What ‘The Sound of Music’ got wrong
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The von Trapps, photographed by Ben Moon. @benmoon.com
Source: Supplied
VOCAL group the von Trapps sing dreamy folk music that can break hearts. But these siblings know a quicker way to break hearts: by telling truths about their famous family.
The von Trapps — Sofia, 26, Melanie, 24, Amanda, 23, and August, 20 — are the great-grandchildren of Captain Georg Johannes von Trapp, the inspiration for the Captain in The Sound of Music. Their first EP, Dancing in Gold, is out Tuesday.
Given the liberties Hollywood takes with true stories, the siblings have found that discussing their legacy can mean destroying long-held beliefs.
“The family never sang the music from The Sound of Music,” says Amanda. “People think they went around singing Edelweiss, and they never did. People get a little upset about that.”
“The hardest thing [for fans] to grasp is that they didn’t actually climb the Alps to escape from Austria,” adds Sofia. “They took a train to Italy. You have to gauge the conversation to see if you think people can handle that.”
The siblings were raised in Montana with the movie a prominent part of their lives. Their grandfather, Werner von Trapp, portrayed in The Sound of Music as Kurt, taught them Austrian folk songs when they were kids. When he had a stroke in 2001, they recorded some of the songs for him to listen to in the hospital. Two years ago, the kids all moved to Portland, Oregon, and that’s where they really gelled as a vocal group.
A scene from ‘The Sound of Music.
Source: News Limited
The family plans for Dancing in Gold to be the first of three EPs over the next two years. No matter where their career takes them, the legacy of The Sound of Music will stay with the group.
“[The movie is about] family, courage and hopefulness,” says Amanda. “We try to convey the same with our artistry.”
This article originally appeared in the New York Post.
