Follow this event live on France 2, January 1

This prestigious annual event for classical music returns to celebrate the New Year. For this 84th edition, the works of the Strauss family and those of five other composers will be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

It is the most popular classical event in the world. As every year since 1939, the works of the Strauss family will resonate in the great hall of the Musikverein of Vienna, on the occasion of the traditional New Year’s Concert. Under the woodwork of the high ceiling, where Apollo, muses and other ancient female figures appear, German maestro Christian Thielemann will conduct the Vienna Phliharmonic Orchestra for the second year. In three-piece costumes, the hundred musicians will perform on a stage enhanced with luxurious floral arrangements, on which dancers from the Vienna National Ballet will perform during the interludes.

This year again, for the love of tradition, the Strauss dynasty is in the spotlight. Among the works performed are in the foreground those of Johann Strauss II, including Wiener Candy. Walzer, op. 307 and the operetta Waldmeister. Less numerous, the works of his brothers Eduard and Josef will also be performed by the Vienna Philharmonic. Outside of the family, five other composers will be honored, compared to only two last year.

At the opening, a work by the composer Bohemian Karl Komzák, known for his dances and waltzes. One of them, Bad’ner Mad’ln, op. 257, has already been performed during the Vienna New Year’s Concert in 2021. The works of the composers will follow Josef Hellmesberger (Sohn), Carl Michael Ziehrer or Anton Bruckner, as well as those of Hans Christian Lumbye, Danish composer known for his polkas and mazurkas. These works can be seen live on France 2 and France musique on January 1, 2024 from 11:30 a.m.

Multi-award winning conductor

German conductor Christian Thielemann will coordinate this concert for the second time, having been appointed for the edition on January 1, 2019. He regularly conducts the Vienna Philharmonic. A chef’s journey rewarded on multiple occasions: en 2003, Christian Thielemann received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2015, he won the Richard Wagner Prize from the city of Leipzig. He also won the Semperoper Trust Prize in 2016 and the Honorary Prize of the State of Salzburg in 2022.

A specialist in Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner, Christian Thielemann made his debut asassistant to the Austrian composer Herbert von Karajan, before accompanying Daniel Barenboim at the Bayreuth Festival. In 1991, he directed the opera Lohengrin of Richard Wagner at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he was appointed musical director in 1997. It subsequently becomes principal conductor of the Munich Philharmonic and the Dresden Staatskapelle. He has also worked at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Royal Opera House in London. Last September, Christian Thielemann was appointed musical director of the Berlin Staatsoper.

An ancient tradition

On January 1, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra presents the works of the Strauss family for many years. The composer Clemens Krauss is at the origin of this event since between 1929 and 1933, he decided to produce one concert per year to highlight these works. This scheme paved the way for what the Vienna New Year’s Concert is today.

The first concert, officially marking the passing of the new year, took place in 1939 with the particularity of having been celebrated on December 31 and not the first like today. It was in 1941 that the concert took place for the first time during the morning of New Year’s Eve. After Clémens Krauss, Willi Boskovsky took the lead in the annual concert. An event that he directed 25 times between 1955 and 1979. In total, 18 conductors have succeeded one another at the direction of this prestigious classical music event.

Program

Karl Komzák
Erzherzog Albrecht-Marsch, op. 136
Johann Strauss II.
Wiener Candy. Walzer, op. 307
Johann Strauss II.
Figaro-Polka. French polka, op. 320
Josef Hellmesberger (Sohn)
Fur die ganze Welt. Walzer
Eduard Strauß
Ohne Bremse. Polka schnell, op. 238
Johann Strauss II.
Overture to the Operetta “Waldmeister”
Johann Strauss II.
Ischler Walzer. Nachgelassener Walzer Nr.
Johann Strauss II.
Nachtigall-Polka, op. 222
Eduard Strauß
Die Hochquelle. Polka mazur, op. 114
Johann Strauss II.
New Pizzicato-Polka. op. 449
Josef Hellmesberger (Sohn)
Estudiantina-Polka aus dem Ballett “Die Perle von Iberien”
Carl Michael Ziehrer
Wiener Burger. Walzer, op. 419
Anton Bruckner
Quadrille, WAB 121 (Orchestra. W. Dörner)
Hans Christian Lumbye
Glædeligt Nytaar! Gallop
Josef Strauss
Delirien (Deliriums), Waltz, op. 212