Vienna Institute for Cultural and Contemporary History
The Vienna Institute for Cultural and Contemporary History and Arts (VICCA) was established to serve as a network interchange for the broad dissemination of modern Viennese cultural history. VICCA’s foundational work draws on international influences and developments documented in our own research as well as the incorporation of findings of current academic research by external scholars.
Our goal is to engage the public at large, especially young people, through versatile engagements, in order to pique interest in cultural-historical questions. From youth living in all districts of Vienna to interested and engaged professors from South Africa to the USA, our reach has no bounds.
News
Straussmania
Gerald Heidegger and Oliver Rathkolb about “Straussmania”
Our image of the Biedermeier era is slightly distorted. It is not completely true that the era of the authoritarian state Chancellor Metternich only led us to retreat into a private sphere when one considers the music played in public. Even before the revolution of 1848, a popular culture was emerging in the imperial capital and royal seat of Vienna that was supported by new dance music. Instead of being barricaded in the dark at home, thousands joined in the movement. This revolution was founded not least by the Strauss family, but also by Lanner, Ziehrer and many other creative musicians. (Full text)
All Straussmania chapters
- December 31: The Complex History Behind a Vienna Philharmonic TraditionA global event today, the orchestra’s annual New Year’s Concert took shape during dark days in Austrian history. If the Vienna Philharmonic’s annual New Year’s Concert is a global success, its legacy and reach rest on five pillars: a marvelous orchestra; internationally renowned conductors; a timeless repertoire, by the Strauss family and other composers of the 19th century; a splendid location, the gilded Musikverein; and TV broadcasts watched most recently by some 1.2 million people in 92 countries on five continents. Continue reading
- 30. December: The Strauss Brothers and the Music SocietyOtto Biba After the city walls of Vienna were torn down and the surrounding moat filled in, a magnificent boulevard was to be built in its place. The Society of Friends of Music (Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde) then received a plot … Continue reading
The Complex History Behind a Vienna Philharmonic Tradition
A global event today, the orchestra’s annual New Year’s Concert took shape during dark days in Austrian history.
If the Vienna Philharmonic’s annual New Year’s Concert is a global success, its legacy and reach rest on five pillars: a marvelous orchestra; internationally renowned conductors; a timeless repertoire, by the Strauss family and other composers of the 19th century; a splendid location, the gilded Musikverein; and TV broadcasts watched most recently by some 1.2 million people in 92 countries on five continents. (Full text)
Oliver Rathkolbs article in the New York Times
Copyright: Wiener Philharmoniker / Dieter Nagl
