Danube Island Festival Kick-off with Strauss Mashup and Sea of Lights
A full classical orchestra as the headliner act on the festival stage: The Vienna Danube Island Festival had never seen that before. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra graced the event on Friday to participate in a special Strauss tribute. Prior to that, a sea of lights was held in memory of the victims from Graz.
Emotional Sea of Lights: The Vienna Danube Island Shone for Graz
Shortly before 10 PM, visitors in front of all stages were asked via announcement to turn on their phone flashlights. "The island shines for Graz," as they wanted to commemorate the victims of the rampage at a Graz school a week and a half ago. In the area in front of the main stage, which was filled to bursting, this created an impressive carpet of tens of thousands of light points. And it was rarely as quiet on the island during this minute of silence.
Grand Strauss Show for the 200th Birthday
Afterwards, the Strauss project of the Symphony Orchestra under conductor Christian Kolonovits and the drum'n'bass duo Camo & Krooked began. A grand show, in which classical and electronic music merged into an idiosyncratic crossover, celebrated the 200th birthday of the waltz king, which is being celebrated throughout the year with a series of events across the city. In a way, as the guiding spirit, Schani himself repeatedly appeared as an oversized visual above the participants.
Despite all the impressive sound, the musical experiment, which also included singer Mira Lu Kovacs and Romanian opera singer Cristina-Antoaneta Păsăroiu, never quite took off. The soundscape constantly hinted at building to a climax that was never fulfilled. At times, one wished for less opulence and more rhythmic drive. Nevertheless, the audience was very impressed.
Crunchy Feel-Good Pop by Milky Chance
The unusual conclusion on the main stage certainly spoke for the traditional diversity at the island festival. Before the Strauss homage, Milky Chance performed with the setting sun at their backs. Although the temperature noticeably cooled down, there was no sign of it in the packed area in front of the main stage.
The band from Germany brought the masses into the right mood with crunchy feel-good pop. While the bear was already dancing to "Living in a Haze" from the band's album of the same name and latest release, by the megahit "Stolen Dance," you wished you had dancing shoes on your feet. In between, the group sprinkled in a cover of "Tainted Love," stripped of the 80s synth sound and thus reduced to a thumping beat. During "Passion," singer Clemens Rehbein held the microphone under the noses of ladies and gentlemen in the front row to let them intone "Ah Ah" at the right moment. The result: mixed. And a mosh pit was also in the mix.
Colorful Afternoon Program and a Red Celebrity Entourage
In the afternoon, there was fine indie pop from Avec and rap from Symba on the main stage. On the other stages, there was rough rock from Steel Panther, folk music from the Nockis, Viennese Schlager from Jazz Gitti, Turkish sound from EsRap, or modernly interpreted folk music from Anna Buchegger.
Day 1 was extremely strong in terms of visitors. From the afternoon hours, island fans flooded the party island. The not too hot summer weather and the bridge day, when many probably had the day off, were likely not insignificant factors. Among the first guests were Mayor Michael Ludwig and Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler (both SPÖ), who paid a visit to the working island, but after a joint photo session with other red political celebrities, quickly went their separate ways.
(APA/Red)
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