The Magic Mountain

The Semmering Pass, also known as Zauberberg, is a mountain pass in Eastern Austria, which forms a natural border between Lower Austria and Styria. The pass was historically established as a major transport route south from Vienna, with a mountain railway built between 1848 and 1854. This programmatic piece of music tells the story of the railway from its conception up to the historic point where the first train makes its journey through the pass.