Vienna New Year's Concert facts for kids
The New Year Concert is a famous classical music show. It happens every year on January 1st in Vienna, Austria. The amazing Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra plays the music. They perform in a beautiful hall called the Wiener Musikverein. The concert usually features waltzes, marches, and polkas. These lively tunes are often by the famous Strauss family. Millions of people around the world watch this concert on TV.
Music and Setting
The concert always features music from the famous Strauss family. This includes Johann Strauss I, Johann Strauss II, Josef Strauss, and Eduard Strauss. The main types of music played are waltzes, polkas, and marches. Sometimes, music by other Austrian composers is also included. For example, in 2009, a piece by Joseph Haydn was played. This was to celebrate 200 years since his death.
The concerts are held in the "Großer Saal" (Large Hall) of the Wiener Musikverein. This has been the home of the concert since 1939. Every year, beautiful flowers decorate the concert hall. These flowers are a special gift from the city of Sanremo, Italy.
On television, viewers can also see ballet dancers. These dancers perform to the music. They often dance in famous places like Schönbrunn Palace, Schloss Esterházy, or the Vienna State Opera. Sometimes, they even dance right in the Wiener Musikverein.
The concert always ends with three extra songs, called encores. The first encore is a fast polka. The second is the very famous Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss II. The audience loves this song and starts clapping as soon as it begins. The last encore is the Radetzky March. The audience enjoys clapping along to this lively march.
The first New Year Concert took place in 1939.
Conductors of the Concert
Many famous conductors have led the Vienna Philharmonic for this special concert. Here are some of them:
- Clemens Krauss, 1939, 1941–1945, 1948–1954
- Josef Krips, 1946–1947
- Willi Boskovsky, 1955–1979
- Lorin Maazel, 1980–1986, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2005
- Herbert von Karajan, 1987
- Claudio Abbado, 1988, 1991
- Carlos Kleiber, 1989, 1992
- Zubin Mehta, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2007
- Riccardo Muti, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004
- Nikolaus Harnoncourt, 2001, 2003
- Seiji Ozawa, 2002
- Mariss Jansons, 2006, 2012
- Georges Prêtre, 2008, 2010
- Daniel Barenboim, 2009
- Franz Welser-Möst, 2011
See also
In Spanish: Concierto de Año Nuevo de Viena para niños
