Rock and Pop Music
Falco was the most popular Austrian solo artist throughout the 1980s. His song "Rock Me Amadeus" reached the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986. His sudden death in 1998 in the Dominican Republic catapulted his music from the 1980s once again into the spotlight.
Although Austria is not exactly the biggest exporter of international rock and pop-bands, there are a few notable musicians and bands.
Opus also made it in the charts worldwide as well,. In the last few years, several music groups toured Europe and had commercial success in the international charts. The most prominent being Christina Stürmer, who is successful in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. SheSays, who supported Bryan Adams on his European tour and some other bands like AOR, and Cornerstone, are notable for their recent contributions.
Blackened death metal trio Belphegor currently leads the Austrian metal scene, which also includes Hollenthon, Pungent Stench, Abigor, Disharmonic Orchestra, Visions of Atlantis, Dornenreich, Summoning and Estatic Fear.
Drummer Thomas Lang was born in Vienna in 1967 and is now world renowned for his technical abilities, having played with artists such as Robert Fripp, Geri Halliwell and Robbie Williams.
There is not a big indie rock scene in Austria. One of the few international touring bands is Killed By 9V Batteries from Vienna.
Yearly the Waves Vienna Music Festival & Conference takes place in October. This festival is a showcase festival for European pop music acts. The Donau Festival takes place in the spring each year and has a focus on experimental rock, avant garde music and other progressive genres of alternative music.
Read more about this topic: Music Of Austria
Famous quotes containing the words rock and, rock, pop and/or music:
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The road winding above among the mountains
Which are mountains of rock without water
If there were water we should stop and drink
Amongst the rock one cannot stop or think”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)
“The new sound-sphere is global. It ripples at great speed across languages, ideologies, frontiers and races.... The economics of this musical esperanto is staggering. Rock and pop breed concentric worlds of fashion, setting and life-style. Popular music has brought with it sociologies of private and public manner, of group solidarity. The politics of Eden come loud.”
—George Steiner (b. 1929)
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—Dorothy Fields (1904–1974)
“Truly fertile Music, the only kind that will move us, that we shall truly appreciate, will be a Music conducive to Dream, which banishes all reason and analysis. One must not wish first to understand and then to feel. Art does not tolerate Reason.”
—Albert Camus (1913–1960)