Reflections on Vienna

Aiming to close that chapter for now, I have to say it was a rather profound experience being there in Vienna, and I can't imagine having come straight here to Völs without having gone to Vienna first.  In fact, I can't imagine having not gone to Vienna, period.  It was such an important part of my progress as a musician and a person, in some ways that are very difficult to explain.  At the very least, I have such a different and more rich idea now of particular aspects of the music I am playing, and I don't know how I would have gained this new richness without having come to see Vienna.

Overall, I am actually quite surprised and very thrilled at the fact that -while there is still so much more to see and visit and learn about there- I really feel as though I found there what I needed to find there, and that I experienced and saw what I went there to experience and see.  I am very happy about that, and what perfect timing going into the Festival, too!  I had wondered if that was best, since I hand't practiced for a bit before I arrived here at the Festival, but the inspiration from having visited Vienna, first, seems irreplaceable and will probably prove to be valuable during my experience here.

There are many thoughts rolling around for me about my experience in Vienna, and here is one of the most important for me:  

1)  This came about while/after looking at Beethoven's winter apartment.  It was not all that impressive by itself.  It was small and awkward, and very normal seeming.  I don't know what I would've been expecting, but when I think about the grand writing from Beethoven, it's just somehow strange to walk into this little apartment with strangely placed relics around.  What I realized is that it wasn't just the apartment that made it important for me to visit where Beethoven lived, but that in conjunction with everything else that I was seeing.  To catch a glimpse of how it all worked together, that has given me a much different view on Beethoven's living quarters.  So, there are perhaps some things that really stand alone (like Stephansdom), and then there are other things which may not have that same solitary affect.  But, when considering it all together, it becomes something quite important.

Funnily enough, despite the apartment itself not being fantastical and seemingly impressive, it is that apartment and little house that I find myself continuing to have as an impression in my memory about Vienna.