Mozart is dead - long live Mozart overkill

Dec 5, 2006, 11:45 GMT

Vienna - Last year as Austria geared up to celebrate the 250th birthday of musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on January 29, 2006, criticism of over-marketing the country's greatest son resounded throughout the local media.

Now with the 215th anniversary of the composer's death approaching on December 5, time has come to revisit the fears of Mozart overkill.

Austria has put a tremendous effort into promoting one of its most famous names, and tourism managers and festival organisers are equally thrilled with the results of the year-long anniversary celebrations.

Peter Marboe, Artistic Director of Vienna's official year-long 'Spirit of Mozart' anniversary festival said that indeed initial scepticism had to be addressed. It was important, he said, that the birthday celebrations not end up as a festival of mindless praise but rather a dialogue about Mozart's genius.

Vienna's festival put strong focus on contemporary artists, an emphasis that was surprisingly well accepted by the traditionally fickle Viennese, he added.

Alfred Stalzer spokesman of Vienna Mozart House, a new museum incorporating Mozart's last existing Vienna domicile, said the new establishment was well established.

'Fresh approaches' to the subject helped increase acceptance and reach out to new audiences, he said.

Tourism managers have had much to smile about in 2006: Vera Scheder of Vienna's tourist board said Mozart did his share to increase visits by 6.7 per cent, a new record. 'Tourism-marketing- wise there was certainly not too much Mozart,' she said.

In Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace, overnight stays increased by 18 per cent in 2006, Maria Altendorfer of the local tourist office said, adding this was mainly due to the Mozart festivities. Positive tourist feedback was encouraging, she said.

Souvenir producers had little cause for complaint either. Martin Fuerst of Fuerst Confectioners who produce the 'Original Salzburger Mozartkugel' chocolates is very happy with 2006 sales. The small family business sold around 2 million Mozart chocolates, 60 per cent more than in the years before. While Fuerst hopes for continued success, he cautioned that predicting developments after the big anniversary ends will be difficult.

Fortunately the much-feared invasion of violin-swinging, powdered- wigged souvenir hawkers did not happen as predicted. At least not more than usual. Mozart chocolates, beer mugs, toys and aprons, all of questionable taste, fill the inner cities of Vienna and Salzburg at any given time, anniversary year or no.

Some people however are less enthused, particularly about the artistic value of the anniversary productions, which they say have left much to be desired. Music critics throughout the country's editorial pages denounced many of the productions as 'disastrous,' 'superficial' and 'excessive.' Quantity triumphed over quality.

Austrian newspaper Die Presse blasted the 'abuse of the genius' name' in its review of the Mozart year, accusing festival organizers of picking over Mozart's bones.

'The Amadeus trademark guarantees attention for things which normally are - often rightly enough - relegated to the sidelines,' the paper wrote.

State Opera head Ioan Holender, a persistent critic of the festivities, repeatedly stated that the overall effect was 'nothing.... apart from big business for very few.'

But what will be the lasting effect of the one-year extravaganza, apart from helping visitors gain weight from eating the ever-present Mozart chocolates?

On the purely material side, the newly adapted museums and opera houses with their hackneyed claims of 'new approaches' are here to stay, for good or bad. Marboe hopes his efforts will have reached out to different groups, especially children.

'We wanted to reach groups of people who normally do not have much to do with Mozart and to remove inhibitions,' he said, convinced that 'the spirit of Mozart will remain.'

'I believe that it would have been a joy for Mozart that we went out to the people,' Marboe said.

As conductor and Mozart expert Nikolaus Harnoncourt put it, 'we need Mozart more than he needs us.'

The question remains, does the world really needed Mozart percussion marathons or five performances in one day of the same Requiem in one city.