Following the decision of Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) not to allow the BBC to broadcast the live 2022 New Year’s Day Concert, Radio 3 will be broadcasting an extended 13 hour edition of Building a Library, 3 days before the event, in which all the available recordings of the Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss II will be played. Listeners will be asked to select the winner by voting online. Most normal Saturday programmes will be incorporated into this special event in a variety of ways.
Celeste will breathe seductively into the microphone in Downtown Symphony to introduce the first batch. In Breakfast, Elizabeth Alker will alternate several versions of the waltz with various forms of noise pollution, including banshee wails and pneumatic drills. Tom Service will add some semi-comprehensible gasping about the Viennese lilt, as the music is being played during Music Matters. Jess Gillam and her guest will simper and reminisce as the music is being played during This Classical Life. We shall be reminded of the strange use of The Blue Danube in 2001: A Space Odyssey, in Sound of Cinema. This theme will continue in Music Planet. Other programmes will be postponed until the following week.
The result of the poll will be announced by Katie Derham in Record Review extra, when the winning version will be announced. The presenter will inform us of how amazing it has been to hear this one work 152 times, back to back.
Available versions-:
Live versions from New Year’s Day Concerts
VPO/Krauss 1953
VPO/Krauss 1954
VPO/Boskovsky 1979
VPO/Maazel 1980 *
VPO/Karajan 1987
VPO/C Kleiber 1989 (DVD)
VPO/Mehta 1990
VPO/Harnoncourt 2001 *
VPO/Abaddo 1991
VPO/C Kleiber 1992 *
VPO/C Kleiber 1992 (DVD)
VPO/Maazel 1994
VPO/Mehta 1995 *
VPO/Maazel 1996 *
VPO/Muti 1997 *
VPO/Maazel 1998*
VPO/Maazel 1999 *
VPO/Muti 2000 *
VPO/Harnoncourt 2001 *
VPO/Ozawa 2002
VPO/Ozawa 2002 (DVD)
VPO/Harnoncourt 2003 *
VPO/Muti 2004 *
VPO/Maazel 2005 *
VPO/Janson 2006
VPO/Mehta * 2007
VPO/Prêtre 2008 *
VPO/Welser-Möst 2011 *
VPO/Jansons 2012 *
VPO/Welser-Möst 2013
VPO/Barenboim 2014 *
VPO/Barenboim 2014 (DVD/Blu-ray)
VPO/Mehta 2015
VPO/Mehta 2015 (DVD)
VPO/Jansons 2016 *
VPO/Dudamel 2017
VPO/Muti 2018
VPO/Muti 2018 (DVD)
VPO/Thielemann 2019
VPO/Thielemann 2019 (DVD)
VPO/Nelsons 2020
VPO/Nelsons 2020 (DVD/Blu-ray)
VPO/Muti 2021
VPO/Muti 2021 (DVD/Blu-ray)
Other recordings:-
Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abaddo
Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim *
City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman *
Wiener Volksopernorchester, Franz Bauer-Theussl
New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein *
Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm 1971 *
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge
VPO, Boskovsky 1959
VPO, Boskovsky 1960
VPO, Boskovsky 1973 *
VPO, Boskovski (DVD)
Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester, Willi Boskovsky *
Dalibor Brazda Orchestra, Dalibor Brazda *
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Bratislava, Jerome Cohen *
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Nicholas Collon
Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard *
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Carl Davis
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal Dorati
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Philip Ellis
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Peter Falk *
Wiener Volksoper Orchestra, Peter Falk *
Hungarian State Orchestra, János Ferencsik *
Boston Pops Orchestra/, rthur Fiedler *
University of North Texas Symphonic Band/Dennis Fisher *
Vienna Strauss Orchestra, Joseph Francek *
Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Ferenc Fricsay
Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt, Howard Griffiths *
Europa Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Gröhs *
Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos van Immerseel
London Symphony Orchestra, John Georgiadis *
St. Petersburg Radio & TV Symphony Orchestra, Stanislav Gorkovenko *
Moscovia Chamber Orchestra, Eduard Grach *
Bruckner Orchester Linz, (SACD)
Strauss Festival Orchestra Vienna, Peter Guth
Grosses Operetten Orchestra, Paul Huhn *
I Salonisti, James Horner *
Basler Sinfonie Orchester, Armin Jordan *
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (1966)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (1975)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (1980)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (1946) *
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Bamberger Symphoniker, Joseph Keilberth
Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra Vienna, Ralf Kircher
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlos Kleiber
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Erich Kleiber *
Staatskapelle Berlin, Erich Kleiber *
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Andre Kostelanetz Orchestra, Andre Kostelanetz
Wiener Symphoniker, Yakov Kreizberg *
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Erich Kunzel
CSR Symphony Orchestra, Bratislava, Ondrej Lenárd *
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Lenárd
Strauss Festival Orchestra, Ondrej Lenárd
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Marko Letonja
Hallé Orchestra, James Loughran (DVD)
Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI di Torino, Peter Maag
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Gerhard Markson *
Wiener Ball Orchester, Franz Marszalek *
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Martinon *
Wiener Philharmoniker, Zubin Mehta (DVD)
Morphing Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Niels Muus
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
Vienna Radio Orchestra, Anton Paulik *
Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir PonkiPrima Vista Quartet
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner *
Oberlin Orchestra, Bridget-Michaele Reischl *
Johann Strauss Orchestra, André Rieu
Johann Strauss Orchestra, Jack Rothstein *
Queensland Orchestra, Ola Rudner *
Gyor Philharmonic Orchestra, Janos Sandor *
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch *
LPO/Alfred Scholz *
Alexander Schneider Quintet
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Alexander Schneider
Studio orchestra, Agostinho Silva *
Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Felix Slatkin *
Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester, Martin Sieghart *
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski *
Philadelphia Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski
Stokowski Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski
Wiener Symphoniker, Robert Stolz *
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Eduard Strauss *
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paul Strauss *
Staatskapelle Dresden/ Otmar Suitner *
Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell
VPO, George Szell *
Hallé Orchestra, Bryden Thomson *
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
Virtuoso Symphony of Lonson, Emanuel Vardi
Columbia SO/Bruno Walter
Johann Strauss Orchestra, Christopher Warren-Green
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Franz Welser-Möst *
Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Johannes Wildner *
Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra, Johannes Wildner
Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra, Johannes Wildner (DVD/Blu-ray))
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit *
Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Wing-sie Yip *
President’s Own United States Marine Band
Streichergruppe der sächsischen Staatskapelle Dresden
Tony Fabian Orchestra *
Orchestra Of The Golden Light *
Die Wiener Sängerknaben *
* = download only
Celeste will breathe seductively into the microphone in Downtown Symphony to introduce the first batch. In Breakfast, Elizabeth Alker will alternate several versions of the waltz with various forms of noise pollution, including banshee wails and pneumatic drills. Tom Service will add some semi-comprehensible gasping about the Viennese lilt, as the music is being played during Music Matters. Jess Gillam and her guest will simper and reminisce as the music is being played during This Classical Life. We shall be reminded of the strange use of The Blue Danube in 2001: A Space Odyssey, in Sound of Cinema. This theme will continue in Music Planet. Other programmes will be postponed until the following week.
The result of the poll will be announced by Katie Derham in Record Review extra, when the winning version will be announced. The presenter will inform us of how amazing it has been to hear this one work 152 times, back to back.
Available versions-:
Live versions from New Year’s Day Concerts
VPO/Krauss 1953
VPO/Krauss 1954
VPO/Boskovsky 1979
VPO/Maazel 1980 *
VPO/Karajan 1987
VPO/C Kleiber 1989 (DVD)
VPO/Mehta 1990
VPO/Harnoncourt 2001 *
VPO/Abaddo 1991
VPO/C Kleiber 1992 *
VPO/C Kleiber 1992 (DVD)
VPO/Maazel 1994
VPO/Mehta 1995 *
VPO/Maazel 1996 *
VPO/Muti 1997 *
VPO/Maazel 1998*
VPO/Maazel 1999 *
VPO/Muti 2000 *
VPO/Harnoncourt 2001 *
VPO/Ozawa 2002
VPO/Ozawa 2002 (DVD)
VPO/Harnoncourt 2003 *
VPO/Muti 2004 *
VPO/Maazel 2005 *
VPO/Janson 2006
VPO/Mehta * 2007
VPO/Prêtre 2008 *
VPO/Welser-Möst 2011 *
VPO/Jansons 2012 *
VPO/Welser-Möst 2013
VPO/Barenboim 2014 *
VPO/Barenboim 2014 (DVD/Blu-ray)
VPO/Mehta 2015
VPO/Mehta 2015 (DVD)
VPO/Jansons 2016 *
VPO/Dudamel 2017
VPO/Muti 2018
VPO/Muti 2018 (DVD)
VPO/Thielemann 2019
VPO/Thielemann 2019 (DVD)
VPO/Nelsons 2020
VPO/Nelsons 2020 (DVD/Blu-ray)
VPO/Muti 2021
VPO/Muti 2021 (DVD/Blu-ray)
Other recordings:-
Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abaddo
Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
Hallé Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim *
City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman *
Wiener Volksopernorchester, Franz Bauer-Theussl
New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein *
Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm 1971 *
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge
VPO, Boskovsky 1959
VPO, Boskovsky 1960
VPO, Boskovsky 1973 *
VPO, Boskovski (DVD)
Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester, Willi Boskovsky *
Dalibor Brazda Orchestra, Dalibor Brazda *
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra Bratislava, Jerome Cohen *
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Nicholas Collon
Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard *
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Carl Davis
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Antal Dorati
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Philip Ellis
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Peter Falk *
Wiener Volksoper Orchestra, Peter Falk *
Hungarian State Orchestra, János Ferencsik *
Boston Pops Orchestra/, rthur Fiedler *
University of North Texas Symphonic Band/Dennis Fisher *
Vienna Strauss Orchestra, Joseph Francek *
Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Ferenc Fricsay
Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt, Howard Griffiths *
Europa Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Gröhs *
Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos van Immerseel
London Symphony Orchestra, John Georgiadis *
St. Petersburg Radio & TV Symphony Orchestra, Stanislav Gorkovenko *
Moscovia Chamber Orchestra, Eduard Grach *
Bruckner Orchester Linz, (SACD)
Strauss Festival Orchestra Vienna, Peter Guth
Grosses Operetten Orchestra, Paul Huhn *
I Salonisti, James Horner *
Basler Sinfonie Orchester, Armin Jordan *
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (1966)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (1975)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (1980)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
Wiener Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan (1946) *
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan
Bamberger Symphoniker, Joseph Keilberth
Schönbrunn Palace Orchestra Vienna, Ralf Kircher
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Carlos Kleiber
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Erich Kleiber *
Staatskapelle Berlin, Erich Kleiber *
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
Andre Kostelanetz Orchestra, Andre Kostelanetz
Wiener Symphoniker, Yakov Kreizberg *
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Erich Kunzel
CSR Symphony Orchestra, Bratislava, Ondrej Lenárd *
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra/Lenárd
Strauss Festival Orchestra, Ondrej Lenárd
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Marko Letonja
Hallé Orchestra, James Loughran (DVD)
Orchestra Sinfonica della RAI di Torino, Peter Maag
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Gerhard Markson *
Wiener Ball Orchester, Franz Marszalek *
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Martinon *
Wiener Philharmoniker, Zubin Mehta (DVD)
Morphing Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Niels Muus
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
Vienna Radio Orchestra, Anton Paulik *
Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir PonkiPrima Vista Quartet
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner *
Oberlin Orchestra, Bridget-Michaele Reischl *
Johann Strauss Orchestra, André Rieu
Johann Strauss Orchestra, Jack Rothstein *
Queensland Orchestra, Ola Rudner *
Gyor Philharmonic Orchestra, Janos Sandor *
Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch *
LPO/Alfred Scholz *
Alexander Schneider Quintet
Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Alexander Schneider
Studio orchestra, Agostinho Silva *
Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Felix Slatkin *
Wiener Johann Strauss Orchester, Martin Sieghart *
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski *
Philadelphia Orchestra/Leopold Stokowski
Stokowski Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski
Wiener Symphoniker, Robert Stolz *
Vienna State Opera Orchestra, Eduard Strauss *
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paul Strauss *
Staatskapelle Dresden/ Otmar Suitner *
Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell
VPO, George Szell *
Hallé Orchestra, Bryden Thomson *
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
Virtuoso Symphony of Lonson, Emanuel Vardi
Columbia SO/Bruno Walter
Johann Strauss Orchestra, Christopher Warren-Green
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Franz Welser-Möst *
Czecho-Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Johannes Wildner *
Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra, Johannes Wildner
Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra, Johannes Wildner (DVD/Blu-ray))
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit *
Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Wing-sie Yip *
President’s Own United States Marine Band
Streichergruppe der sächsischen Staatskapelle Dresden
Tony Fabian Orchestra *
Orchestra Of The Golden Light *
Die Wiener Sängerknaben *
* = download only