Interviews

Allgemein, Chinese Community in Vienna, Culture & Literature, Interviews, Opinions 4. October 2026

A Dialogue Through Lieder-Singing: Diao Ke Bridges East and West in Vienna

On 1.October 2026, the historic Palais Pálffy in Vienna became the setting for a musical dialogue between China and Austria. Presented by the Golden July Music Festival Vienna, the Vocal Recital with German and Chinese Art Songs on China’s National Day was dedicated to China as well as 55 years of diplomatic relations between Austria and China. The evening featured Chinese tenor Prof. Diao Ke, Welsh tenor Steffan Mullan, and pianist Byron Yue. The program placed the Lieder of Hugo Wolf alongside Chinese art songs by Huang Zi, Ma Sicong, Lu Zaiyi and Ding Shande, creating a fascinating encounter between…

Allgemein, Interviews, Opinions 25. February 2026

Review of the Panel Discussion on the Dalai Lama, Heinrich Harrer and Tibet Mythology

On January 20, 2026, a panel discussion in Vienna brought together scholars and public commentators to examine controversial questions surrounding the 14th Dalai Lama, his historical contact with Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer, the role of Western intelligence during the Cold War, the legal status of religious succession in modern states, and the portrayal of Tibet in Western media. The event was framed as an effort to reassess what several speakers described as a “mythologized” Western understanding of and the Dalai Lama.The panel included Dr. phil. Agnes Kurtz (public policy and social affairs), Gabriel Radwan (media science), BA, Georg Vavra (historian…