Picture this – the beginning of a brand-new year stretches out in front of you. You’re sitting in a beautiful concert hall as a concert steeped in a rich, 100-year tradition begins. The sound of swirling waltzes and lively polkas fill the air, performed by a world-class orchestra. You think to yourself, ‘this is how you kickstart the new year!’
That’s right, Welsh National Opera Orchestra are once again preparing to bring our sparkling interpretation of Vienna’s New Year concert,A New Year’s Celebration, to a concert hall near you. So, before you find your feet involuntarily tapping the evening away, let’s take a look at the Viennese New Year concert tradition to find out what makes this concert so unmissable.
Since its origin in 1939 in Vienna, the undeniably catchy waltzes and vibrant polkas have made tickets to this concert like gold dust. With a programme of masterpieces from the Strauss family, Mozart, Brahms and more, tickets for Vienna’s New Year concert are so coveted that audience members must register one whole year in advance to participate in a ticket draw for the following year’s concert.
A particular fan favourite and staple of the tradition is The Blue Danube Waltz. Earning Strauss II the title of the ‘Waltz King,’ this is widely recognised as the most famous waltz ever written – if you think you don’t know it, you probably do! Even Hollywood has caught onto the magic of this waltz, featuring it in Netflix’s Squid Game and Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, with further uses of the Viennese waltz being heard in Disney’s Sleeping Beauty and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
If there’s one thing you should do before attending our interpretation of Vienna’s tradition, A New Year’s Celebration, it’s to leave your preconceptions of a classical music concert at the door. The stereotypes of sitting in deathly silence don’t necessarily apply here. In fact, in Vienna’s 1954 concert, the audience interrupted three pieces because they couldn’t contain their applause and cheering! While we’re not encouraging any heckling in our rendition, we won’t be offended if you struggle to stifle a giggle at the humour of the polkas.
David Adams, WNO Orchestra LeaderThe wit and charm of the polkas should make you laugh out loud
Today, Vienna’s New Year concert is broadcast in over 90 countries worldwide, gathering approximately 50 million viewers annually. But nothing can quite capture the atmosphere of experiencing it live. So, although you may not have a ticket to Vienna, the good news is we’re bringing Vienna to you. This January, kickstart 2025 with WNO Orchestra in a concert of classical splendour, A New Year’s Celebration, which sets out on tour across the UK to Swansea, Southampton, Brecon, Bangor, Newtown, Truro and Cardiff between 3-17 January.
