Welcome to Vienna - Austria and to the 128th edition of the Forum Song Contest (FSC)
Willkommen in Österreich!
The main theme for this FSC-edition is:
‘Austria: Mastery of Classical Music’
We are here as a result of Austria’s great victory in FSC #127 September 2019
with Thorsteinn Einarsson’s song ‘ Symphony (Veiðimaður) ’ [ video under picture ^ ]
Congratulations once again!
The Host city for this FSC #128-edition is : Vienna - Austria , or Wien , the federal capital , largest
city and one of nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primate city , with a population of about 1.9
million ( 2.6 million within the metropolitan area ) , and is its cultural , economic, and , political centre
The city of Vienna , is the second largest German-speaking city after Berlin and just before Hamburg.
Vienna is host to many major international organizations, including the United Nations & OPEC. The
city is located in the eastern part of Austria, and is close to the borders of Czech Republic, Slovakia,
and Hungary. In 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In July 2017 it
was moved to the UNESCO list of World Heritage in Danger due to plans of a new high-rise complex
There's indications of continuous habitation in the Vienna area since 500 BC , when Celts settled the
site on the Danube River. 15 BC the Romans fortified the frontier city they called Vindobona to guard
the empire against Germanic tribes up north . Close ties with other Celtic peoples continued through
the ages. Irish Benedictines founded 12th-century monastic settlements ('Schottenstift monastery').
In 976 Leopold I of Babenberg became count of the EasternMarch, a 60-mile district centering on the
Danube on the eastern frontier of Bavaria. This initial district grew into the duchy of Austria. Each suc
ceeding Babenberg ruler expanded the march east along the Danube , & finally encompassing Vienna
and the lands immediately east. In 1145 Duke Henry II Jasomirgott moved the Babenbergs to Vienna.
From that time , Vienna remained the center of the Babenberg dynasty , after they moved their family
residence from Klosterneuburg in Lower Austria. In 1440 Vienna became the resident city of the Hab
sburg dynasty. It eventually grew to become the de facto capital of the Roman Empire (800 AD-1806)
in 1437 , and became a cultural centre and regional nexus for arts and science , music & fine cuisine.
In the 16th and 17th centuries , Christian forces stopped Ottoman armies twice outside Vienna (with
the Siege of Vienna [the first attempt by the Ottoman Empire to capture the city of Vienna, 1529] and
the Battle of Vienna [at Kahlenberg Mountain near Vienna after Ottoman siege, 1683]) . A plague epi
demic (' The Great Plague of Vienna ') ravaged the city in 1679, killing nearly a third of its population.
In 1804 during the Napoleonic Wars, Vienna became the capital of the new-formed Austrian Empire.
The city continued to play a major role, in European & world politics , including hosting the Congress
of Vienna in 1814/15. After the AustroHungarian Compromise of 1867, Vienna remained the capital
of what became the AustroHungarian Empire. The city functioned as main centre of classical music
‘Austria: Mastery of Classical Music’
‘Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’: a Musical Genius
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27th January 1756 - 5th December 1791) was a very influential composer
of classical music of what is often termed, the classical era (1720-1830) . He is considered one of the
greatest composers of all time . Born in Salzburg , Mozart showed prodigious ability , from his earliest
childhood. Already competent on keyboard and violin , he composed from the age of five & performed
before European royalty. At 17 Mozart was engaged as a musician at the Salzburg court but grew rest
less and travelled in search of a better position. While visiting Vienna in 1781 , he was dismissed from
his Salzburg position. He remained in the capital , where he achieved fame , but little financial security.
During his final years in Vienna , he composed many of his famous symphonies , concertos , & operas,
& portions of the Requiem, which was largely unfinished at the time of his early death at the age of 35.
He composed more than 600 works many of which are acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic incl.
the “Requiem” mass) , concertante ( concertos for piano, & violin ) , chamber music , operatic (famous
operas - “Don Giovanni”, “The Marriage of Figaro”, “The Magic Flute” (die Zauberflöte), “Cosi fan tutte”)
and various choral music . His works are performed all over the world, & his life was portrayed on film.
Mozart is among the most enduringly admired and popular of classical composers , & his influence
is profound on subsequent Western art music . Ludwig van Beethoven composed his early works in
the shadow of Mozart, & Joseph Haydn said "posterity will not see such a talent again in 100 years"
His association with Vienna , is seen several places in the city , incl. Mozart-monuments. The city is
home to a number of opera houses including the Theater an der Wien, the Staatsoper and the Volks
oper, the latter being devoted to the typical Viennese operetta. Classical concerts (many by Mozart)
are performed at world-famous venues such as the Wiener Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philhar
monic Orchestra known across the world for the annual widely broadcast "New Year's Day Concert",
as well as the Wiener Konzerthaus , home of the internationally renowned Vienna Symphony . Many
concertvenues offer concerts aimed at tourists featuring popular highlights of Viennese music part
icularly the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as well as Johann Strauss I and Johann Strauss II.
In 1991 Mozart was honoured in the germanic world with a stamp on the 200th day since his death,
as can be seen depicted on the commemorative banners , chosen for this FSC-edition from Vienna.
During the latter half of the 19th century, Vienna developed what had previously been the bastions &
glacis into the Ringstraße, a new boulevard surrounding the historical town and a major prestige pro
ject. Former suburbs were incorporated , & the city of Vienna grew dramatically. In 1918, after World
War I, Vienna became capital of Republic of German-Austria, & in 1919 of the 1st Republic of Austria
From the late 19th century to 1938 , the city remained a centre of high culture, and of modernism. A
world capital of music , Vienna played host to composers such as Brahms , Bruckner, Mahler & Rich
ard Strauss. The city's cultural contributions in the first half of the 20th century incl. the Vienna Sece
ssion movement in art, psychoanalysis, and the Second Viennese School (Arnold Schoenberg & co.)
In the 1970s , Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky inaugurated the Vienna International Centre , a new
area of the city created to host international institutions . Vienna has regained much of its former int
ernational stature by hosting international organizations , such as the United Nations, the Internation
al Atomic Energy Agency , and and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ( OSCE ).
Vienna is located in northeastern Austria , at the easternmost extension of the Alps, in the Vienna Ba
sin. The earliest settlement at the location of today's inner city, was south of the meandering Danube
while the city now spans both sides of the river. The heart and historical city of Vienna, a large part of
today's Innere Stadt, was a fortress surrounded by fields , as to defend itself from potential attackers.
Historical buildings in Vienna include the Rathaus (town hall), the Burgtheater, the University, the Par
liament , the twin museums of natural history and fine art , and the Staatsoper. It is also the location
of New Wing of the Hofburg, the former imperial palace, and the Imperial and Royal War Ministry fini
shed in 1913 . The mainly Gothic Stephansdom is located at the centre of the city, on Stephansplatz.
Art and culture has a long tradition in Vienna , including theatre , opera, classical music and fine arts.
The Burgtheater is considered one of the best theatres in the German-speaking world. The Volksthea
ter Wien , and the Theater in der Josefstadt also enjoy good reputations . There is also a multitude of
smaller theatres in the city to some extent dedicated to more modern, experimental plays or cabaret.
Vienna has a multitude of museums. The Hofburg is the location of the Imperial Treasury (Schatzkam
mer) , holding the imperial jewels of the Habsburg dynasty.The Sisi Museum (museum devoted to the
Empress Elisabeth of Austria) allows visitors to view the imperial apartments as well as the silver cab
inet. Directly opposite the Hofburg are the Kunsthistorisches Museum (with paintings by old masters)
Famous city sights: Karlskirche , Vienna City Hall , Austrian Parliament Building , Vienna State Opera,
Scönbrunn palace and gardens, the Spanish Riding School, and the Belvedere Palace. There are also
many historical monuments in the city . Vienna also has a modern city centre with plenty hotels, rest
aurants, cafes, bars & nightlife. Also modern transportation & shops aplenty. It's also a city of sports.
Vienna is also a popular University city, and one of its most famous higher education institutions , is
the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU) , the Vienna University of Economics and Business. It is the lar
gest University focusing on business and economics in Europe and, in terms of student body, one of
the largest Universities in Austria. It has been ranked as one of the best business schools in Europe.
Host venue for FSC #128 October 2019 is : the Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU) Campus ,
which shows the modern side of Vienna, with its modern stylish and nice architecture. WU was fou
nded on October 1,1898 as Exportakademie to provide professional training to future businessmen
& thus stimulate the Austro-Hungarian empire's economy . Today , WU has more than 20.000 stude
nts and over 400 researchers & teachers , among those about 90 full professors . It increasingly dra
ws students from outside Austria , mostly from Central & Eastern Europe . Most of the faculty are of
Austrian or German nationality. The new University location is dubbed " Campus WU " & had its grou
ndbreaking ceremony in October 2009 . Close to the Prater public park , & next to the e
bition centre of Vienna, the campus features 6 main buildingcomplexes, resting on approximately 25 acres (10
ha) . The master plan, was created by BUSarchitektur , under guidance of the architect Laura P. Spin
adel. The campus-buildings are designed by architectural firms from nations Spain, United Kingdom
Germany, Japan & Austria. Campus WU has many facilities & are proud to host tonight's FSC-edition
Our lovely Hosts this evening are:
Ankathie Koi , WURST (aka Conchita) , „Christl Clear“
Ankathie Koi is a famous singer-songwriter who lives in Vienna, Austria. She was born in Burghausen,
Upper Bavaria, Germany and has been living in Austria since 2003. She studied jazz singing at the Lin
zer Musikuni with Elfi Aichinger. Since 2009 she has lived in Vienna . In 2011 she founded with Judith
Filimónova the duo Fijuka, which produced two pop albums inspired by the music sound of the 1980s
She has been performing as a solo-artist since 2015 and her first solo-album was released in 2017. A
2nd album came in 2019 . She has one of the most impressive voices on the Austrian music scene, &
is also known for her almost gender-fluid stage persona. Colorful, she's not afraid to push boundaries
WURST is the current artist name used by Thomas Neuwirth , the famous Austrian singer best known
for his drag queen stagepersona Conchita who came to international attention after winning the Euro
vision Song Contest 2014 as Austria's entrant with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix". Neuwirth, it is said,
uses masculine pronouns, when referring to himself , but feminine pronouns to describe Conchita . In
2019 he revealed, that he would continue under the stage name WURST with a more masculine expre
ssion, which also incorporates a new look , while the feminine expression would be with Conchita. He
continues to produce music (and has released several singles in 2018 & 2019), & to push boundaries.
„Christl Clear“ is a well known blogger and 'influencer' who lives in Vienna , Austria . It is said that she
calls herself a ‘human medium’ , a person who places herself in the center of communication and life
and wishes to influence and speak her heart on matters of importance to her and to many others too.
Her social media presence is effective , and as the probably most successful black/coloured blogger
in a nation where racial discrimination exists , she is courageous & knows that threaths abound . She
has a voice and she uses it , as one of very few coloured people in the Austrian world of media, some
-thing that is appreciated by many incl. young people in Austria. She is not afraid to push boundaries.
And we are now pleased to announce
The Opening Act
an exclusive International Guest Appearance
by the 1980s active American music project
Fire Inc (ft. Holly Sherwood)
performing their e
larating melodyfrom the ‘Streets of Fire’ Soundtrack
’Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young’
Once again, welcome to the 128th edition of the Forum Song Contest.
Let the Show begin!
THE-
We are pleased to announce
The Interval Acts
a Special National Artist Performance
by the Austrian singer and songwriter
AVEC
a former FSC-participant
singing this popular song
’Under Water’
-and-
a Special National Artist Performance
by the compelling Austrian indie-band
Nihils
perfoming one of
their popular songs
’Breathing’
We are pleased to announce
The Closing Act
an exclusive International Guest Appearance
by the adept Norwegian cinematic composer
Thomas Bergersen
performing one of his
epic music productions
’Empire of Angels’
Thank You - and Good Night - from Vienna - Austria!
7 day Evaluation Period
The Evaluation Period is 7 days from the beginning of the contest. If you find any songs that
you believe may break the FSC Rules , please contact the FSC Mods via PM (off the boards)
Voting deadline
27th October, 23:59 CET
Vote Collector (PM)
aardvark
OR Use your FSC Private Forum
Keep in mind, that only votes submitted in your FSC Private Forum, or sent to the FSC Mod Vote
Collector, after the Evaluation Period is finished - and within the voting deadline - will be counted
Enjoy! - and Good Luck To All Entries!
Austria! 
