Vienna and New York: 175 Years of Two Philharmonics
The Vienna Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic, both celebrating their 175th anniversaries this year, present an unprecedented joint exhibit of archival material from throughout the venerable orchestras’ histories at the Haus der Musik in Vienna beginning on March 29, 2017. This expanded exhibit, which was previously on display at the Austrian Cultural Forum in New York, can be viewed by the public free of charge until January 2018.
Regarding this exhibit, Philharmonic Chairman Andreas Großbauer states, "Many objects, such as the founding documents, concert programs, orchestra and tour photos, musical scores, and letters from Gustav Mahler, will be available for viewing by the public for the very first time.”
The documents selected illustrate various highlights and reveal similarities as well as differences in the histories of these two venerable orchestras. In addition, the relationships of both ensembles to composers such as Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner and Gustav Mahler are explored, along with their collaborations with such conductors as Arturo Toscanini, Leonard Bernstein and Zubin Mehta. Another key aspect of the exhibit is the focus on the ramifications that the National Socialistic era had for both the Vienna Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic.