Three Places in Vienna (score & parts) - OB/CL/BSN

I. Augarten im Winter

II. Die Malteserkirche

III. Die Spittelauer Muellverbrennungsanlage

Program notes from the composer:

For three and a half months in 2012, my family and I lived in Vienna, Austria. Each day we would explore a new neighborhood, church, museum, historical site, etc. Each movement of this piece is based on a particular place in Vienna that was meaningful in some way to me. 

Movement One: The Augarten in Vienna is a massive part in which there are expansive gardens, delightful playgrounds, a porcelain museum, the housing for the Vienna Boys Choir, and two large looming flak towers. Hitler built the towers between 160 and 180 feet tall during World War II, equipped with anti-aircraft guns, and they are virtually indestructible. After the war, the cost of dismantling them was too great; it was decided to leave them where they were. The two in the Augarten remain empty and unused, concrete monoliths overlooking all. This movement tries to capture the beauty of the park, the fun of the playgrounds, and the reminders of a darker time in history. 

Movement Two: The Maltese Church is a small unassuming church located in a row of businesses on one of the busiest shipping precincts in Vienna- Kartnerstrasse. I stumbled upon it almost by accident. I entered the church in the midst of a mid-day church service. The only people present were the priest singing Mass, the organist up in the loft, and two congregants. I stood quietly in the back as the lone priest sang a peaceful recitation with organ accompaniment; instead of the usual incense, it smelled as though there were wood chips burning. The tranquility of the sanctuary, combined with the hypnotic quality of the singing, made a deep and lasting impression on me. I have tried to capture that in this movement. 

Movement Three: Rising above Vienna is a large fantastical smokestack. Instead of the usual boring smokestacks seen most everywhere, this one (designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a visionary artist and architect) features a vibrant blue color with a large gold misshapen sphere near the top. This smokestack catches the eye immediately. When I first saw it, near our apartment, I thought it must be Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. It is part of a larger building complex in which there is an environmentally friendly waster incinerator, and apartments. The apartment- all uniquely Hundertwasser, with purposely-crooked bricks and windows, checkerboard paint and decorative ceramic tiles- are powered and heated by the incinerator. Hundertwasser was very conscious of the environment; much of his architecture blends into the surrounding landscape or incorporates trees and foliage in some way. This movement tries to capture the off-kilter, yet somehow sensible, aesthetic of Hundertwasser's architecture. 

--Jaren Hinckley