Society 09 / 01 Work place for artists
Symbol of Tradition and Culture
Interview with Joanna
Mądroszkiewicz about her career and the attractiveness of Austria and
especially Vienna as a place for artists to work.
Mrs Mądroszkiewicz,
Could you tell us something about the beginning of your success in
Vienna?
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My debut was at the Konzerthaus in Vienna on December 14, 1981. Even the
dress rehearsal was very exciting for me and this was not only because
it was my first performance in Vienna but also because of the political
situation in Poland, where martial law had been imposed on December 13.
The concert was a huge success and the reaction of the audience exceeded
all my expectations. Thus I decided to stay in Vienna and started to
study at the University of Music.
The Viennese tradition has a reputation worldwide and I took the
opportunity to study at this particular school in addition to the
training I had in Poland. I'm very familiar with the tradition of Polish
violin music, which has French and Belgian origins.
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The impact of the famous composers who once worked and lived in Vienna
is still noticeable.
What makes Vienna an interesting place for
musicians? What is it that attracts professional and ambitious artists?
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- I think the impact of the
famous composers who once worked and lived in Vienna is still noticeable.
Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert, for example, lived here and all left their
mark on the city. Their music lives on in the population. Austrians who have
been surrounded by classical music all their lives have acquired a unique
feeling for music. For that reason Vienna has a number of first-class
concert halls the Konzerthaus and the Musikverein with its excellent
acoustics or the Vienna Philharmonie Orchestra and the Vienna Symphony, both
of which are among the top orchestras in the world.
Do you see Vienna as a city
that helps young musicians achieve popularity? Do you regard Vienna as a
spring-board for an international career?
- Yes and no. Vienna is ferst
and foremost a conservative city. That's why it's on the last and not the
first step of the international job ladder. Viennese audiences belong to a
fastidious category of music fans and aren't very open-minded when it comes
to new developments in music. Having said that, it would be more apt to
describe Vienna as a "palace of art" rather than as a "spring-board" for an
international career. On the other hand it can help young artists on their
way to popularity, too. A performance in the Künstlerhaus or in the
Musikverein can stimulate the career of artists, as you can see in my case.
How would you describe the
Polish music scene in Vienna? Do you see in the contribution of Polish
composers and musicians any significance for the Viennese tradition?
- Most notably singers like
Stefania Toczyska of the State Opera House or J. Borowska, who currently
teaches at the University of Music in Graz, have contributed a great deal to
the Austrian music scene. And it's always been a concern of mine to keep my
house open for musicians of Polish origin. In so doing I have made close
friends, e.g. with the composer Zbigniew Bargielski.
It's important that the
influx of young Polish musicians, mainly students, is getting stronger. On
the one hand this is a result of the mobility of young people, on the other
hand Vienna is still attractive as a symbol of tradition and culture. |