April 13th

That night we went to a concert held in a palace near the Viennese Parliament. The Viennese Residence Orchestra consisted of a first & second violin, a viola, cello, bass, flute, piano and a pair of opera singers. This ensemble entertained us with the classical music of Mozart and Strauss Jr.

My favourite selections in the first half of the performance were Mozart's Le Nozze Figaro (Overture from the Marriage of Figaro), Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (1) (known as A Little Night Music) and Turkischer Marsch (Turkish March). The Strauss selections I enjoyed most (second half of the performance) were Tik Tak Polka, the Blue Danube Waltz, and Radetzky March. I guess I'm just a traditionalist at heart but I remember playing at least two of those selections myself when I was in Winnipeg's Youth Orchestra another lifetime ago.

A cute part of the performance was when a member of the audience (Sasha, from our tour group) was called upon to play the triangle during a selection. She did a great job. Not surprising when I later learned she's a member of an international Jewish choir which has performed all over the world including places like Carnege Hall.

Continue to April 14th