June 25 - July 25, 2010

When a nation celebrates itself as “blessed with beauty” in its national anthem, there must be a particularly special relationship between the people and art. At least art, or beauty, is considered to be of national importance. Paula von Preradović wrote the text of the Austrian national anthem at a time when, after the end of the Nazi reign, the first glimmers of hope were appearing from among the material and emotional destruction. At a time when the horror of nationalism and other isms could still be palpably felt, she defined Austria through its seemingly worry-free unique attributes: nature, “Land of mountains”, and as a society of artists, not only in Austrian opinion, but also from an outside perspective: “Much-praised Austria”.

The styriarte 2010 takes up this idea and asks, using a phrase from Paula von Preradović’s text, about the nation of Austria and why it is characterised by her central art form: music. The search for Austria in music leads far back to a time which didn’t yet know anything of nations, but of families who saw their territory as a god-given possession. It is surprising how very much art in the Middle Ages could determine the status of a court, and how strongly even the first Austrian ruling families, the Babenbergs, could increase their fame through court musicians. Walther von der Vogelweide is perhaps the first in a long row of court composers who lead the 2010 styriarte audience through centuries. From the Babenbergs to the Habsburgs, who, like Emperor Frederick III, had their sovereign’s motto set to music, who, like Ferdinand III or Leopold I, composed themselves or, like Joseph II, gathered the most brilliant composers of the world in their court. Among all this, a young Styrian farmer boy climbs to the illustrious ranks of the Viennese court composers: Johann Joseph Fux, whose 350th birthday is celebrated in 2010 and to whom the styriarte will be paying particular attention this year.

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styriarte. The film