NPR Music to present New Year’s Day From Vienna 2021

The Vienna Philharmonic, in the midst of a world-wide pandemic, will perform their famous New Year’s Day concert from the renowned Musikverein in Vienna on January 1, 2021.

Conducting will be Riccardo Muti, who has directed the Philharmonic on many occasions over a five decade span. This will be his sixth appearance since 1993, and thus he has presided over this beloved event more than anyone else alive. Maestro Muti is currently Music Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and was previously conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra.Though the Austrian government does not permit concerts in front of an audience in the midst of the current pandemic, ORF, the Austrian broadcast network, plans to invite an audience virtually to participate in applause.

The 2021 New Year’s Day program includes many favorites by Johann Strauss Junior, including the Voices of Spring and the Emperor Waltz as well as seven items appearing on the New Year’s Day concert for the first time. As it has for decades now, the encores feature the most famous waltz ever, From the Blue Danube, and the Radetzky March.

NPR Music has provided the complete New Year’s Day concert to hundreds of American radio stations since 2003.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic the vast majority of the orchestra world has remained silent, the Vienna Philharmonic resumed their concerts in June, beginning with 3 concerts in Vienna under Daniel Barenboim. In November 2020, they concluded a successful 7 concert trip to Japan. While in Japan, they were sequestered in their hotel rooms when not performing, and traveled in chartered buses and dedicated rail cars. Since government authorities did not permit yelling “Bravo” at the end of the concerts, the concert venues provided placards and towels with “Bravo” printed on them for the audience to wave. Before that, they gave 10 concerts under the direction of the 93-year-old Herbert Blomstedt, including performances in Greece and Malta; and 21 performances in August at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Franz Welser-Möst, Christian Thielemann, Joana Mallwitz, Andris Nelsons and Ricardo Muti.

The NPR production crew, all based in Boston, include host Lisa Mullins of NPR member station WBUR (her 15th New Year’s Day broadcast), engineer Joel Watts (his 5th broadcast) and producer Brian Bell (his 21st broadcast).

New Year’s Day from Vienna 2021 Program

First Part

Franz von Suppè: Fatinitza March *

Johann Strauss Jr.: Schallwellen (Sound Waves), Waltz, op. 148 *

Johann Strauss Jr.: Niko Polka, op. 228

Josef Strauss: Ohne Sorgen (Without a Care), Fast Polka, op. 271

Carl Zeller: Grubenlichter (Davy Lamps), Waltz *

Carl Millöcker: In Saus und Braus (Living It Up), Galop *

Second Part

Franz von Suppè: Poet and Peasant: Overture

Karl Komzák: Bad’ner Mad’ln (Girls of Baden), Waltz, op. 257 *

Josef Strauss: Margherita Polka, op. 244 *

Johann Strauss Sr.: Venetian Galop, op. 74 *

Johann Strauss Jr.: Frühlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring), Waltz, op. 410

Johann Strauss Jr.: In the Krapfenwald’l, Polka française, op. 336

Johann Strauss Jr.: New Melodies Quadrille. Op. 254

Johann Strauss Jr.: Emperor Waltz, op. 437

Johann Strauss Jr.: Stürmisch in Lieb und Tanz (Tempestuous in Love and Dance), Fast Polka, op. 393

Encores

Johann Strauss Jr.: Furioso Polka, op. 260

Johann Strauss Jr.: The Blue Danube, Waltz, op. 314

Johann Strauss Sr.: Radetzky March, op. 228

* First performance in a New Year’s Concert

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