Neujahrskonzert 2023 / New Year's Concert 2023 / Concert du Nouvel An 2023

Every January 1, the Vienna Philharmonic rings in the new year with a musical feast of almost unimaginable glitz and glamour. The celebrated New Year’s Concert, performed to a packed Musikverein and broadcast live to a worldwide audience of over a billion, features irrepressibly sunny polkas, waltzes, mazurkas, and marches by the Strauss family and others. It’s a sublime union of ensemble, venue, and repertoire, which never seems to fade in popularity. “Part of its success,” Vienna Philharmonic violinist and the orchestra’s chairman Daniel Froschauer explains to Apple Music, “is of course the incredible music, but this is music that also looks back and longs for a better, older time. We all carry this sense of nostalgia within us.” As 2023 begins, we’re perhaps more in need of a slice of Viennese escapism, says Froschauer. “We’re having such a difficult time,” he says. “First Covid, and now we have a war. There’s so much aggression in the world—and here we present this message of peacefulness. It feels like an oasis of beauty.” Every year, the concert exudes its own unique character, thanks to the Vienna Philharmonic’s decision to invite a different conductor annually. Herbert von Karajan, Daniel Barenboim, and Mariss Jansons have all taken the helm, while this year, Franz Welser-Möst returns for a third time (having previously appeared in 2011 and 2013) with a programme that promises to shake things up a bit. “Franz recently bought the complete scores of Josef Strauss and Johann Strauss II,” says Froschauer, “so he suggested putting entirely new works into the programme. Out of the 15 pieces we’ll be playing, 14 have never been played at the New Year’s Concert!” Read on as Froschauer takes us through each of those sparkling works in this year’s celebration. Wer tanzt mit? Polka schnell (Eduard Strauss) “Eduard Strauss composed Wer tanzt mit? in 1886 for his orchestra, the Strauss Capelle Vienna. We really have to thank Eduard—with the help of the Capelle, he made this music as popular as it is today. Many players, on leaving this ensemble, would go on to join the Vienna Philharmonic, and they took with them that tradition of playing music by the Strauss family. We normally open the New Year’s Concert with an overture, but this year our conductor Franz Welser-Möst wanted to start with this fast polka.” Heldengedichte, Walzer (Josef Strauss) “The Heldengedichte or ‘Epic Poem’ is an incredible waltz, composed in 1860 for the unveiling of a statue of Archduke Charles in Vienna’s Heldenplatz. The Archduke commanded the Austrian army and triumphed against Napoleon’s troops at the Battle of Aspern-Essling in 1809.” Zigeunerbaron-Quadrille (Johann Strauss II) “This piece is by Johann Strauss II. He wrote several operettas, one of the most famous being Der Zigeunerbaron (“The Gypsy Baron”). This quadrille, a type of dance, is made up of themes from the operetta. You’ll hear two polkas, two mazurkas, a polka schnell, and a quadrille, all of which are played without stopping. It’s the trickiest piece in the programme.” In lauschiger Nacht, Walzer (Carl Michael Ziehrer) “Ziehrer was also a big composer in Vienna and, like Eduard Strauss, had his own orchestra. Ziehrer and Strauss were actually fierce rivals. Ziehrer wrote In lauschiger Nacht in 1899—it comes from an operetta called Die Landstreicher. Although the music is similar to Johann Strauss in style, it actually sounds completely different. That’s one of the reasons why this concert is so popular, because we do play different pieces from the era.” Frisch heran! Polka schnell (Johann Strauss II) “Although this piece was composed and performed in 1880, there were no reports in the newspapers at the time, so we know little about it. Frisch heran! is another fast polka, and is quite challenging—there are lots of technically difficult jumps in the melody. With this sort of music, you can’t rely on your experience: you have to learn the notes.” Isabella: Ouvertüre (Franz von Suppè) “My house is on the Opernring in Vienna, in the building where Franz von Suppè once lived. Isabella is one of Suppè’s lesser-known operettas, and was first performed in 1869. It’s a tricky overture to play because it has a lot of contrasting sections, including some very fast passages.” Perlen der Liebe, Walzer (Josef Strauss) “This isn’t just a very beautiful piece—the story behind it is also very charming. Josef Strauss wrote this waltz in 1857 as a wedding gift for his wife-to-be, Caroline. When you hear it, you really can sense someone in love. If you were to ask me which piece in the programme is particularly special, this would be the one I would mention.” Angelica-Polka, Polka française (Josef Strauss) “Josef Strauss probably dedicated this polka to his wife (although we’re not sure who Angelica was). It’s a French polka, which means that it’s slower in tempo, and was premiered in 1862 at the ‘New World’ amusement park in the Hietzing district of Vienna.” Auf und davon, Polka schnell (Eduard Strauss) “‘Up and Away’ was written for the opening of the Kursalon music hall in Vienna’s Stadtpark in 1871. These sorts of polkas were always very popular.” Heiterer Muth, Polka française (Josef Strauss) “This is another French polka, but this time the Vienna Boys Choir and Vienna Girls Choir will be singing too. I was a member of the Vienna Boys Choir, as was my father, so this makes me very happy.” For ever, Polka schnell (Josef Strauss) “In winter in Vienna the swimming pool at the Sofiensaal was covered in wooden planks so that people could dance on them. Josef Strauss wrote For ever in 1865 for a benefit ball at the venue. The Sofiensaal was converted into a studio in the 1950s, and was used to make Vienna Philharmonic recordings.” Zeisserln, Walzer (Josef Strauss) “A Zeisserln is a type of small songbird—a siskin. This waltz was composed in 1861 and you can hear the bird effects in the score.” Glocken-Polka und Galopp (Joseph Hellmesberger) “The Glocken-Polka und Galopp by Joseph Hellmesberger piece is one of my favourites. There’s a print of the orchestra’s very first photograph from 1864 in our offices, and Joseph Hellmesberger’s grandfather, the concertmaster at the time, is in that photo. Joseph himself became our principal conductor for two years from 1901 and was one of Fritz Kreisler’s teachers. He wrote some really charming pieces that have so much of the spirit of the time. The Glocken-Polka was used as an encore piece for the Vienna performances of Marenco’s ballet Excelsior, and was played more than 300 times during the ballet’s run.” Allegro fantastique (Josef Strauss) “Josef Strauss’ orchestral fantasy is really, really hard! There are so many flats to read—I think it’s the most difficult piece on the programme. But I’m looking forward to playing it, as it has a very different sound to everything else. Josef Strauss was influenced by Wagner, which you can hear in the chromatic harmonies.” Aquarellen (Josef Strauss) “Aquarellen by Josef Strauss is the only waltz in the main programme that has been performed before at the New Year's Concert. It’s one of the truly great waltzes. Once we finish Aquarellen we’ll play some encores, including the wonderful The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II and the famous Radetzky March by his father Johann Strauss. After all the pieces that have never been performed before, these two encores will feel like a final homecoming.”