Wolfgang Ambros

Wolfgang Ambros
Ambros Pur VII

An “unplugged” musical journey with the Austrian singer-songwriter legend Wolfgang Ambros (vocals, guitar, harmonica) alongside Günter Dzikowski (keys and vocals) and Roland Vogl (guitar, bass, and vocals).

That Wolfgang Ambros’ music has soul is undisputed. Experiencing him in this way—musically stripped down to the acoustic guitar, accompanied by Günter Dzikowski on keyboard instruments and Roland Vogl on bass—has a special fascination. Ambros has been captivating audiences in this format for over a decade. It’s a unique concert experience in exclusive theaters and smaller venues.

The revival of one of the most important musicians and singers ever, the great Johnny Cash, was sparked by the simple idea of just sitting him down with an acoustic guitar and letting him play. Completely without “unplugged” pretension: the focus on the essentials, the search for the essence of the music, has benefited many artists—provided their music has an essence, a soul at all.

That Wolfgang Ambros’ music has soul is beyond question. Perhaps a bit rough-edged, certainly vast and profound. The musical achievements of this man are legion; few have sung about truly Viennese and Austrian sentiments with such precision that their words endure for decades as commentaries on a world that, at its core, remains the same. Hardly anyone has combined existential themes (love, death, and everything else) with lightness and the full-bodied Viennese humor—his famous “Schmäh”—as skillfully as he has. Just think, as one of countless examples, of “Es lebe der Zentralfriedhof.” And no one has approached the work of great artists like Bob Dylan, Hans Moser, Tom Waits, or Neil Young with the respect and skill Ambros does, without ever producing awkwardness or leaving the shallow impression of merely standing on the shoulders of giants.

It is like a treasure chest that creaks open, revealing its treasures gradually when Wolfgang Ambros is placed on stage “just” with his voice, a guitar, and the musicians Günter Dzikowski and Roland Vogl by his side. Dzikowski, long-time musician of the No. 1 from the Wienerwald, and Roland Vogl, touring with Ambros for years, know the extensive Ambros song catalog almost as well as their “boss.” Yet for all three performers, it is also an inspiring journey of rediscovery, experiencing many of these songs anew in an intimate setting. “Even big numbers like ‘Zentralfriedhof’ or ‘Heit drah I mi ham’ suddenly become immediately tangible again,” says Ambros.

Audience and critics have responded to the previous Ambros Pur! evenings with great enthusiasm. After all, when else does one have the opportunity to be so close to a giant of Austrian pop music like Wolfgang Ambros and his songs, many of which have long become folk songs of a different kind?

Program and cast