Buenos Aires has the tango, Lisbon the fado, Paris the chansons. Vienna has the Wienerlied – as an unmistakable expression of this city’s attitude to life. The Strottern dust off the Viennese song so thoroughly that a traditional local song tradition becomes a music that is understood all over the world. Awards such as the German World Music Award and the Austrian Music Award AMADEUS testify to this. The Wienerlied was born in a melting pot of nations. This is what makes it so rich in musical influences: Folk music, theater songs, French waltzes, the music of the Balkans. In addition to the Viennese tradition, the Strottern process contemporary musical languages such as jazz, pop and world music. Of course, the waltz, the pulse of the city, forms the foundation of most Strottern songs.
The Strottern can be funny and loud, and the two musicians like to show how wildly determined they can be in their black suits, the professional attire of all Viennese waiters and gravediggers. The old Viennese expression “Strotter” stands for “crook, tramp, tramp, opportunity seeker”. The Viennese dialect dictionary also says: “Those who look for usable things”.
The Strottern
Klemens Lendl (violin, vocals)
David Müller (guitar, vocals)
from 25 February 2021, 18.00 at the YouTube channel of the Austrian Cultural Forum Bratislava
