The Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert is probably the most famous classical music concert in the world. It is broadcast on radio and television in 90 countries of the world and is watched by about 50 million people every year. Where did the custom of New Year's concerts come from? What repertoire appears during the performance?
History of New Year's concerts from Vienna
The New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic (Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker) is held every year on January 1. The same concert program is performed on December 30 and 31, but only the last concert, which takes place on January 1, is broadcast worldwide and is the most famous. Each of the three concerts lasts about 2.5 hours.
The concert is held in the building of the Musikverein – Vienna's musical society. Golden Hall is one of the most beautiful concert halls in the world and is designed as a kind of “temple” of music. It also has the best acoustics in the world.
The tradition of New Year's concerts in Vienna has existed since 1838. However, until 1939, they were held on New Year's Eve. Change came with the “new” temps.
The concerts we still hear today, officially known as the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concerts, have been held since 1939. Their creator was Clemens Kraus. Its original purpose was to… boost the morale of German and Austrian soldiers fighting during World War II. However, then the concert took place on December 31, not January 1. The only composer whose work was used at the time was Johann Strauss II.
There are theories that the New Year's Eve concert may have been the brainchild of Third Reich propaganda and public education minister Joseph Goebbels, who wanted to turn Vienna into a city of art. However, if Goebbels did not invent this concert, the event nevertheless suited the Reich's policy towards Austria well.
An encore was introduced at the New Year's concert only in 1945. “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” and “Radecki March” became a permanent fixture in the encore program in 1958.
The conductor who led the concert from Vienna the most was Clemens Krauss. They also held a number of concerts: Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Ricardo Muti. In 2022, the concert was conducted by Daniel Barenboim, in 2023 by Franz Welser-Most, and in 2024 by Christian Thielemann.
The New Year's concert in Vienna is so popular that you have to book tickets a year in advance. However, even this does not guarantee that they will be accepted, because there are so many applicants that a lottery is held.
The concert will be held in 90 countries of the world. In addition to Europe, the Vienna New Year event can be seen in countries including the United States, China, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Australia, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Chile, in Guatemala, Ecuador, Bolivia and Trinidad and Tobago.
Repertory of New Year's concerts
All New Year's concert programs from Vienna include works by the Strauss family. There are also works by other Austrian composers such as: Joseph Helmsberger Jr., Joseph Lanner, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert, Carl Zeller, Franz von Suppe and others. In 2009, Joseph Haydn's music appeared for the first time at a New Year's concert – this was a tribute to the 200th anniversary of the artist's death. The repertoire sometimes also includes works by other composers: Verdi, Wagner, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and Offenbach.
The New Year's concert program from Vienna includes 14 to 20 songs and 3 encores. The first encore is a fast polka. The second is Strauss II's waltz “On the Beautiful Blue Dune.” During it, the conductor and the orchestra give New Year's wishes to the audience. This custom first appeared in 1954 during a concert. The final encore is Strauss's Radetzky March, during which the audience claps at the conductor's signal. This custom has existed since 1958.
The concert also features ballet performances by dancers from the Vienna State Ballet.
Repertoire of the 2024 New Year's concert
What songs were played during the concert on January 1, 2024? Here is the repertoire that appeared during this event:
- Karl Komzak: Erzherzog Albrecht-Marsch, op. 136
- Johann Strauss II.: Wiener Bonbons. Waltz, Op. 307
- Johann Strauss II.: Figaro-Polka. Polka française, op. 320
- Josef Helmsberger (son): Für die ganze Welt. Waltz
- Eduard Strauss: Ohne Bremse. Polka Schnell, op. 238
- Johann Strauss II: Overture to the Operetta “Waldmeister”
- Johann Strauss II.: Ischler Waltzer. Nachgelassener Walzer Nr. 2
- Johann Strauss II.: Nachtigall-Polka, op. 222
- Eduard Strauss: Die Hochquelle. Polka Mazur, Op. 114
- Johann Strauss II.: Neue Pizzicato-Polka. Op. 449
- Josef Helmsberger (son): Estudiantina-Polka from the ballet “Die Perle von Iberien”
- Carl Michael Seeherer: Wiener Burger. Waltz, Op. 419
- Anton Bruckner: Quadrill, WAB 121 (Orchestr. W. Dörner)
- Hans Christian Lumbier: Rejoice! gallop
- Joseph Strauss: Delirium. Waltz, Op. 212
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