In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn, the Vienna Philharmonic has released a special edition of live perform- ances of several of Haydn's symphonies. This special edition is available at the Vienna Philharmonic E-Shop.
Magnificent summer weather attracted more visitors than ever before to the Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert on June 8, 2010, in the Schönbrunn Palace gardens. With Franz Welser-Möst at the helm, the orchestra spirited the audience off on a musical excursion to "Moon, Planets and Stars". In addition to three pieces from the film music to "Star Wars" by John Williams, the program included the waltzes "Music of the Spheres" by Josef Strauss and "Evening Stars" by Joseph Lanner, as well as "Mars" from "The Planets" by Gustav Holst. Philharmonic founder Otto Nicolai was honored on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of his birth on June 9th with the "Moonrise" Chorus from his opera "The Merry Wives of Windsor".
Yefim Bronfman's performance of Franz Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 2 fit well into the theme of the evening's concert, with Philharmonic Chairman Clemens Hellsberg describing Bronfman's playing as "out of this world". The concert concluded with "Träumerei" by Robert Schumann, whose 200th birthday fell on June 8th, as well as "Wiener Blut", the "unofficial anthem of Vienna", and Josef Strauss' polka "Auf Ferienreisen".
With this free concert in a public place in Vienna the orchestra pursues a specific cultural policy objective by attempting to make classical music accessible to a broad spectrum of listeners and establish a following beyond its usual core audience. Clemens Hellsberg, Chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic says: "The beautiful location, the special flair of an open air concert and the free admission appeal to a large audience. With this concert we are hoping to attract people who otherwise do not have much opportunity to come in contact with classical music."
The concert is presented by Rolex. Since 2007, Rolex is the worldwide exclusive partner of the Vienna Philharmonic and through its commitment makes possible the realization of various projects, among them the Summer Night Concert Schönbrunn and the New Year's Concert.
Free Admission Made Possible through Partners and Sponsors
Admission to the Summer Night Concert Schönbrunn is free for all those interested. For this reason, the Vienna Philharmonic relies on the support of additional partners for the organization of the concert. The Vienna Philharmonic wishes to thank the Cultural Department of the City of Vienna, the Office of the Federal Chancellery, the Ministry of Finance, the Schönbrunn Palace Office of Culture and Business, the Austrian Federal Gardens, the Austrian National Bank, the Austrian Mint and Palais Coburg for their support in the realization of this project. Without them, free admission for all visitors would not be possible.
On June 8th, the annual Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert took place in the unique ambience of the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace. The CD and DVD recordings of the concert can be ordered in our E-Shop.
New Year's Concert 2011
The Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert 2011 will be conducted by Franz Welser-Möst.
An Appreciation of Otto Nicolai
This year the international music world commemorates the 200th birthday of several composers. In 1810, Frédéric Chopin was born on March 1st in Żelazowa Wola and Robert Schumann was born on June 8th in Zwickau. The Vienna Philharmonic celebrates an even more significant anniversary with the birthday of Otto Nicolai on June 9, 1810, in Königsberg.
Beethoven Cycle Berlin & Paris
The Vienna Philharmonic under Christian Thielemann performs the complete Beethoven Symphonies in Berlin and Paris in November and Dezember 2010.
