February 2026
February was a cold, dark and foggy month that also brought a surprising amount of snow to Vienna, quite unexpectedly. Only now, at the very last days, sunshine breaks through the clouds and it gets warmer rapidly. Too warm actually. What a contrast.
About 30 kilometres downstream from Vienna, I visited the small town of Orth an der Donau and its historic castle, which houses the National Park’s visitor centre — still closed for the winter. An imposing replica of the now-extinct Danube sturgeon stands in the courtyard. Less than 150 years ago, these great fish moved through the river in astonishing abundance. They have done so for thousands of years. Then we intervened. We dammed the waters to harness electricity, and the sturgeon disappeared. What have we done? I imagine the river remembers. I imagine the Danube grieving the loss of their silvery giants. What kind of lament do you sing, Danube, for the many beings that we have destroyed?
In the park surrounding the castle, a magnificent old plane tree rises above a girdle of snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis). Their long, knotty branches seem to stretch endlessly across the moss-covered lawn.
The shores of the Danube lie close by. A short walk brings me to the Orther Islands, a small cluster of reed-fringed islets with scattered trees along the river’s left bank. In summer, when the water level allows, people come here to enjoy the sun or shade and swim, drawn to the relaxing intimacy of the landscape.
The river always surprises me. It is different every time I visit. The water level is rather high this time, the Danube swiftly licks around the lower meadows. The forest floor is covered with snowdrops and wild garlic. We forage a handful of garlic leaves, the first of the season. Thank you!
In the unusually warm weather, birds sing in the forest, accompanied by the occasional drumming of woodpeckers – and the distant noises of airplanes landing and departing from the airport across the river, upstream toward Vienna.
January 2026
This year, I will dedicate my time to explore how to co-create a piece of music with a river – with the Danube River.
I want to nourish and deepen a relationship with the charismatic river that runs through Vienna, the city where I live. I have known the Danube River since my childhood. The plan for this year is to create a larger composition for soprano, orchestra, two performers and electronics WITH THE DANUBE – that’s also the title of the piece. The music, text, scenography and performance are co-composed through an interactive and collaborative process that invites the river as a living being and co-creator. The project is designed to cultivate multispecies thinking and a co-creative relationship – or rather, partnership with a fluvial ecosystem. Such a relationship is not something I can decide for myself. The river must be asked, invited, and cared for.
How to care for a river?
I’m delighted to announce that I have received a state scholarship in composition from the Republic of Austria for this work. This will enable me (us) to further deepen and expand the explorations. However, I am not the (only) composer or artist at work. I’m a partner, a co-composer working in collaboration with the Danube River as a living being and active partner. The creative process will involve collaborative work within team of outstanding artists with whom I enjoy a long-standing working relationship including, among others, Juliet Fraser, Elie Halonen, Satu Hakamäki and Lisa Horvath. The process will also accommodate further more-than-human partners, including technologies.
The Danube River is a dynamic ecosystem and a living fluvial landscape. I approach it as a great powerful entity, a plurality with which I can interact as a human being. I communicate with the river, and vice versa the river communicates with me. This is a bodily form of communication. I am learning how to listen to/into the river.
What does the river want?
I belong to the Danube landscape. The city of Vienna and its people have been shaped by the river since its very beginning. It was the rich fluvial landscape that has attracted human beings to settle down at their shores, a long time ago.
The piece will not be “about” the river or “inspired by” the river, nor will it be composed or performed “on the shore of the beautiful blue Danube” (“An der schönen blauen Donau”).
Work and research have already begun in the spring of 2025. Over the last months, I have spent many days in the Donau-Auen National Park, a protected river landscape stretching from Vienna to Bratislava. The environments and forests along the river constantly change. These fotos are from my most recent exploration in early January 2026, when I hiked towards the river starting from the small village Schönau an der Donau. In this region, the current winter is very dry with rather low temperatures. The river has shrunk, the water level is extremely low.
I have visited the same spots, places and shores many times. By now, the landscape has become familiar – yet, every time it appears to be different. It looks and feels different. The Danube River is in a different state and mood. So am I, and our relationship is constantly changing, too. I have to get used to that.
All fotos by Pia Palme 2026
Donau-Auen National Park