Internationales Musikforum Ossiacher See

The Festival originally was initiated 1968 by Friedrich Gulda as "Internationales Musikforum Ossiacher See" (in English mostly abbreviated as 'International Music Forum') and was held in the years 1968, 1969 and – after a gap in 1970 – a third time in 1971 at the lakeside resort town of Ossiach, Austria. Friedrich Guldas idea in the 1960s was looking for ways to break out of the traditional music business. His solution was, in line with the spirit of the times, a festival characterized by improvisation and openness. The music forum experienced its first high point at its third edition in 1971: Gulda had succeeded in bringing Pink Floyd to Ossiach for their very first concert in Austria. Other major artists that year included Tangerine Dream, the then recently founded Weather Report, and Dollar Brand. Thus, the tranquil community quickly became a meeting place for the "alternative culture". Local media criticized the "hippie invasion" and drug consumption by concert-goers. As a result of the hustle and bustle of 1971, Gulda was no longer wanted in Ossiach. Gulda therefore was looking for a new venue for "his" festival and found it in Viktring Abbey. Gulda was able to hold the festival (now called Internationales Musikforum Viktring) there in 1972 with a much smaller program. The program for 1973 was more ambitious again and included performances by, among others, Dollar Brand, Karlhanns Berger, Ornette Coleman, Dewey Redman, and Charlie Haden. In addition, Gulda tried to open the festival to topics beyond music, there were lectures and discussions on social, legal and other topics. This fifth edition of the music forum was to remain the last for some time. After a hiatus of several years the new Musikforum Viktring took place for the first time in 1987 and – with an altered focus – is continued on an almost yearly basis until today.