The Vienna Art Orchestra was a European jazz group based in Vienna , Austria . Organized at different times as either a big band or as a smaller combo, it was regarded as one of the leading European jazz ensembles and was an official cultural ambassador of the Republic of Austria.
19-400: Founded in 1977 by director and composer Mathias Rüegg , the band started out by performing Rüegg's postmodern compositions on stages throughout Europe. Among the founding musicians were singer Lauren Newton , saxophonists Wolfgang Puschnig and Harry Sokal , trombone player Christian Radovan , tuba player Jon Sass , and mallet percussionist Woody Schabata . In 1980, the ensemble signed
38-659: A long period of the Middle Ages, much of what would become Upper Austria constituted Traungau , a region of the Duchy of Bavaria . In the mid-13th century, it became known as the Principality above the Enns River ( Fürstentum ob der Enns ), this name being first recorded in 1264. (At the time, the term "Upper Austria" also included Tyrol and various scattered Habsburg possessions in southern Germany.) In 1490,
57-628: A military campaign, the area was under the control of Bavaria for some years in the early 17th century. The Innviertel was ceded from the Electorate of Bavaria to Upper Austria in the Treaty of Teschen in 1779. During the Napoleonic Wars , Upper Austria was occupied by the French army on more than one occasion. In 1918 after the collapse of Austria-Hungary , the name Oberösterreich
76-588: A million refugees . The Soviet and American armies occupied Upper Austria as hundreds of thousands of people fled from both sides of the land front. The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the state was 65.9 billion € in 2018, accounting for 17.1% of the Austria's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 39,500 € or 131% of the EU27 average in the same year. The Upper Austrian state constitution defines Upper Austria as an independent state of
95-626: A recording contract with the Swiss hatART label, and in 1984 they toured the United States for the first time. The group essentially disbanded for a brief period at the end of the 1980s. In 1992, the VAO opened a new phase with a smaller complement of musicians. The band played fewer of Rüegg's compositions and concentrated on arrangements of works by Duke Ellington , Charles Mingus , and other noted American jazz composers, as well as music inspired by
114-478: A solo jazz pianist, joined later by saxophonist Wolfgang Puschnig . The duo formed the core of an ensemble that in 1977 became the Vienna Art Orchestra . Rüegg's distinctive, often humorous compositions have drawn on a range of influences, from traditional folk music to classics. He has also led the VAO to explore the big band repertory of American jazz composers such as Duke Ellington . Besides
133-476: Is one of the nine states or Länder of Austria . Its capital is Linz . Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic , as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria , Styria , and Salzburg . With an area of 11,982 km (4,626 sq mi) and 1.49 million inhabitants, Upper Austria is the fourth-largest Austrian state by land area and the third-largest by population. For
152-570: The Vienna Art Orchestra from 1977 to 2010. Born in Zurich , Switzerland, son of linguist Robert Rüegg, Mathias Rüegg began playing jazz in secondary school. Trained as a schoolteacher, he taught for a while in special-needs schools. From 1973 to 1975 he attended the Musikhochschule in Graz , Austria, studying classical composition and jazz piano. In Vienna he performed in a nightclub as
171-835: The VAO, Rüegg has conducted workshops in Europe, worked as artistic director for music festivals, and headed multimedia and music-related projects. From 1983 to 1987 he directed the Vienna Art Choir. In 1991, he produced the film Mozart's Balls , commissioned by the BBC for the 1991 Mozart Year. Rüegg founded the Porgy & Bess music club in Vienna and the Hans Koller Prize for Austrian jazz. In 2011, in New York he composed
190-619: The area was given a measure of independence within the Holy Roman Empire , with the status of a principality . By 1550, there was a Protestant majority. In 1564, Upper Austria, together with Lower Austria and the Bohemian territories , fell under Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II . At the start of the 17th century, the Counter-Reformation was instituted under Emperor Rudolf II and his successor Matthias . After
209-480: The classical music of Verdi , Wagner , Schubert , and Erik Satie . In 1997, the ensemble's personnel changed once again, increasing in size and adding younger musicians. New compositions by Rüegg became a regular feature of VAO concerts, which often included visual and dramatic elements. The Vienna Art Orchestra has performed more than 800 concerts and released more than 35 recordings. The film An Echo from Europe: Vienna Art Orchestra on Tour by Othmar Schmiderer
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#1732780872465228-551: The democratic Republic of Austria. In its constitution, Upper Austria also declares its support for a united Europe that is committed to democratic, constitutional, social and federal principles as well as the principle of subsidiarity, preserves the autonomy of the regions and ensures their participation in European decision-making. In its regional constitution, Upper Austria defines its position in Europe as an independent, future-oriented and self-confident region that participates in
247-598: The further development of a united Europe. Like Styria, Upper Austria is a swing state that usually has a signal character in nationwide elections. The conservative Austrian People's Party dominates in rural areas, the Social Democratic Party of Austria has its strongholds in the cities of Linz , Wels and Steyr or in the Attnang-Puchheim railroad junction , but the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria has also traditionally had
266-546: The music for the new show of the Big Apple Circus . In 2013, he arranged for and played piano for singer Lia Pale from Wels, Upper Austria . With the Vienna Art Orchestra With others Upper Austria Upper Austria ( German : Oberösterreich [ˈoːbɐˌ(ʔ)øːstɐraɪç] ; Bavarian : Obaöstareich ; Czech : Horní Rakousy [ˈɦorɲiː ˈrakousɪ] )
285-625: The people still belonged to the Roman Catholic church , about 4.4% were members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church , 4.0 percent were Muslims , and 8.8 percent were of no confession. By the end of 2020, the proportion of Catholics had fallen to 62 percent, while the corresponding proportion of Protestants was about 3.1 percent of the Upper Austrian population. After World War II , Upper Austria received
304-520: The traditional big-band complement, his orchestrations have prominently featured such instruments as the tuba, piccolo, bass clarinet, alphorn, exotic percussion, and wordless vocals. Rüegg has composed hundreds of pieces for the Vienna Art Orchestra, other European big bands , and classical orchestras, as well as theatre music and film music . Since 1994 he has composed several works for soloist and chamber orchestra . Besides managing
323-646: Was partitioned between the American zone to the south and the Soviet zone to the north. Today Upper Austria is Austria 's leading industrial region. As of 2009, it accounted for approximately a quarter of the country's exports. As of January 1, 2021, 1,495,608 people resided in the state, of which 107,318 (7.17 percent) were European Union / European Economic Area / Switzerland / UK citizens and 96,623 (6.46 percent) were third-country nationals. The majority of Upper Austrians are Christian . In 2001, 79.4 percent of
342-441: Was released in 1998. The ensemble was nominated for an Amadeus Austrian Music Award in 2001 for the album All That Strauss , and again in 2003 for Art and Fun . On July 10, 2010, Mathias Rüegg announced that the Vienna Art Orchestra had been disbanded for financial reasons. Mathias R%C3%BCegg Mathias Rüegg (born 8 December 1952) is a European musician, composer, and bandleader best known as founder and director of
361-576: Was used to describe the province of the new Austria. After Austria was annexed by Adolf Hitler , the Nazi dictator , who had been born in the Upper Austrian town of Braunau am Inn and raised in Upper Austria, Upper Austria became Reichsgau Oberdonau , although this also included the southern part of the Sudetenland, annexed from Czechoslovakia, and a small part of Styria. In 1945, Upper Austria
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