Vienna Phil will play woman’s work on New Year’s Day
OrchestrasRiccardo Muti will conduct the annual Strauss fest for the seventh time… so not many surprises. Except for the appearance of Constanze Geiger in the second half. She’s a little-known 19th century composer and singer.
Here’s the rundown.
Part 1
1. Johann Strauß Senior Freiheits-Marsch
2. Josef Strauß Do
3. Johann Strauß Demol
4. Johann Strauß Lagun
5. Eduard Strauß Luftig und duftig, Polka schnell, op. 206
Part 2
6. Johann Strauß
7. Johann Strauß Accel
8. Joseph Hellmesberger Fidele Brüder, Marsch aus „Das Veilchenmädel“
9. Constanze Geiger Ferdinandus
10. Johann Strauß Entwe
11. Josef Strauß Tr
12. Johann Strauß
13. Johann Strauß Trits
14. Johann Strauß Wein, Weib und Gesang, Walzer, op. 333
Much rather hear something else. Who gives a damn about the gender of the composer. This is roughly as important as the brand of manuscript paper they used – indeed, from the standpoint of history, perhaps even less so. A laughable issue.
Sounds like you’re another male chauvinist! Until the balance is addressed and women composers are given equality of opportunity – same with conductors – then we’re only going to get more of the same old male artists and composers. Luckily in England, the balance has changed enormously, and one day but not in my time, it will not matter, but at the moment, and particularly in Continental Europe, it does matter!
Go back and read the comments on the story about the Chens being rejected in Aspen and how an ‘orchestral sound’ seems to be important (rather than gender, sexuality, whether one leg is shorter than the other – the panoply of panglossianisms from the Left).
“Who gives a damn the gender of the composer”. Yet, you would “rather hear something else” just because the composer is a woman. Very logical.
Baby steps, I suppose. The orchestra may have a pathetically low number of women members in its ranks but this is something.
Have they ever played any works by Black or Latino composers in their history? Now *that* would be something.
Oh, it would be “something”? And what would that “something” be, other than an empty woke gesture? But sure, go ahead, let’s hear all these wonderful works that somehow, as if by magic, have managed not to become well-loved classics even though if they do get played, there will no doubt be some far left intern at the ready with an 1800-2000 word program note extolling the great quality and historical import of the piece.
By the way, how much Florence Price have YOU been listening to lately? Ever notice that nobody plays her (dull, derivative, almost pathetically basic) music since her 6-8 months of fame about 2 years ago?
Now why could that be. That’s really something, isn’t it?
Your comment about Florence Price made me do a little searching, as I had the impression that I had seen her name on a bunch of recent programs, but couldn’t be sure that I wasn’t thinking of programs from a few years ago, as you suggest. Personally, I don’t object to the music of hers that I have heard or played, but neither has it made me want more of it.
Anyhow, I stumbled across the following post which attempts to put some actual numbers down regarding performances of women’s compositions, and as Lord Kelvin would have us remember, if you can’t put numbers to it, your understanding is of a meager and unsatisfactory kind. https://wophil.org/by-the-numbers-2024-2025-repertoire-report/
I actually listened to Prices’s Fourth Symphony this past weekend, in the recording by YNS and Philadelphia. She’s a fantastic composer.
But not surprising to see this comments thread overrun by the same tired old men eager to hang on to the status quo.
I searched for “William Grant Still” on Slipped Disc; I could tell that it was good when even the racists left no negative comments about his music.
Is there some reason to think that the orchestra and conductor would give a particularly flattering reading of such a work? I’d rather hear a performance (by any group or performer) of music they believe in and want to share, than one where they are just going through the motions. If the resulting program doesn’t interest, I won’t buy a ticket or tune in.
The obvious rejoinder is “what about Lenny and Mahler?” Yes, Lenny rammed it down their throats, but he got convincing performances out of them and believed in it himself. Changed their tune, even. But if you see Muti as a similarly effective proponent of some composer of historically marginalized position, with this orchestra…wow, that’s some good stuff you’ve got there!
Why do you think “black and latino” would be particularly interesting in Austria? Especially, when it comes to latinos, there are really not that many of them. There are big minorities from many European and Middle Eastern countries, though.
Then again, for known reasons, we don’t really like to put people in race categories, do we?
Speaking of Middle Eastern countries, I think it’s a shame that Saygun is almost never performed in much of Europe – I personally enjoyed the first symphony and heard very many good things about the other music he wrote
People seem to have something against TRADITION(S) nowadays.
AH! Someone noticed.
‘Tradition’ has been completely misunderstood in the long 20th century which still lingers-on today. At the time, many people thought it was a restricting book of rules and a narrow-minded approach of culture, hindering progress and renewal. The reality of history shows a quite different picture: tradition as a living organism, finding ever new forms of individual interpretation of a common vocabulary and many variations of form. This has always been progress, but in a qualitative sense.
Trouble is they’ve replaced tradition with nihilism. And bitter resentment.
The inclusion of unknown gems in such a publicized event is very welcome by many of us.
In recent years, Christian Thielemann and Franz Welser Möst included several more underperformed works in the New Year’s Day concerts. In this light, Muti falls short: he relies primarily on staples.
Out of 14 works in the program, only one or two have not been performed in recent decades. One is Constanze Geiger’s, the other is, I think, Fidele Brüder. Marsch aus der Operette “Das Veilchenmädchen”, by Josef Hellmesberger (Sohn). Personally I am disappointed by Muti’s program.
I wonder how many Geiger counters there are here (?)
Geiger would be a good name for a composer of violin music but it appears she didn’t write much violin music, if any. So I tried to do a little research into Constanze Geiger and yes indeed she is little known as a composer. It appears she was primarily a pianist who did a bit of composing, rather than a composer who did a bit of piano performing, and in any event her active career seems to have ended with her marriage to minor royalty (the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha branch, so by marriage she was a cousin of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
I expected to find she was related to the composer Oskar Geiger whose waltz/song “Just for To-night” has been recorded and arranged over the years, but evidently not. Her father was a composer and pianist who also seems to have left a very slight remaining footprint, although an opera, Wlasta, held the boards for a time. In her time she was a child prodigy performer and I see in her list of compositions some waltzes for piano, one of which I suspect is what is going to be heard in the concert in question.
Given some of the bottom drawer Strauss that is often unearthed for the New Year’s Day concert, perhaps her waltz will be an enjoyable few minutes and diverting for the audience. No harm done to anybody and no reason of angst of any stripe.
The rediscovery of these Viennese composers is right and proper… but this was not the right year. The 2025 concert should have been dedicated entirely to Johann Strauss in his bicentenary, it’s as if in Bayreuth on a Wagner anniversary they performed an opera by Richard Strauss! Furthermore, it is a very disappointing program, many repetitions, few novelties and it is a missed opportunity to start a philological study on Johann Strauss and his early works.
Ah, the Wiener, always falsely modern…Very nice program indeed , can’t wait. Transactionis is mesmerizing, one of my favorites, took me years to appreciate…, Muti helped.He’ is not my first choice for Wiener music and new year s concert ( Kleiber out of any league, Boskovsky the refined local peasant, Maazel mit chic, Karajan testimonial, Prêtre first one was just champagne…) but the program seems well balanced with lots of hits. I still remember his first one when he started with a very rare valse instead of the traditional overture or march, die publicist en…followed by delicious diplomate polka…then Transaction in second half…was quite special..but some were a miss like 1997…. probably his last… even if we could think the previous was already the last…. they should try Manfred Honeck…