Vienna Philharmonic quietly denazifies a New Year’s waltz

Vienna Philharmonic quietly denazifies a New Year’s waltz

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norman lebrecht

December 13, 2019

Ever since 1946, the Vienna Philharmonic has been playing a version of the Radetzky March made on their behalf by a composer called Leopold Weninger, a hardcore Nazi and good pal of the orchestra.

Weninger joined the Nazi party in 1932 and worked for various music publishers.

Not until now did anyone object to playing a Nazi arrangement. But someone this year, possibly the conductor Andris Nelsons, raised an eyebrow. As a result, says Vienna Phil chairman Daniel Froschauer, a clean score was ‘created as a joint effort of the Vienna Philharmonic and, above all, unencumbered by a brown past’.

Thanks, Andris.

UPDATE: A much better Radetzky March.


Not brown.

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