Major award

Hubert von Goisern receives Lifetime Achievement Amadeus

Human cultural asset: Hubert von Goisern shapes the Austrian music scene in a very special way.

(Bild: APA/EVA MANHART)

Hubert von Goisern will receive the Amadeus for his lifetime achievement at the Austrian Music Awards on April 26 at the Volkstheater in Vienna. This was announced by IFPI Austria, the Association of the Austrian Music Industry. The musician and singer-songwriter is being honored "for his multifaceted work and his initiatives that go far beyond music," it said in a press release.

Folk music, rock, jazz, world: Hubert von Goisern is difficult to categorize into one genre. The term "alpine rock" was established as an attempt to capture his style. This hardly does justice to his music, because Hubert von Goisern has always thought and worked across borders - not only in music: "The diversity in his work, the various influences from other cultures and the messages he conveys through his music make Hubert von Goisern a unique artist who has had a lasting influence on Austrian music," says IFPI President Dietmar Lienbacher.

More than 30 years of success
Hubert Achleitner, the artist's real name, was born in Bad Goisern on November 17, 1952. Initially, he was repeatedly talked out of his desire to become a professional musician and went to South Africa as a chemical laboratory technician, later to Canada and finally to Vienna, where he studied electroacoustics and experimental music at the University of Music. His artistic career began with one of his best-known and most successful songs, "Koa Hiatamadl", a rock reinterpretation of a folk song that von Goisern released in 1992 with his former band Alpinkatzen and which dominated the charts for weeks.

According to the IFPI press release, his song "Brenna tuats guat" broke all records in 2011 and not only reached number 1 in the Austrian charts, but also in the German charts. In his lyrics, he primarily conveys cosmopolitanism and unity among all people.

World musician in the truest sense of the word
"Hubert von Goisern always moves between tradition and modernity, between folk and world music," it was emphasized. By critically examining his environment, constantly challenging himself and developing creative new works and stage performances, he has made it out of the Salzkammergut and into the world. On various trips - to Canada, the Philippines or Tibet - the musician gathered impressions and absorbed cultural influences and musical styles. "He combined all of this in his own works and created his very own, completely new "Von Goisern style" for Austria.

The musician has already received six "regular" Amadeus Awards in various categories, including Pop/Rock, Jazz/Blues/World and the "Artist of the Year" award. In 2013, he was awarded an honorary prize for music that unites genres and peoples. In 2018, the artist himself launched a cultural award with which he supports musicians every year.