The roots of the „Wind Orchestra of the Viennese Gasworks (Vienna Gas Company)” go back to the year of 1920. Just when our country was recovering from the after-effects of the First World War an “Orchestra of the Viennese Municipal Gasworks” was founded by colleagues named Adalbert Ploschnitznik and Karl Simonek. When some colleagues called “Gaserer” returned home from the Army they met in their leisure time to play some instruments. They started with a tiny “saloon orchestra”. But after a little while they met with unanimous approval, were supported by colleagues and management and had been engaged for various events. With rising popularity the number of members was increasing and very soon a Wind Band and a Symphony Orchestra was presented to the public.
In 1929 the Orchestra of the Viennese Municipal
Gasworks was incorporated into the “Sports and Culture Union of the
Viennese Gasworks”. Because of the civil war 1934 this “musicsection” was
dissolved, but the orchestra was still existing as so called “Workers
Band”. A lot of details concerning the band’s history before the civil war
are based on verbal delivery. Written documents of events from 1934 to
1945 were confiscated or destroyed. Because of Second World War when most
of the musicians had to join the Army, the section was separated. The
recovery of a huge part of the note archives is due to the cleverness of
some musicians who spread up the notes in different offices of the
gasworks. After the Second World War the band recovered in the same way it
did after the First World War. Armed forces musicians returned home and
former colleagues played together again.
Throughout the years the “Wind Orchestra of the
Viennese Gasworks” has earned a lot of praise. They played numerous
concerts and were part of great events. They are also playing concerts for
charity events like “blind man welfare”, “child rescue weeks”, “Red
Cross”, “the zoo in Schoenbrunn Castle”, “cancer help” or “Light into
Darkness”.
Two of the greatest awards were of course the first price at the “brass-band music competition of the municipal orchestras in Vienna” and the awarding of an “Golden Awards of the Vienna City Hall” by the Viennese mayor Prof. Dr. Helmut Zilk.
Concert journeys to various places in Austria and abroad like for example to Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Munich (Germany); Bilbao (Spain); Moscow (Russia) and Skopje (Macedonia) will be unforgotten. However the “Wind-Orchestra of the Viennese Gasworks” became an essential part of Vienna’s cultural life.
Hard work and permanent practice is necessary to perform perfect high standard concerts. That means a rehearsal once a week after work (on Wednesdays starting 5 p.m.). At this, the repertory got tremendously big and various in the course of the years. It reaches from march, polka and waltz to the modern music like swing to the serious music of overture and opera. However, the management of the orchestra has made it for the task to cultivate the Viennese music particularly. Also experts estimate the quality of the music, how numerous broadcast recordings and television appearances as well as two records and four CD´s prove since 1972. From the crowd of the musicsection a wind choir, a dance orchestra, a “Schrammelquartett”, a wood-wind-player-ensemble and a little "Bohemian" brass band also recruits. Only the string orchestra must cancel its job due to missing musicians.
Many efficient, music-loving men have escorted the
destiny of the music section with success. The names of the
representatives Adalbert Ploschnitznik, Anton Svec, Johann Joerg, Norbert
Stepanek, Karl Ambrosch and Josef Graf are mentioned particularly here!
Our present representative, Mr. Guenter Rudolf, took the management of the
orchestra in 2003 an Mr. Michael Holzer has been our conductor since 1999.
Although the stock of this pure amateur orchestra seems protected today, the „musicsection“ nevertheless suffers from shortage of young people. Many of the practicing members belong to it for decades because of the feeling of solidarity but the younger musicians are largely missing!
