Haus der Musik

Chopin tells his story


With the opening of the special exhibition Chopin in Vienna, 1829?1831 the Haus ?der Musik in Vienna joins in the celebrations to pay tribute to the virtuoso pianist and composer from Poland.

Fryderyk Chopin’s 200th birthday is being celebrated not only in his home country but in many other places. This year also sees the 10th anniversary of the Haus der Musik in Vienna and it is devoting a special exhibition to the composer. A broad survey of Chopin’s life and work is presented in the exhibition, but the main focus is on his time in Vienna. The nine months he spent here are depicted using audio-visual media in over 100 exhibits and 50 display panels. Excerpts from his diary, photos, musical manuscripts, and first and foremost Chopin’s extensive correspondence reveal the mixed feelings the artist associated with the capital city on the Danube.

From the eyes of the genius
It is Chopin himself who describes his experiences in Vienna in a really private manner to the visitor. The exhibition is arranged chronologically and the conscious use of the narrative in the first person in the accompanying texts conveys a view of the city through the eyes of the artist. There are also audio examples of the works he composed in Vienna as an additional fascination for the ear.


grand staircase
courtyard
Grand staircase and courtyard of the Haus der Musik in Vienna


Inspiration in Vienna
It was indeed an eventful period for the young composer in Vienna. He undertook his first trip in July 1829, when his teacher Josef Elsner recognised the particular musical talent of the 19-year-old and wanted to give him relevant encouragement in Vienna. The twenty-one days of his first stay are believed to have been especially inspiring for Chopin. He was above all able to indulge in his particular love of opera. Despite his shyness and consequent stage fright when playing before a large audience, his first performance was received with frenetic applause. The Viennese had discovered the genius ? and the young Chopin left the city with two completed piano concertos in his luggage.

Political turmoil
In November 1830 Chopin set out again for Vienna, full of optimism and bursting with energy. However, political events made life difficult. In Warsaw, which was in the meantime ruled by Tsarist Russia, there was an uprising by the Polish population. Out of loyalty towards the occupying forces the Austrian government censored all cultural activities from Poland, which caused Chopin severe professional constraints at a time when he was already plagued by anxieties. In the eight months of his second stay in Vienna he was only able to perform once in public, the other concerts were simply cancelled or postponed indefinitely. The city he had loved so much had also become musically alien to him. His eagerness to compose did not wane, but the Viennese public was not very enthusiastic about his mazurkas because during the carnival season lighter waltzes were preferred. Initially Chopin had absolutely no affinity to this music but his later works were influenced by melodies of the composers of the Viennese waltzes. Chopin suffered from depression and he tried to take his mind off things by taking extended walks on the Kahlenberg and in the Prater as well as in the inner city. Nevertheless, as his professional situation did not improve, he set off in the summer of 1831 for Paris.


sculpture by M?rton Barab?s
sculpture by Edward Sitek
Special exhibits: a piano sculpture by M?rton Barab?s, a marble sculpture by Edward Sitek


Exhibition mounted by a compatriot
Piotr Szalsza is the curator whose creative mind has devised the exhibition. Polish by birth, he is himself a trained musician, worked as a stage-director, scriptwriter and journalist, and has made a name for himself all over the world as an expert on Chopin. He has made over 40 documentaries and music films, and has also written over 200 television screenplays, which testify to his pronounced close relationship to Chopin the man and musician. Piotr Szalsza has lived in Vienna since 1983.

The fringe programme
The special exhibition is accompanied by a musical fringe programme. From 19 June to 28 August young international performers are giving Chopin summer concerts in the inner courtyard of the Haus der Musik. Anyone who might think that this is something only for fans of classical music will be proved wrong: on 16 April the motto is Chopin goes Jazz at the concert Chopin Around.


P. Szalsza and S. Posch
Chopin
Curator Piotr Szalsza (left) and museum director Simon K. Posch at the opening of the exhibition


The host also celebrates an anniversary
The Haus der Musik in Vienna is joining in the celebrations: it was founded in June 2000, and with its unique world of sounds and experiences it has become firmly established on the cultural scene in Vienna. Festivities and a rich and varied programme of events begin on 1 June and last for a symbolic ten days.



 
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