Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert 2025

[Keraulophone]

...the charismatic swagger of the man, the attitude & whirling black curtains of hair (such a contrast with the white-haired old men on the covers of my parents’ LPs!) made a great impression ...he’s still got it, the decades and bags under the eyes notwithstanding.

I rarely listen to the subsequent release of the NYD concert but this is a memorable exception. As you say, marvellous to listen iwithout PT's interruptions and in good sound. The Philharmonis/Muti recording from the 1970s that I still play quite often, as it has that characteristic Italianate swagger especially in the first movement, is this one, the original release cover displaying exactly what you described:

[Barbirollians]

Listening to the first CD in the newly arrived Muti NYD concert - there’s plenty of applause Nick . The concert just as enchanting as on TV.

[Nick Armstrong]

Listening to the first CD in the newly arrived Muti NYD concert - there’s plenty of applause Nick . The concert just as enchanting as on TV.

Ah, well the streamed album on Qobuz has none.

Agreed, great listening - it’s the first time for years I’ve followed up the concert by listening to the recording. Some delectably-played unfamiliar music

[Barbirollians]

I liked that Geiger work . No applause on Amazon music either it seems . Good old CD that’s where you get the atmosphere.

A shame I always think that they never give Lehar or Waldteufel a look in.

[Petrushka]

I liked that Geiger work . No applause on Amazon music either it seems . Good old CD that’s where you get the atmosphere.

A shame I always think that they never give Lehar or Waldteufel a look in.

Waldteufel was French so perhaps less likely to appear at the New Year's Day Concert. Lehar, on the other hand, was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire so his omission is surprising, especially as he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic quite a few times, particularly during the 1930s and 40s. The VPO concert archive is a devil to navigate but using his most celebrated waltz, Gold and Silver, I can see that that has never been played at a New Year's Day Concert, so presumably nothing else has either. However, Boskovsky conducted it at the Vienna Philharmonic Ball (1970) as did John Eliot Gardiner (1995).

Gold and Silver is a magnificent waltz, very much of Vienna's Golden Age (it dates from 1902) and it would make a welcome addition to this concert.

[LHC]

Waldteufel was French so perhaps less likely to appear at the New Year's Day Concert. Lehar, on the other hand, was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire so his omission is surprising, especially as he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic quite a few times, particularly during the 1930s and 40s. The VPO concert archive is a devil to navigate but using his most celebrated waltz, Gold and Silver, I can see that that has never been played at a New Year's Day Concert, so presumably nothing else has either. However, Boskovsky conducted it at the Vienna Philharmonic Ball (1970) as did John Eliot Gardiner (1995).

Gold and Silver is a magnificent waltz, very much of Vienna's Golden Age (it dates from 1902) and it would make a welcome addition to this concert.

Lehar's Nechledil Marsch aus der Operette Wiener Frauen was played in the New Year's Day Concert in 2016 when Dudamel conducted the concert. As far as I can see, this is the only time any Lehar has been played at the NYD concert.

[Barbirollians]

Waldteufel was French so perhaps less likely to appear at the New Year's Day Concert. Lehar, on the other hand, was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire so his omission is surprising, especially as he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic quite a few times, particularly during the 1930s and 40s. The VPO concert archive is a devil to navigate but using his most celebrated waltz, Gold and Silver, I can see that that has never been played at a New Year's Day Concert, so presumably nothing else has either. However, Boskovsky conducted it at the Vienna Philharmonic Ball (1970) as did John Eliot Gardiner (1995).

Gold and Silver is a magnificent waltz, very much of Vienna's Golden Age (it dates from 1902) and it would make a welcome addition to this concert.

Yes I know Waldteufel was French but he wrote splendid waltzes . I agree entirely about Gold and Silver of which of course Barbirolli was a legendary conductor.

[bluestateprommer]

Finally caught up with watching the full video via NPO (we don't get the full video of the concert in the USA on PBS, just the 2nd half), with Margriet Vroomans as the NPO presenter. However, I did listen to the ORF audio-only archived relay much closer to the start of the month, as presented by Eva Teimel, within the 1-week limit for their archiving of the audio. With just the audio alone at first, I noticed a few quirks and nudges in Muti's readings here and there. Watching the video later, I could obviously see body language and visual nuances that didn't necessarily carry via audio alone. Muti seemed to indulge in a few micro-manage-y moments, especially when turned to the first violins (it seemed). And while he doesn't put on a smile for the camera a lot, he did break into a genuine smile here and there, indicating that he was enjoying the event. It was cute to see the orchestra's group tapping of bows and applause for him toward the end.

I didn't re-listen to the whole event from the BBC R3 Sounds library, but just jumped through to Petroc's commentary. To be honest, and I'm probably in a minority of one here, I didn't have the negative reaction to Petroc's commentary that so many here have stated, where the criticisms of him strike me as overly harsh. My sense is that he was genuinely pleased to be there (and who wouldn't be), and that came across. True, I did notice his gaffe on the LPO and Muti, which he did quietly correct later on, to the Philharmonia, as chief conductor of a London orchestra. And he did miss the count of the ladies in the orchestra just by one, as I counted 12:

First violins = 5
Second violins = 2
Viola = 1
Cello = 1
Double bass = 1
Bassoon = 1
Harp = 1

I felt a little sorry for the lady second violinists at the back of the section, as they had to move their chairs each time Muti strolled on and off stage. In hindsight, Muti should have handed the flower bouquet to them rather than to Ursula Wex in the cello section.

Speaking of the ladies, no one seems to have commented about the Constanze Geiger selection. I thought that it was very good, especially given that she wrote the work at age 12. Obviously the orchestration was contemporary and not her own, but it worked well, IMHO. FWIW, in the past two New Year's Day's in Vienna, some musicians have presented concerts with music by female composers in the vein of the New Year's Concert, such as:

https://ehrbarsaal.at/konzerte/1-wiener-neujahrskonzert-der-komponistinnen/

Jumping ahead, I'll admit to a bit of trepidation that it's Yannick N-S for next year, as during one New Year's Eve broadcast of The Philadelphia Orchestra, YNS butchered the "Radetzky March" at something like twice the normal speed and just bashed his way through it. OTOH, YNS has led the Sommernacht concert by the VPO at Schonnbrun Palace, which can be seen as a bit of a warm-up for the New Year's Concert. If nothing else, another work by a female composer might feature on next year's concert, and YNS might be perfectly happy with that, as he has featured female composers regularly with The Philadelphia Orchestra, to his credit.

Oh, and about Waldteufel: 2016 and 2017 featured selections by EW, Espana Waltz and The Skaters Waltz, respectively (checked my Excel file).

[Barbirollians]

Good to see Mirga is conducting the VPO this year . As an encore in Birmingham she conducted a fantastic Pizzicato Polka- she’d do a great NYD concert .

[gurnemanz]

They often include an item by Joseph Lanner, a contemporary and rival of Johann Strauss père. I had never paid very much attention to him and am grateful to this month's Naxos free download, which is a most enjoyable recording of Viennese Dances with the Orchestre Régional de Cannes under Wolfgang Dörner.

https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.573552

[Petrushka]

They often include an item by Joseph Lanner, a contemporary and rival of Johann Strauss père. I had never paid very much attention to him and am grateful to this month's Naxos free download, which is a most enjoyable recording of Viennese Dances with the Orchestre Régional de Cannes under Wolfgang Dörner.
https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.573552

Josef Lanner could be said to be the forerunner of the Strauss dynasty and his music has indeed been featured in the NYD concert, including my very first in 1972 when Boskovsky placed the Hofballtanze in the first half.

Lanner's other claim to fame is that two of his waltzes were quoted by Stravinsky in Petrushka, the aforementioned Hofballtanze and Der Romantiker.