# the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert online?



## science

Hi guys, my wife asked me to find out if she can watch the concert live online. I can't find that, but I figured I'd take a shot with y'all because you know many things that I don't.


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## Moscow-Mahler

I am not sure, if they broacast online.

In Russia they broadcast it on TV every year. Though, it will be great if they make a web-broadcasting.

*You can watch it on Youtube (with Japanese sub-titles)..*. But I am not sure about the quality.

Jansons was in high spirits. I am glad for him. The Russian commenter on our TV boasted that he is a citizen of Russia. I smirked at that remark. Yes, he is, but we lost such a skillful conductor. It's not an achievement.


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## Guest

The Neujahre Konzert from the Musikverein this year was a big bore!! I was in the Musikverein 2 weeks ago and I watched for nostalgic reasons. The whole program was dull, complete with CGI of people flying up in the air. Zzzzz. Worst of all is the music - and the musicians and audiences alike seem bored. Who could blame them? It does a great disservice to that orchestra and conductor!!


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## Moscow-Mahler

I do not find Jansons to be boring that day. Though, I have only one CD with the New Year Concert - with Zubin Mehta - and listen too it VERY SELDOM.

The only music that I found interesting is the Delirium Waltz by Joseph Strauss. I


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## Polednice

Get the Kleiber CD and listen to that every year.


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## Moscow-Mahler

Thanks. I'll try it, though I am not a big fan of Johann Strauss at all (that's the MAIN reason, why I listen to it very seldom).


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## Aksel

I actually enjoyed the concert rather a lot. Sure, some of the music has been recycled a couple too many times (yes, Radetzky March, I am looking at you as a matter of fact), but I do think that Jansons did rather well this year. The Lumbye Gallop and the Tchaikovsky were especially nice.


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## Moscow-Mahler

Yes, he was good, though my favorite video with him would be the Waldbuhnne'2002 with the Berliners. Also a popular classics, but much more interesting programm.


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## Vaneyes

I glimpsed a time or two. Apart from Jansons perhaps drinking too much coffee prior, I thought what I saw was okay. Anyway, I DVR'd it, and will watch it in its entirety...I hope before the next one. HvK's remains my favorite.


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## Moscow-Mahler

To much coffee? Well, maybe.  And some chocolate with nuts, I supposes.

Yet, after re-reading my own post, where I mention Waldbuhne - I think the Vienesse should add some other composers to the New Year concert. Why not change the tradition a little?


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*Don't watch that incredibly tedious concert. It isn't worth it.*


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Moscow-Mahler said:


> To much coffee? Well, maybe.  And some chocolate with nuts, I supposes.
> 
> Yet, after re-reading my own post, where I mention Waldbuhne - I think the Vienesse should add some other composers to the New Year concert. Why not change the tradition a little?


They should play some Ligeti, or music by some *female* composers now that the orchestra isn't entirely male.


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## Moscow-Mahler

I love Ligeti's quartets, but I have never heard his later music, unfortunately. 

I appreciate orchestras that playing more XX century music. But even if they want to play only XIX century music which is now popular classics, I think they should add something. Why not invite a violinist to play the third part of Brahms' Violin concerto? It is virtuoisic, but not too "serioius" music. Or some Tchaikovsky, or some Dvorak, or Schumann? 

Instead, they play mostly XIX century music for corporate parties.


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## Vaneyes

Maybe alternate years with Mahler and Bruckner symphonies.


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## Moscow-Mahler

I suppose, it will be a shock for the public. If they come for J.Strauss and will find that it is Bruckner. But the doors will be closed.


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## moody

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *Don't watch that incredibly tedious concert. It isn't worth it.*


You're being a spoilsport--people want it to be the same old just like the last night of the proms. That's what it's all about. There are plenty of recordings of all the other Viennese composers and for that matter unusual Strauss'


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## moody

Moscow-Mahler said:


> I suppose, it will be a shock for the public. If they come for J.Strauss and will find that it is Bruckner. But the doors will be closed.


 They will have to be because there will be a riot-- I wonder how Composer of Avant Garde knows it's so tedious.


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## Moscow-Mahler

Well it was not my idea to close the doors. In fact, Hans von Bulow once closed the doors and performened the final part of Bethoven's Ninth twice. 

My main idea is to just perform some other "light" XIX century music as some pieces by Brahms, Mendelsohn, Dvorak or Tchaikovsky. Certainly, there is some pleasure in re-listening the same pieces again and again, but...

I don't know, maybe I am just not a big fan of that program, except of the Delirium Waltz by Joseph Strauss.


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## Aksel

I do think it's time to let some other composers come and play as well, but I do think the whole idea of a new year's concert, especially the Vienna one is that they play the Strauss music that has become so linked to Vienna. But they should program a lot more unknown music, especially by the Strausses. The Trisch-Trasch Polka is becoming rather tedious.


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## Sid James

I think the format is good as it is. I think they do a variety of things, not only well known things by Johann Strauss II, but also less known things by him and his father and brothers.

I would say that it would be good to get a younger conductor at the helm, all of them seem to be like over 60. Maybe even a woman conductor would be good. How about our own Simone Young? I don't know if she'd be interested, but it would just be good to give a kind of younger image to the thing a bit.

Apart from that, the music is very good and they make it topical. In 2009, they played Haydn's _Farewell Symphony_ as tribute to him on the 200th anniversary of the year of his death. They did the same with Otto Nicolai the following year, I think.

Some of you people don't seem to know the content of this concert and are just doing usual highbrow judging. I don't know what's the use of that, really. If you don't like it, or like light music in general, just get over it and admit your bias...


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## Guest

I admit my bias: I don't like light music; I'm "highbrow judging". That's because I am highbrow. Go figure.


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## Crudblud

My eyebrows are so high that they fall off in intense wind.


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## Guest

"Fall" in intense wind, or 'blow away'? I wouldn't think such light objects would simply "fall" in response to wind!! Perhaps a more "highbrow" verb?

Reminds me of a joke by Tommy Cooper, "....my wife was sitting on the side of a hill with the wind blowing her hair and she was chasing after it"!!


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## science

I say, if you don't like it, don't go to the concert, don't put it on tv, or whatever, and let the rest of us enjoy it. 

Or you can parade around your imagined superiority for us all to see. But this is what you get, and what you deserve: 

I love classical music, but I hate classical music people. I need a baseball bat for your skulls. What the hell, even if I tied you up and forced you to listen to an hour of Strauss waltzes once a frisking year, I'd think you'd be ok.


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## science

By the way, I've been posting that fairly sarcastically for awhile, but I want to be clear: I really mean it. A lot of you simply act like pompous asses. You think you're so superior, but really, it's no different than what I see 6th graders do, forming in-groups and out-groups and selecting the clique's music and then pretending that other cliques' music isn't as good. Grow up. The 19th century is long gone, none of you are aristocrats, and even if you were it wouldn't matter anymore.


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## science

I'd better withdraw this post as I don't want a vacation from talkclassical.


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## science

I'll remodel this post to keep the original idea: 

It is laughable that people looking down so ostentatiously on J. Strauss's music would choose to celebrate Bruckner's instead. His music is practically as popular as Strauss. What's more, I'd bet a lot of money that there are more people on this site who have heard 8 total hours of Bruckner's music ten times or more than have heard 8 total hours of the Strauss family's music once.


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## science

Sid James said:


> I think the format is good as it is. I think they do a variety of things, not only well known things by Johann Strauss II, but also less known things by him and his father and brothers.
> 
> I would say that it would be good to get a younger conductor at the helm, all of them seem to be like over 60. Maybe even a woman conductor would be good. How about our own Simone Young? I don't know if she'd be interested, but it would just be good to give a kind of younger image to the thing a bit.
> 
> Apart from that, the music is very good and they make it topical. In 2009, they played Haydn's _Farewell Symphony_ as tribute to him on the 200th anniversary of the year of his death. They did the same with Otto Nicolai the following year, I think.
> 
> Some of you people don't seem to know the content of this concert and are just doing usual highbrow judging. I don't know what's the use of that, really. If you don't like it, or like light music in general, just get over it and admit your bias...


Amen brother.


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## Sid James

science said:


> I say, if you don't like it, don't go to the concert, don't put it on tv, or whatever, and let the rest of us enjoy it...


Agreed, "live and let live" is my motto with things I don't like. & if I don't like them, I expose my bias, say what's my preference, etc. But certain people don't do that, they hide behind various things, mostly their own values or ideologies. Which would be fine, if they'd just expose them and say "I don't like light classical music" or something more honest like that...



> Or you can parade around your imagined superiority for us all to see. But this is what you get, and what you deserve...


Don't worry, I told a friend who likes the Strauss waltz dynasty, and the Vienna concerts, about the goings on on this thread. He basically thought if people don't like it, why waste your time like this talking against it. He's not a member here and like myself he likes all sorts of musics, but we don't agree on everything, we have some differences of opinion, but not this - Johann Strauss II was great! His music is immortal!...


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## Moscow-Mahler

I'm afraid, I was somewhat overcritical in my statement about "XIX century music for corporative parties". Please, accept my apologies.

Though, I believe that for some people to attend this event - I mean Das Wiener Neujahrskonzert - is more a kind of social ritual. So, I am afraid those people are also snobbish. 

And as far as I understand the original conception (at last according to Wiki) allows to include Mozart, Lehar or some other "light" music. That was my main statement. It was of course a joke about Bruckner, though I must remind you that Bruckner was not at all popular during his time - and this is often a feature of a genius. His music can bring me to tears - and Johann Strauss' can not, though it is good to listen sometimes. And in fact I praised his brother's Josef Strauss' work in my post. My words are coincide with Johann Strauss' own high worlds about his brother's music, btw.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Moscow-Mahler said:


> I'm afraid, I was somewhat overcritical in my statement about "XIX century music for corporative parties". Please, accept my apologies.
> 
> Though, I believe that for some people to attend this event - I mean Das Wiener Neujahrskonzert - is more a kind of social ritual. So, I am afraid those people are also snobbish.
> 
> *And as far as I understand the original conception (at last according to Wiki) allows to include Mozart, Lehar or some other "light" music.* That was my main statement. It was of course a joke about Bruckner, though I must remind you that Bruckner was not at all popular during his time - and this is often a feature of a genius. His music can bring me to tears - and Johann Strauss' can not, though it is good to listen sometimes. And in fact I praised his brother's Josef Strauss' work in my post. My words are coincide with Johann Strauss' own high worlds about his brother's music, btw.


Does that mean that they can include Ligeti?


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## Sid James

Moscow-Mahler said:


> ...
> Though, I believe that for some people to attend this event - I mean Das Wiener Neujahrskonzert - is more a kind of social ritual. So, I am afraid those people are also snobbish.
> ...


A friend of mine said that the Vienna Philharmonic rarely plays concerts. They are mainly an opera orchestra, he said. So the best seats are booked out in advance. Often, subscriptions are held by families in the "elite" for generations. I'd say that yes, the musical establishment in Vienna is quite elitist still, or elements of that have survived. They have to have the illusion or the memory of the Hapsburg Empire which built that town.

But anyway, all this doesn't stop me or anybody else from enjoying Johann Strauss II's music, or that of his family, or that of other light or Viennese composers. The composers of the 20th century Viennese school loved this music, and all of them (I think) did arrangements of the famous waltzes. I have heard an arrangement by Schoenberg of The Emperor Waltz (Kaiser-Walzer) for chamber ensemble. Others like Dohnanyi also did this kind of thing, he arranged and played a waltz HERE.

So if the likes of Schoenberg and Dohnanyi obviously enjoyed and admired this music, why wouldn't a "nobody" like me as well? & furthermore, many types of dances, all of them, are dotted throughout the history of music. The waltz actually originated in the courts of Europe, it goes way back to the minuet and other dances of that kind. It's part of European history. So I don't know how we have to rank things and compare them to other things, why don't we just enjoy them on their own terms, as simply great music?...


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## Guest

The Wiener Philharmoniker does play a lot of concerts and these are difficult to attend unless by subscription (13 year waiting list for one subscription series). I had great difficulty getting tickets when I lived in Vienna last year, but the woman at the box office was extremely sympathetic and I was able to get some - at least!! They also play at the Wiener Staatsoper, of course, but not called Wiener Philharmoniker. 

This argument about Strauss et al is rather circular. Let's agree to disagree about this. Good for those who like this music. The people who go to Neujahrskonzert in Wien pay a large amount for their seats and, I may be corrected on this, some of the money goes to charity. Of course people go there to be seen AND to enjoy the music - it was ever thus with classical music. It's a wonderful, beautiful imperial city and its people are reserved and sophisticated. Strauss is part of their heritage, but it isn't part of mine and I feel free to say I don't like it.


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## science

The whole, "Oh my god what terrible music that is, God almighty what flippin' rubes people must be to put up with that crap at a concert when they could be listening to _Bruckner_" attitude really ticked me off.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

science said:


> The whole, "Oh my god what terrible music that is, God almighty what flippin' rubes people must be to put up with that crap at a concert when they could be listening to _Bruckner_" attitude really ticked me off.


You're right. They _should_ be listening to Stickhausen, Ligeti and Varèse.


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## Sid James

science said:


> The whole, "Oh my god what terrible music that is, God almighty what flippin' rubes people must be to put up with that crap at a concert when they could be listening to _Bruckner_" attitude really ticked me off.


I think some people don't know what's going on, some of the things going on.

Eg. there are groups in this country made up of expert musicians who play, teach, study BOTH new music and period instrument music. A lot of these are connected to our music conservatoriums in our State capitals. Musicians are flexible. It's likely they can play whatever music they're called on. Or at least the "orbits" they revolve around. I've known a few musicians who work on a casual basis in various groups. One week it might be the three B's, another week the wigs, another something of recent times.

Musicians tend to be flexible overall, within reason at least. Generally those in the music industry too, although there are cliques, that's human nature in a way. But I don't think it's a productive aspect of human nature. It's kind of b*tchy, or has potential to. So what I'm saying is people don't understand. The Strauss waltz dynasty is part of the rich tapestry of music just as Bruckner, or the wigs, or Stockhausen is. They need not be seen as polar opposites. Basically, it's all just music...


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## Moscow-Mahler

Maybe I just like Berlin more then Vienna.


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## Guest

Yes, this is an interesting thought. I was overwhelmed by the feast of music available at the Berlin Staatsoper when I was there in June. For this current season they have everything from Cavalieri (Representation of the Body and Soul, oratorio) right up to the avant garde and everything else in between. Much more 'adventurous' than Vienna, but I love Vienna more...!!


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## Moscow-Mahler

Sure, Vienna is more beautiful and it has an atmoshere of _ fin de siecle,_ though for the church architecture Bavaria is even more interesting.
But Berlin is good in it's own way, especially some interesting contrasts between e.g. Reichstag and that modern residence of the federal chancellor. And I suppose they perform more XX century music. And to have BPO, DSO, Staatskapelle, Konzerthausorchester, etc. in 3,5 million city (quite small and cheap in comparasion with Moscow - and I suppose, London) is a luxury.


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## Oskaar

The wienna concert is what it is... I enjoy it every year!


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## Guest

M-M I met a lovely woman from St. Petersburg at the Musikverein last year - she had virtually no English and we resorted to 'charades' to make each other understood (how ridiculous is the 'babel' thing anyway!). She took some pictures of myself in the Musikverein and sent them to me via email. I was struck by her lovely friendliness and huge efforts to be understood. But, when it comes to music we DID most definitely have a common language.


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## PrettyFlamingo

​


science said:


> Hi guys, my wife asked me to find out if she can watch the concert live online. I can't find that, but I figured I'd take a shot with y'all because you know many things that I don't.


*I saw it live on New Year's Day on tv, last year and this year. 
This is from 2011. 
Enjoy!

*​


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