Wiener Großer Musikvereinssaal – Viennese Music Association The Golden Hall 维也纳金色大廳

I have been intrigued by the exceptional pride some Chinese people took in the fact that popular folk singer Ms. Ziying Song had performed a solo concert or recital at the Wiener Großer Musikvereinssaal (The Golden Hall at Viennese Music Association) in 2003.  To them, Ms. Song's concert there was a proof that Chinese art and artist have reached the pinnacle of artistic achievement and duly acknowledged by the ultimate arbiter in the field.

A little online search told me that Ms. Song indeed sang in the Golden Hall.  But it was not a part of the regular program of the Musikverein or its associate.  Instead, her concert was presented by Austrian-China Cultural Exchange Association in Austria.  I was able to include a video below.



One can see, for example, at 2'33, the hall is about about half-full.

It was obviously not a pure musical event, rather, it was a cultural exchange event. Ms. Song relied on two program announcer which also struck a wrong gesture.  In the west, when the serious musicians perform recitals, they do not rely on announcer(s) to inform the audience of the program. The programs would be printed and if there is any encore, either the performers announce them or no announcement at all. With there two announcers on stage, the performance took an air of a circus.

It is not insignificant that the Cultural Exchange Association presented Song in the Golden Hall but it was definitely a testament of her artistry.  Even in a exulted hall as this, it can still be rented by presenters as long as the program is not going to do damage to the reputation of the concert hall.  Presenters organize the show alone and rented the venue, and other musicians and crews. The audience who came to the concert did not came for the love of music (alone).  This event did show that Ms. Song had strong backing and fans from Chinese government, who saw her as the good fit as cultural ambassador.

And that's that.

我一直对中國民謠歌手宋祖英女士維也納音樂協會金色大廳獨唱音樂會（2003年）引起的一些中國人人的特殊的驕傲感到好奇。對他們來說，宋女士的演唱證明，中國藝術和藝術家的藝術成就已達到巔峰，並获得該領域的最終仲裁者的正式承認。

網上搜索告訴我，宋女士確實在金色大廳演唱。但那不是金色大廳或其聯營公司的常规节目計劃的一部分。她的演唱會是由奥地利奥中文化交流协会推出的。

从以下視頻人們可以看到，在2'33时，大廳約半滿。它顯然不是一個純粹的音樂會，相反，它是一種文化的交流活動。宋女士依靠兩個报幕員也打了個錯誤的手勢。在西方，嚴肃音樂家演奏時，不靠报幕員告知觀眾节目, 而是打印的节目单。如果有任何返场演出，或由表演者宣布，或沒有公佈。使用兩個兩個报幕員，带来一個馬戲團的气氛。

奥地利奥中文化交流协会主办的金色大廳演出并不是微不足道，但它不能證明宋女士的藝術水准。即使在這个声明显赫的大廳，仍然可以被租用，只要节目不會使音樂廳的聲譽受損。主办人可租用場地，和其他音樂家及音乐厅工作人员。來演唱會的觀眾並不单纯是出于對音樂的熱愛。演出事实证明，宋女士有中國政府的堅強後盾，把她视为非常適合的文化大使。

一切就是這樣。