyday after getting home from preschool/kindergarten. So, I knew that it was something that I needed to do while studying abroad in Austria; there was no way I was about to let that opportunity pass me by and if I had, I would have regretted it. So, I guess I shold get some sleep before the busy day ahead of me! Goodnight :]

The Blue Danube

Maybe you should listen to this while you read this post:



It actually doesn't really matter...
Anyway, this afternoon I swam in The Danube (after my 3-hour German class in the morning). It's not so blue, but it was pretty cool. It was a great afternoon spent with friends, lying out on a dock in the sun...well, kind of sun. At first, none of us had really gone in the water. We were about to leave because it had started to rain a little but once it stopped, we went back to the dock and I had the sudden urge to get in the water. I didn't want to jump in by myself, so Belle and I jumped together. This started a trend and we convinced everyone else to get in, especially after Belle said "You don't want to leave here and say 'Yeah...I looked at The Danube...'". I know I'm glad I jumped in.
The train ride back was a bit wet and we all smelled like Danube and I'm pretty sure it looked like I peed my pants, but now I've showered and I feel fantastic.

I'm kind of in love with this place.

Oh, and I'll put pictures up once people put them on facebook. I didn't take any with my own camera today.

Blog Change

Hey guys, so I know I've done a really bad job of updating this over the past couple of months and I apologize. This summer has been a little busier than I thought it would be and I honestly have not had much time to enjoy some good summer music (except for the weekend that I spent in Ojai in June that I meant to write about but never really got around to...oops). Anyway, I just want to let you all know that I am going to Vienna for the next 4 and a 1/2 months starting on August 16th! Therefore, this blog will turn into my travel blog. I'm sure it will include plenty of stories about music outings (don't worry, I've already looked up concerts happening in the area and I've marked three or four down in my calendar). I'm also hoping to register for a music class that will include trips to the opera! So, hopefully, I will be able to keep the music theme going at least somewhat. But, you will also be reading about all my European adventures - at least, the ones that I choose to share with the world.
HOWEVER, I don't have a new name for this blog! I want it to be something clever and fun and obviously Vienna- or Austria-related. So, if you have any ideas, please let me know! Because I literally have nothing (except for some random inside joke with my friends that no one else will understand).
Thanks for reading and I will update this once I begin my adventures abroad! :]