Music
Music soothes the savage beast and delights the visitor to Europe. You can’t avoid hearing music in Europe (and why on earth would you want to?), rising above the crowd gathered around a street musician or wafting out of a club, but do seek it out. You have an amazing opportunity to attend concerts and festivals and listen to everything from local musicians on traditional instruments to and the worlds’ biggest stars - who also enjoying travelling in Europe!
If you stop and consider that the European islands run the gamut from the Celtic and Nordic-infused, long-wintered north to the mix of Arabic-spiced warmth and colour of the Mediterranean, imagine the voyage your ears and imagination will take as you listen to live music on all these fabulous European islands.
Music in the Mediterranean, infused with the sounds of all the civilizations that have crossed its waters, is infectious, romantic, enticing, and evocative. Influences from Africa and the East mix with strains of Celtic and Germanic influence to create the sound of Europe in the Mediterranean.
Round the coastline of the pearly Adriatic music is imbued with centuries of wealth and exploration from Roman, Venetian and Ottoman times, the romance of the sea, and exquisite seaside venues in which to listen to the modern sound of an ancient place.
The Balkan Peninsula has all the constituents necessary for great musical “DNA”: roots in classical Greece, shepherds and fishermen - they always have their own songs - and real estate that different civilizations have vied for over centuries, leaving behind legends of drama and heroism.
On the southern coast of the Baltic Sea the air is filled with music in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. These cultures are proud of their colorful heritage yet embrace the future with equal relish, to the delight of anyone lucky enough to hear their symphony orchestras or contemporary sounds.
Compact though the Benelux region may be, the breadth of its musical life is stellar. From world class symphony orchestras and opera companies to balladeers and pop stars, Luxembourg, Holland, and Belgium can delight you with loads of home-grown talent as well as a raft of international musical guests at season performances, competitions, on tour, and at festivals.
European countries around the Black Sea feature a bit of the East in their musical heritage: listen for strains of irresistible folk music and choose among dozens of international festivals when you travel to the inland sea of Europe.
There’s always music in the air of the British Isles. Its unique Celtic musical heritage, its love affair with rock and roll and a long history of outstanding classical and contemporary composers mean you could do nothing but listen to music during your visit to the British Isles and you’d have an excellent idea what these island nations are all about.
The rigors of life in a challenging mountain setting seem to have inspired rather than hindered the making of all kinds of music in the countries with the Carpathian range running through them.
Central Europe is a central to the world of classical music as well as a hotbed of contemporary musical development. Your choice of seasons and venues to hear live performances of your favorite kind of tune is legion; listen in cities such as Prague, Budapest, Salzburg or Berlin or in smaller towns that are no less ardent in their love of music for being a little quieter than the urban hubs.
Think Spanish guitar and Portuguese Fado, flamenco and castanets, passion, warmth, energy, and romanticism: that’s music on the Iberian Peninsula.
If you lived in a country that had almost no light in winter, you’d cheer yourself up with some music, wouldn’t you? If you lived in a country that was sunny 24/7 in the summer, you’d feel like laying some tunes and dancing, wouldn’t you? Expect an exciting and energetic time with it comes to music in Scandinavia.