Classical - New Year's concert with premiere: Maestro Thielemann in top form
Magnificent tradition with surprises: As always, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed polkas and waltzes from the Strauss dynasty at its traditional New Year's concert. But the German conductor Christian Thielemann also presented an early work by Anton Bruckner (1824-1896).
The "Quadrille" was previously only available for piano, but now an orchestral version has been written especially for it. In this respect, it was a premiere for the 1700 guests in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein and an audience of millions around the world. The concert was broadcast live to around 100 countries.
As always, however, the traditional encores were met with the greatest enthusiasm: The "Danube Waltz" and the "Radetzky March". Thielemann presented the "Danube Waltz" partly very restrained, then almost dancing on the conductor's podium.
Beforehand, he addressed the audience: "A world torn apart by wars and intolerance is something very unpleasant," he said. The orchestra presented something beautiful to take everyone's mind off things. During the Radetzky March, he conducted facing the audience and, with a mischievous smile, instructed them when to clap and when not to.
Bruckner's "Quadrille" is actually a piano piece for four hands. "The young Bruckner fantasized something at the piano in the pub, which was then written down afterwards," Thielemann told the ORF broadcaster during rehearsals. For many, it is hard to imagine that the piece was written by Bruckner. "But that's how he started, I find it so fascinating."
Austria in the musical anniversary year
It was also the start of the Bruckner anniversary year: September 4, 2024 marks the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth. Austria has a second milestone birthday to celebrate: the founder of the twelve-tone technique, Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951), was born 150 years ago on September 13, 2024. One year later, it will be Johann Strauss ' turn: that will be the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Thielemann conducted the New Year's Concert for the second time since 2019. The Vienna Philharmonic has invited a different renowned maestro every year for more than 30 years. These have included Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti and Daniel Barenboim. This year, Thielemann replaces Barenboim as General Music Director at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin. He is currently still chief conductor of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden.
Late love for the Strauss dynasty
For a long time, the Vienna Philharmonic had ignored the Strauss dynasty and thus the "most Viennese music ever written", as the orchestra writes on its website. They dismissed it as "light music". Only the appreciation of the music by other renowned composers such as Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms slowly changed their minds.
The Strauss dynasty includes the "Danube Waltz" composer Johann Strauss (1825-1899) and his brothers Eduard (1835-1916) and Josef (1827-1870), as well as the brothers' father, Johann Strauss (1804-1849). While the Philharmoniker spelled the brothers' surnames in the program with "ß", the men themselves usually spelled their names with "ss", as it is also written on the family's gravestone inscriptions at Vienna's Central Cemetery.
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- The New Year's concert in Vienna, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, is a tradition that always features polkas and waltzes from the Strauss dynasty.
- This year, Maestro Christian Thielemann, conducting in his best form, also included an early work by Anton Bruckner in the concert, a piece titled "Quadrille."
- The "Quadrille" was previously only available for piano but had an orchestral version written specifically for this performance, making it a premiere for both the live audience and the global television audience.
- People around the world tuned in to their televisions to watch the live broadcast, including in Austria, where the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra has a long-standing reputation.
- In interviews, Conductor Thielemann discussed the history of the piece, stating that Bruckner wrote it as a piano piece and that it's fascinating to see how he began his career, even if it may seem unusual to modern listeners.
- The New Year's concert is a significant event in Austria, with 2024 marking major anniversary milestones for both Bruckner and Johann Strauss.
Source: www.stern.de
