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Second Stop: Vienna
June 22, 2007
Despite
hurricane force winds that wreaked havoc on the city of Vienna
yesterday and caused major damage to the her stage, Barbra Streisand
finally arrived at the Court of Honor at Schloss Schönbrunn this
evening. Her performance was met with thunderous acclaim by the
estimated 15,000 weather weary fans waiting in the expansive
courtyard. With the stunning Hapsburg palace serving as the ultimate
theatrical backdrop, Barbra delivered a musical set that was nearly
identical to the one she performed in Zürich on June 18. One notable
exception to the Vienna song line-up, however, was a true crowd
pleaser. Barbra added "Come Rain or Come Shine", apropos for the
occasion. Ironically, the one Streisand song that actually makes
reference to the Viennese, "Down With Love," was not performed.
"Wet is rain ... "
June
21, 2007
 Barbra's outdoor concert performance at Vienna's Schloss
Schönbrunn has been postponed due to inclement weather. Hurricane
force winds caused significant damage throughout the city of Vienna
(including the concert stage setup in the palace courtyard), and it
will take at least a day to put everything back together. Barbra's
first ever performance in the Austrian capital has now been
rescheduled for Friday night, June 22.
This is not the first
time a Streisand open air concert has been effected by mother nature.
In 2000, driving rains caused a 24 hour delay of Barbra's opening
night show in Sydney, Australia. And back in 1966, Barbra had to
perform in a raincoat during her concert at Atlanta's Fulton County
Stadium.
(Illustration: Sydney
Morning Herald - March 7, 2000)
The Sweetest Sounds
June 22, 2007
 Fans
with the deepest of
pockets were able to
arrive early and watch
Barbra as she conducted a
sound check at Schloss
Schönbrunn. It is not
immediately known if
Barbra sang during this
technical inspection.
One thing is for sure. It
would have cost you
somewhere in the
neighborhood of 1,900
euros to be there. Special
VIP tickets were offered
which allowed fans to
enter the venue early for
any rehearsals or sound
checks.
Gallery Hopping in Vienna
June 20, 2007
From the Austrian
news agency ORF (Translated from the original German text)
Image: Kronen Zeitung Österreich
Streisand
Visits the Albertina and Belvedere
 It was all hush-hush at first, but then on Tuesday evening it
happened. US actress and singer Barbra Streisand arrived in Vienna,
then headed to an evening's art exhibition at the Albertina and
Belvedere galleries.
Armed with a Camera at the Albertina
Since the extreme daytime heat had kept the Oscar-crowned singer and
actress indoors, Streisand decided to visit the museums at night. She
arrived at the Albertina at 9 PM, her face hidden beneath a large,
black hat. Adjacent to an exhibition called "Expressive! The Art of
The Bridge -The Complete Works of Hermann Gerlinger" were restored
furniture pieces and period rooms which peaked her interest/ Pointing
them out, Streisand reached for her camera and took various snapshots
of the floors, furniture and tile fireplaces, according to the
Albertina's spokeswoman, Verena Dahlitz. The artist plans to furnish a
room in her Malibu home with similar items.
Touring the Rooms
Streisand, who's in Vienna for her concert tour, gave short notice of
her plans to visit to the Albertina. Together with her husband and
another couple with whom they are friends, they were escorted
throughout the rooms and the exhibition.
Belvedere Gallery Tied Up for Three Hours
At Belvedere Gallery, Streisand headed for the showing of "Gustav
Klimt and the Artists of Compagnie" at around 10 PM. The American
dedicated most of her attention to this particular exhibit. The
curator of the exhibition, Alfred Weidinger, and [the museum's]
director Husslein showed her some early works by Klimt and his
contemporaries. The art collector was particularly fascinated with the
portraits entitled "Judith" and "Fritza Reidler" and studied them
extensively.
Profoundly Knowledgeable and Humorous
The prominent visitor was then escorted down to the museum's
vaults for a look at seldom displayed works, such as Klimt's "Wasserschlangen."
For half an hour, the native New Yorker (who is of Austrian ancestry)
lingered awhile to discuss Austrian folk art with her companions. "She
is profoundly knowledgeable, cultured and has very good instincts,"
reported Husslein. "Streisand had long familiarized herself with the
works of Klimt and Schiele before anyone else was ever interested in
them. She is actually a very delightful person." The high profile
visit went off without a hitch and was quite enjoyable. More cautious
people would have had a complete security inspection of the building
done beforehand.
Appreciation for Kaiserscharn
Streisand seemed particularly intrigued by a photograph she found in
the Klimt archives, which was taken of her in 1969: it's of the singer
sitting in a London hotel room, with various works by Klimt on
display. Because of that photo, the US singer should have received a
discount off the admission price. Apparently, the US superstar can't
get enough of Vienna. Later that evening, she invited Husslein for
Kaiserschmarrn. Streisand eventually returned to her hotel at around 1
AM, even though she also wanted to see the Leopold Museum and their
Kolo Moser-Schau portraits.
Local Review
June
22, 2007
From the Austrian news agency ORF
(Translated from the original German text)
Streisand Revels in First
Vienna Concert
The weather was tenuous up until the very last moment, but after a
lingering storm on Thursday and a questionable weather forecast for
Friday, Barbra Streisand finally managed to complete her first ever
concert in Vienna in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans.
Crazy for Local Cuisine
Arriving on stage dressed entirely in black, the enchanting superstar
performed songs from her over four decade-long career. She greeted the
audience in German, then gushed about Austrian cuisine. Of all things,
Streisand said that she loves "music,
Kaiserschmarrn and chocolate" the best. The actress and singer,
who is of Austrian ancestry, was overwhelmed at the scene in front of
Schloss Schönbrunn. It was a reception fit for an international
superstar.
"A Bit of Käserkrainer" [cheese-stuffed sausage]
Streisand is the perfect old school entertainer who never takes
herself too seriously. "I'm going to stop for a bit of Käserkrainer
right now," she said before a costume change as the 58 piece orchestra
played Broadway style music.
Voice Battling Wind and Cold
The majority of ticket holders were not deterred by the weather.
Schloss Schönbrunn's Court of Honor was fairly well packed. Streisand
was met with a standing ovation upon entering the stage. Her
weather-appropriate rendition of the song "Come Rain or Come Shine"
was also met with equal enthusiasm. After the two hour concert, the
emotional highpoint of which was "Somewhere," and with her voice still
battling against wind and cold, Streisand said auf wiedersehen
before offering "Smile" as an encore. The fans cheered for a full
minute.
First Standing Ovations in Zürich
The first stop of Streisand's European tour was in Zürich where she
elicited standing ovations from the crowd. The tour was originally
scheduled to begin in Rome, but apparently there was no guarantee that
appropriate security standards could be arranged. Admittedly, there
was anger over the high price of tickets as well. The performance date
was scrubbed. Visitors in Zürich had to go through metal detectors,
and despite admission prices as high as 1,000 euros, Hallenstadion
sold out quickly.
Second Tour Stop
In Vienna, the second stop on her tour, VIP packages, complete with
limousine service, cost up to 2,500 Euros. The demand for these
tickets was so great that they were gone within hours. The performer
arrived in Vienna on Tuesday. She devoted herself to the pleasures of
art by visiting the Belevedere and Albertina galleries. Wednesday was
rehearsal, a mere formality for the music industry's best selling
female recording artist who has amassed 50 gold, 30 platinum and 13
multi-platinum albums. Following Vienna, the tour continues on to
Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Manchester, Dublin and London.
Streisand's Express Wish
Thursday's hurricane force winds caused considerable damage to the
concert stage. Nevertheless, after an inspection, the promoters
decided it was OK to reschedule the concert for Friday. Apparently, it
was Streisand's explicit wish to perform in Vienna. Those who were
unable to attend Friday evening will be able to get a refund at their
point of purchase.
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