250th Birth Anniversary of Beethoven
Date of Issue : 30 September 2020
Austria is famous for its beautiful architecture but music and wine from Austria are also very popular around the world. Two beautiful stamps from Austria featuring great German Composer, Beethoven who later moved to Vienna and famous wine-producing region of Austria, Burgenland.
The musical genius
Austrian Post is celebrating the 250'h anniversary of the birth of the great composer by issuing a commemorative stamp, embellished with foil embossing, which shows the famous portrait by Joseph Carl Stieler.
Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn. His musical talents were encouraged from an early age, and even as a child he was already giving piano recitals. In 1792 he moved to Vienna, where he found support among the nobility. Among other things, he took lessons in composition from Joseph Haydn and quickly distinguished himself as a successful composer. However, his health soon began to deteriorate and a serious hearing impairment ultimately resulted in almost complete deafness. Despite this tragedy he continued to work tirelessly and with a high level of perfectionism on his compositions until shortly before his demise on 26th March 1827. With many of the public turning out to mourn him, Beethoven was initially buried in Wahring cemetery, but was subsequently laid to rest in a grave of honour in Vienna’s Central Cemetery in 1888.
Ludwig van Beethoven was a key proponent of Viennese Classicism and a forerunner of the Romantic era. He left behind an exceptionally comprehensive oeuvre that includes not only his nine famous symphonies but also numerous piano concertos and sonatas, string quartets, songs, the opera Fidelio and his Lissa solemnis. One of his most famous works is undoubtedly his ninth symphony, in the last movement of which a choir sings Friedrich Schiller’s poem “Ode to Joy”. An instrumental version of this is today used as the official European anthem.
“Austrian wine regions”
Date of Issue : 19 September 2020
From a tradition to a cult drink
A particular speciality from the South Burgenland region is the incomparable Uhudler, which is the subject of this year’s special stamp from the “Austrian wine regions”series.
Uhudler has the phylloxa aphid to thank for its existence after the latter almost wiped out European grapevines at the end of the 1 t h century. As a result, robust, phylloxa-resistant
varieties from America were imported to replace them, eventually being hybridised during the 20th century through grafting with indigenous varieties. The unmodified varieties are known as direct producers, and it is from these that Uhudler is made.
A fruity wine, Uhudler impresses with its unmistakable aroma of wild strawberries and raspberries. Depending upon the variety and region, its colour ranges from pale yellow through delicate pink to brick red; the flavour is dry with a pronounced acidity, and is described as “foxy”. Legend has it that the wine got its name from the wives of the vintners, whose husbands, after having partaken copiously of the wine, allegedly looked like eagle owls (German: Uhu). Uhudler was banned for a time as it was falsely claimed that it was injurious to the health. In 1992 it was finally incorporated into the Austrian Wine Law. Only certain direct producer varieties are authorised for making Uhudler, and only certified wines from particular municipalities in South Burgenland are allowed to bear the protected name. The special stamp shows the historic castle in Güssing, one of the municipalities which produces the wine.
Club News
New special Cover from Dehradun
Mahatma Khushi Ram Public Library, Dehradun : 5 October 2020
Image Credit : Sreejesh Krishnan, Dehradun (Philately Promoters Whatsapp Gp)
Philatelic Exhibition at Indore
On 2nd October a 12 frame philatelic exhibition was inaugurated at GPO Indore. It was organized by Malwa Philatelic society and displayed exhibits of Sri O.P.Kedia, Sri Arun Bindal, and Sri Rishiraj Upadhaya. A special cover was also released on that day. The exhibition will continue for seven days .
-O.P.Kedia-Secretary Malwa Philatelic Society
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