The Sound Of Music with Elisabeth Von Trapp

SINGAPORE - Lady Gaga’s much buzzed-about Sound Of Music tribute performance at the Oscars in February proved one thing: The movie is still as alive in fans’ hearts as the hills mentioned in the title track, even as the film turns 50 this year. The story of how Maria (played by Julie Andrews), who works as a governess for the von Trapp family transforms the household into an all-singing collective, also made a star of the city of Salzburg, where the story was set.

These days, there are lots of tours that will take you to the sights seen in the film. Feel free to burst into How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria at the Nonnberg Abbey, or run wild at the Mirabell Palace Gardens where Maria and the children sang Do-Re-Mi. However, there’s one Sound Of Music tour that may just take the cake — one with a member of the von Trapp family: Elisabeth von Trapp, granddaughter of Georg von Trapp (portrayed in the movie by Christopher Plummer).

Elisabeth will be onboard boutique cruise operator UniWorld’s Enchanting Danube Cruise for two sessions (departing on July 26 and Aug 2). Besides welcoming guests with a concert and sing-a-longs, she will also be performing at iconic locations such as the Mirabell Palace Chapel and the original Trapp villa.

What Elisabeth loves about the cruise is being on Danube itself. “As soon as you walk onboard, you’re on river time and everything takes on a more relaxed tone,” she said, adding that she was also looking forward to exploring all the quaint towns and famous cities the cruise will be passing through along the way such as Budapest and Linz. Here, Elisabeth tells us more about the tour and her famous family.

HOW THE CRUISE COLLABORATION CAME ABOUT

This 50th anniversary cruise marks the second time Elisabeth is collaborating with Uniworld River Cruises. The boutique cruise company first invited her to be part of their cruises last year after finding out about her music and that she lived in Salzburg during the summer months. One thing led to another, she said. “The special edition cruise came about when we were talking to one of the UniWorld programme directors and it occurred to us that 2015 was the 50th anniversary of The Sound Of Music. We said let’s do something really special!”

WHAT ELISABETH LOVES ABOUT SALZBURG

Even though she was born in the United States — the von Trapps escaped the Nazi regime in Austria by going to Italy and then to America — Elisabeth visits Salzburg often and even lived there as a child. “In the fall of 1964 at the age of 10, I arrived in Salzburg to live with my maternal grandmother for one full school year,” she revealed. “My grandmother lived in a small neighborhood just outside the city of Salzburg, called Parsch. It was one of the most amazing years of my childhood, experiencing how my grandmother celebrated holidays and the different seasons of the year living in Salzburg. Whenever my grandmother and I went to the city for certain holiday celebrations, concerts or just on weekly shopping trips, I remember how wonderfully decorated the storefronts always were and how vibrant the city seemed to be.”

Elisabeth also waxed lyrical about the musical history of Salzburg — hey, the city did produce Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart too, you know. (She recommends attending the Mozart Mass at the Salzburg Cathedral.) “Music, music, music!” she said. “It’s everywhere! You’ll hear a string ensemble practising their pieces for that evening’s concert, music drifting out of open windows as you walk along the street below ... music seems to follow you as you explore the city,” she said.

WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE TRAPP VILLA

“Actually, the exterior of the home shown in the movie was really a composite of two grand residences in Salzburg (the Schloss Leopoldskron which is now a lakeside hotel and the Schloss Frohnbur which houses the Mozarteum Music Academy),” said Elisabeth.

The real Trapp Villa isn’t even in Salzburg. “The actual family home is not a palace but a very lovely home. The Trapp Villa is located in a suburb called Aigen, a 10-minute bike ride from Salzburg. It’s a three-story yellow building with many windows adorned with green trim and shutters.”

WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING BORN A VON TRAPP

The movie was made in 1965 when Elisabeth was 10. Growing up on a farm in Vermont meant a relatively quiet life until the movie — as well the 1959 Broadway musical — made the family quasi-celebrities. “We were well-known, almost famous, because our family. At times it seems that being a member of a famous family can be tricky. I am known before my music is heard, which isn’t bad but isn’t easy. Often with that knowing comes a host of preconceived notions of what I must be about,” she explained. “Growing up as a child of a famous family can be difficult. Being a musical child from a famous musical family can be extra challenging. But you know if that’s the most difficult issue I have to deal with in life. I’m blessed.”

THE VON TRAPP FAMILY STILL CAPTURing THE IMAGINATION OF THE PUBLIC

The story of the von Trapps, as seen through The Sound Of Music, reaches out to generation after generation, said Elisabeth. “I once met a family — three generations of women — and the grandmother had seen The Sound Of Music on Broadway in 1959, with Mary Martin playing the part of Maria,” she recalled. “Her daughter told a story about how she played the part of Maria in their local theatre growing up. And standing between the two women, was the granddaughter, who had just recently been given a DVD of The Sound Of Music, in preparation for this trip to Salzburg to see where the story of the Trapp family began.”