Having been recruited to the Austro - Hungarian Army in WWI, Hans Swarowsky had to do his final exams in secondary school early in the year as so called 'emergency A-levels (Notmatura), bevor being sent to war in Italy.
Swarowsky heard Beethoven's Ninth for the first time at this festival concert in 1910, celebrating the 50th anniversaty of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's subscription series. Felix Weingartner became Swarowsky's teacher from 1920 onwards and tt's
thanks to Weingartner that Swarowsky got his employment at the Vienna
Volksoper in 1922.