Breaking: Vienna Phil to play Bruckner in New Year’s Day concert
NewsChristian Thielemann has convinced the players to include his favourite symphonist in the annual bonbonniere.
Here’s what they’re telling us:
Daniel Froschauer, Chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic, emphasizes Thielemann’s prominent role with the orchestra: “We have enjoyed a close artistic partnership with Christian Thielemann for many years, making him a Philharmonic conductor with whom we have a particularly strong relationship. With the New Year’s Concert 2024, we also join together to usher in the Bruckner anniversary year. For this reason, this year’s program will include for the first time a composition of Bruckner, as well as many other delightful, yet still unknown treasures from the composers of the Strauss family and their musical contemporaries.”
Thielemann, 64, has also been named an honorary member of the Vienna State Opera.
(Titles…. who cares?)
How appropriate. Another good news story!
You may have missed that they have also just recorded the Bruckner symphonies with Thielemann, which may have something to do with it, on the (ahem) marketing front…
his last New Year’s Concert was awful so let’s not expect anything exciting – his Wagner Bruckner and partly Richard Strauss are excellent the rest very mediocre
Definitely not Kleiber, but better than Dudamel or Barenboim.
You might even have missed that it will be the Bruckner bicentenary…
Hopefully my Symphonic Prelude in C Minor, WAB 297.
Wrong, it’s the Quadrille.
Honorary member ok, but for life? If it’s not for life, they can keep it.
I don’t want to jump to conclusions but, judging from this picture, Bruckner could have used some serious sartorial help.
He bought his suits off the rack.
And a personal shopper, maybe?
Or maybe he’s just out of bed and wearing some very formal pajamas?
He is cosplaying “distinguished university music professor.”
Dressed for cleaning out the organ.
Jumping to conclusions is the only exercise I get these days; please don’t deprive me of it!!
This is the beginning of the end of another tradition.
Historically, the New Years Day gig has been a light programme to sooth New Years Eve hangovers – nothing too demanding to absorb.
It will be foolish for a serious composer like Bruckner to get an airing on this entertaining gig to it’s own folly.
Will be interesting to see if the audience used to popular pieces rebel by not buying tickets or tuning in which will serve the Vienna Phil right.
Why mess with a set programme to please the arrogance of the conductor?
They’re just playing this:
BRUCKNER Quadrille, WAB 121 (Orchestr. W. Dörner)
I would have bet on last movement of the 9 th, so fun! They could add whistles, gunshots or champagne pops…
Bruckner wrote plenty of light silly stuff. You just don’t know it.
And plenty of long, pompous silly stuff. Come on now, equal opportunity and all that!!
look, for years the anniversaries of important composers have been celebrated at the neujharskonzert by including them in the program (e.g. Mozart, Lizt, Verdi, Wagner, Richard Strauss, Haydn, etc.). The choice has always been compositions that do not clash with the context of the concert, so no problem this time too with Bruckner (I didn’t know this composition, I listened to the piano version and it does not clash at all with the rest of the concert)
So, no Arnold Schoenberg or Luigi Nono next year then? (I’m sure Claudio Abbado would have convinced them…)
Relax, Muso, they’re not playing an entire symphony (although it would be fun to see the ballet company dance to that). It’s a quadrille. It could probably pass off as Johann Strauss Jr’s if you didn’t hear the presenter or read the title on the screen.
Probably an orchestration of one of his two piano waltzes or the polka.
This is just in keeping with the tradition of honoring composer’s anniversaries. They’ve played Mozart, Beethoven and Liszt, for example. They’ll probably pick some obscure little Bruckner piece that kind of matches the Strauss program.
Composers that have been featured in VPO New Year’s concerts:
Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Verdi, Berlioz, Richard Strauss, Liszt, Schubert, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Brahms, Weber…
https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_im_Neujahrskonzert_der_Wiener_Philharmoniker_aufgef%C3%BChrten_Kompositionen
Update:
The Bruckner piece is the Quadrille WAB 121, arranged for orchestra.
https://www.sn.at/kultur/allgemein/neujahrskonzert-bruckner-146689240
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnX2GfEScH0FzMOOzFrelip8WIWN7eATu&si=3ylPJ7oVD5Ja4sJ9
Only the Vienna Philharmonic could get exited about a Bruckner anniversary year, and on top of that, not be laughed at the local critics.
Any American orchestra that’d announce a season based on Bruckner (anything) might as well just pack it up and convert their hall into a nursing home.
What a dumb comment. Isn’t that the same for every classical composer?
It’s a shame Zayin that you have not had the opportunity to experience for yourself how profound and moving so much of Bruckner’s music is. In Germany and Austria, it’s an accepted fact (not even open to debate according to friends of mine who live there) that Bruckner was the second-greatest composer of symphonies ever. I also realize why some listeners never “get” Bruckner, and there are two primary reasons: They’re listening to the wrong performances (because in the wrong hands, Bruckner simply doesn’t work – and far too many conductors (easily a majority) really don’t know how to do justice to Bruckner’s music), or the listener’s personal worldview doesn’t accept that it’s possible to strive for and then achieve transcendence after a sustained journey, which to my ears is ultimately what Bruckner’s music is all about.
it’s an accepted fact (not even open to debate according to friends of mine who live there) that Bruckner was the second-greatest composer of symphonies ever
An opinion rather than a fact. And an easy one to challenge. “not even open to debate” – very 2023. Are your friends so close minded?
accepted fact? Wtf? and who is the first according to your friends? The answer will reveal their stupidity as you will have to put Mozart, or Haydn, or Beethoven, or Brahms third?
I always say that in the wrong hands a Bruckner’s symphony can become an unconventinal weapon, but withe right conductor and the right orchestra new universes can open
From personal experience over many years, Bruckner performances were always very well attended in Chicago, Minneapolis and New York.
They do it with Mahler all the time, didn’t get in what way it would be that bad…
It’s actually quite expensive and loss making to run a nursing home.
Bruckner actually sells well in London, especially when conducted by Rattle, Nelsons or Bychkov. And they don’t even have to wait for an anniversary year to perform it!
Thanks for the warning
We hall love Thielemann. And Bruckner.
Musikverein, Großer Saal, Wien, Österreich
Montag, 1. Jänner 2024
11:15
Program
Karl Komzák: Erzherzog Albrecht-Marsch, op. 136
Johann Strauß II.: Wiener Bonbons. Walzer, op. 307
Johann Strauß II.: Figaro-Polka. Polka française, op. 320
Josef Hellmesberger (Sohn): Für die ganze Welt. Walzer
Eduard Strauß: Ohne Bremse. Polka schnell, op. 238
Johann Strauß II.: Overture to the Operetta “Waldmeister”
Johann Strauß II.: Ischler Walzer. Nachgelassener Walzer Nr. 2
Johann Strauß II.: Nachtigall-Polka, op. 222
Eduard Strauß: Die Hochquelle. Polka mazur, op. 114
Johann Strauß II.: Neue Pizzicato-Polka. op. 449
Josef Hellmesberger (Sohn): Estudiantina-Polka aus dem Ballett “Die Perle von Iberien”
Carl Michael Ziehrer: Wiener Bürger. Walzer, op. 419
Anton Bruckner: Quadrille, WAB 121 (Orchestr. W. Dörner)
Hans Christian Lumbye: Glædeligt Nytaar! Galopp
Josef Strauß: Delirien (Deliriums), Waltz, op. 212
Sounds nice and diverse, Ziehrer Lumber and Hellmesberger are a nice touch. Light Bruckner ? Interesting challenge..
You asked you have it!
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=881514356669012&set=pcb.881483180005463
Klemperer’s Merry Waltz next year?
A reactionary, ethnocentric orchestra has a special relationship with a reactionary, ethnocentric conductor. It wouldn’t be such a problem if there weren’t a whiff of unpleasant history in that.
Dumb beyond belief. Ethnocentric orchestra; you mean like the Indonesian Gamelan Orchestra? Anything like that?
Bruckner was a musical windbag, but apparently people like his works. Fair enough.
Sue, who’s your fave? Von Suppe? Cherubini?
Speaking with Vienna Phil, I just noticed that Christoph Koncz has now disappear their roster and is propably now full time conductor. And couple of years ago their principal violist Gerhard Marschner quietly resigned to freelance career (?) and now they have a new guy in lead viola trio.
And wait, there is still more in neighbour orchestra – despite that I’m not following Wiener Symfoniker but still somehow Facebook put in my feed their fresh post where they are celebrating two new (1st) concertmasters and one of them is in my opinion more than very interesting appointment…
Christoph Koncz has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse. It’s too bad we don’t see him anymore.
Poor old Anton. With threads like those he’s wearing, it’s no wonder the young lassies he fancied wanted nothing to do with him.
Considering the kind of year it’s going to be, this might be appropriate.
Bruckner wrote a series of charming quadrilles, apparently when he was not bering a monastic symphonic composer. Have a listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_nqal3kB4E&list=PLnX2GfEScH0FzMOOzFrelip8WIWN7eATu