Johan Nijs

Snow Mountain Saga

The concert piece "Snow Mountain Saga" was composed on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Schneebergbahn in Lower Austria. The most famous of these is the rack railroad from Puchberg am Schneeberg to Schneeberg Mountain. Originally, the construction of the railroad lines was not to transport tourists in the area, but to transport mined brown coal locally. An elevation gain of 1,200 meters is achieved on the barely 10-km railroad line. It is not an electric railroad and was originally run with steam locomotives. Since 1999, diesel trains have been used for operation.

This composition won 2nd prize in the composition contest held on the occasion of the 125th anniversary. Snow Mountain Saga articulates the origins and further expansion of this Schneebergbahn which is still a very popular attraction in Austria.

This composition was created with the help of a contribution from the Music Investment Fund, an initiative of Buma/Stemra in cooperation with Voi(C)e, the Copyright Interests Federation and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in the Netherlands.