Vienna Phil 2012 New Year's concert

[bluestateprommer]

My understanding is that the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's program for 2012 (including Silvester and NYE 2011, of course) will be as follows, with Mariss Jansons conducting:

Josef Strauss: Vaterländischer March
Johann Strauss II: Rathhaus-Ball-Tänze Waltz
Johann Strauss II: Entweder - Oder!
Johann Strauss II: Tritsch-Tratsch (with Vienna Boys Choir)
Carl Michael Ziehrer: Wiener Bürger Waltz
Johann Strauss II: Albion Polka
Josef Strauss: Jockey Polka
Joseph Hellemsberger. Danse diabolique
Josef Strauss: Künstler-Gruss, Polka francaise
Johann Strauss II: Freuet euch des Lebens Waltz
Johann Strauss I: Sperl Galop
Hans-Christian Lumbye: Copenhagen Steam Railway Galop
Josef Strauss: Feuerfest, Polka francaise (with Vienna Boys Choir)
Eduard Strauss: Carmen Quadrille
Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty, "Panorama" and "Waltz"
Strauss brothers: Pizzicato Polka
Johann Strauss II: Persian March
Josef Strauss: Brennende Liebe, Polka Mazur
Josef Strauss: Delirien Waltz
Johann Strauss II: Unter Donner Und Blitz, Polka Schnell
Johann Strauss II: Tik-Tak, Polka Schnell

And, of course, the traditional last two pieces:
Johann Strauss II: An Der Schönen Blauen Donau
Johann Strauss I: Radetzky March

Of course, another question is how many ladies, if any, will be featured among the orchestra for the performance. (Plus, we haven't even passed Christmas yet, but....)

[remdataram]

Of course, another question is how many ladies, if any, will be featured among the orchestra for the performance. (Plus, we haven't even passed Christmas yet, but....)

Absolutely!!! Watching the VPO is like a journey into the past. Surely there's EEC regulation that forbids the blatant sexism?

Anyway, my guess is three ladies - any more bids?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Blatent sexism it may be (and I don't want to condone it,) but it remains the best orchestra on the planet.

[amateur51]

Blatent sexism it may be (and I don't want to condone it,) but it remains the best orchestra on the planet.

,,, and one of the most tedious and predictable musical events going, after The Last Night of the Proms, natch

The VPO's sexism is the 21st century equivalent of The Black and White Minstrel show or The Miss World Pageant ... and they hasn't graced our screens since ... 1978 and last November respectively

[Roehre]

Blatent sexism it may be (and I don't want to condone it,) but it remains the best orchestra on the planet.

Mmmmmmmmmwwwwwwah, one of the best.

Interesting programme btw (including the Mahler 9 quote Freu dich des leben)

[Alison]

Thanks BSP.

Agree, plenty of interesting stuff and our Petrushka will be delighted with the Josef items.

Nothing tedious at all imho. Jansons was among the less enjoyable of recent NY concerts
but I'm certainly not going negative over this mouthwatering occasion.

[jayne lee wilson]

Heresy of course, but I've often thought that a great work in the Viennese symphonic tradition might sometimes be played instead of the marches and dances - Bruckner say, especially 5, 7 or 8... Or even a carefully-planned sequence of Overtures and Interludes...

Surely there must be some female graduates of the Viennese string-playing tradition, whether educated in Vienna or not, ready to take their place? How many are there in the ranks now? Rattle once said that the VPO would "have to" admit more women sooner or later, but perhaps quotas aren't, er, quite the answer here...

Be nice if they'd give others the chance to hear them in the Musikverein too, instead of all the usual Goodly Burgers, sorry Burghers, er...

Does the VPO sound quite as distinctive as once? Haven't heard them much recently, but listening to many VSO and VSOO recordings from the 50s recently (mainly with Scherchen) I'm struck by the hauntingly distinctive character of both ensemble and soloists... it's very addictive.

[Alison]

I find endless variety within the admittedly pretty rigid formula.

It's not as if we get concerts like this at any other time.

[Petrushka]

Tchaikovsky??

That apart this looks a very good programme. According to the VPO website, however, the programme is not being announced until December 28 so interested to know how BSP has got hold of this info.

The annual argument over the (lack of) female players in the orchestra I find tedious and irrelevant. One reason the orchestra gave for not wishing to include them was that their distinctive sound carried down through many generations would be compromised by female players leaving after a short while to raise a family.

Incidentally, If you really want more Strauss from Vienna at New Year I notice that Die Fledermaus is being broadcast live on the Austrian Radio (ORF1) from the Vienna State Opera on New Year's Eve commencing at 18.00 (GMT). The conductor is Franz Welser-Most. I shall be listening!

http://oe1.orf.at/programm/292086

[Boilk]

The VPO's sexism is the 21st century equivalent of The Black and White Minstrel show or The Miss World Pageant ... and they hasn't graced our screens since ... 1978 and last November respectively

If you want to see sexism in action today, BBC television news bulletins have almost exclusively female sports correspondents in the studio with a summary of Saturday and Bank Holiday sports "news" (I don't actually regard sport as news, but a specialist interest just like classical music) - and this is of course a backlash against earlier days when it was all-male, but now seems to a have swung the other way. If there's one thing worse than sexism, it's this kind of phoney political correctness, as it mocks women even more, as does the fact that any women with obvious facial wrinkles effectively get booted off news anchor positions. Can you imagine a female presenter with the eye bags of Huw Edwards?

[Petrushka]

Mmmmmmmmmwwwwwwah, one of the best.

Interesting programme btw (including the Mahler 9 quote Freut euch des Lebens)

It was amusing to hear Roger Norrington say before the TV Prom performance of Mahler 9 last July that this Strauss waltz quote had only been discovered in the past two or three years. I've certainly known about it for many years as it is mentioned in Philip Barford's BBC Music Guide to the Mahler Symphonies and Songs (pages 55 & 56 and again at page 59) published in 1970!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It was amusing to hear Roger Norrington say before the TV Prom performance of Mahler 9 last July that this Strauss waltz quote had only been discovered in the past two or three years. I've certainly known about it for many years as it is mentioned in Philip Barford's BBC Music Guide to the Mahler Symphonies and Songs (pages 55 & 56 and again at page 59) published in 1970!

At the risk of becoming even more boring, I have made the point before that the conductor in question has rewritten history to suit himself, and that his gullible followers have believed him.

[jayne lee wilson]

Never heard of working mothers, Petrushka?

Just suppose you grew up in Vienna mad keen on playing in the orchestra... but you give up before you start, or make pretty damn sure to apply to other orchestras for a position, or think, long, sadly for a chance to play in THAT orchestra, THAT hall...
But you're female. So forget it. You ARE going to make babies soon, aren't you? Disappear into ALL THAT for ever and ever...

Oh come on! It doesn't have to compromise anything if they - if everyone - want it badly enough! It's called political will - long forgotten principle of human fairness.

Tchaikovsky??

That apart this looks a very good programme. According to the VPO website, however, the programme is not being announced until December 28 so interested to know how BSP has got hold of this info.

The annual argument over the (lack of) female players in the orchestra I find tedious and irrelevant. One reason the orchestra gave for not wishing to include them was that their distinctive sound carried down through many generations would be compromised by female players leaving after a short while to raise a family.

Incidentally, If you really want more Strauss from Vienna at New Year I notice that Die Fledermaus is being broadcast live on the Austrian Radio (ORF1) from the Vienna State Opera on New Year's Eve commencing at 18.00 (GMT). The conductor is Franz Welser-Most. I shall be listening!

http://oe1.orf.at/programm/292086

[jayne lee wilson]

Surely the sportsbabes are laughably supposed to be there for the male eye - after all it's men who love sport, innit?

Newsnight does better with Kirsty, Emily, Stephanie etc... and you have reporters like Orla Guerin.

But - too far off-topic, so - back to the VPO... if there's anything left to say...

If you want to see sexism in action today, BBC television news bulletins have almost exclusively female sports correspondents in the studio with a summary of Saturday and Bank Holiday sports "news" (I don't actually regard sport as news, but a specialist interest just like classical music) - and this is of course a backlash against earlier days when it was all-male, but now seems to a have swung the other way. If there's one thing worse than sexism, it's this kind of phoney political correctness, as it mocks women even more, as does the fact that any women with obvious facial wrinkles effectively get booted off news anchor positions. Can you imagine a female presenter with the eye bags of Huw Edwards?

[Mr Pee]

At the risk of becoming even more boring, I have made the point before that the conductor in question has rewritten history to suit himself, and that his gullible followers have believed him.

Very true.