168 CultureShock! Austria
Udo Jürgens has also been a big name in German-language
pop music for many years. Hansi Hinterseer is a pop singer
whose first album went gold in Austria in just six months. Like
other Austropop artists, he sings simple, romantic, cheerful
songs. Other popular Austropop singers are Georg Danzer,
Wolfgang Ambros, Rainhard Fendrich and Stefanie Werger.Jazz
Jazz is a big favourite and Austrians such as Joe Zawinul,
Karl Ratzer, Hans Koller and Friedrich Gulda have made
significant contributions to the international jazz scene. It
shouldn’t be difficult to find jazz performances in your area.
In Vienna, Jazzland in the 1st district is the best known club
and Porgy and Bess is another popular club. Several other
places alternate live jazz with other kinds of music. In May,
the Konzerthaus presents the International Spring Jazz
Music Festival, and in June and July, Jazzfest Wien is held in
clubs and open-air venues, as well as at the Staatsoper and
concert halls.Street Performers
Kärntner Strasse and Graben, the two main pedestrian zones in
Vienna’s old city centre, are full of street performers. Anything
goes, from breakdancing to comedy acts and mimes, from
untalented singers to highly enjoyable quartets. There is an
international flavour also, with Italian opera singers and South
American folk groups joining the fray. Winter or summer, these
performers are out there putting on an entertaining show for
spare change.Nightlife
The young and hip crowd prefer to spend their free nights
hitting the clubs. In general, most bars and clubs are tucked
away and may take a while to discover. In Vienna, one of the
more obvious places is known as the Bermuda Triangle: it is in
the 1st district, bordered by Rabensteig, Ruprechtsplatz and
Seitenstettengasse, and is jam-packed with bars, clubs and
people. Bäckerstrasse, north of Stephansplatz, is also lined