The Wiener Symphoniker once again welcomed the summer with their yearly open-air concert in the heart of Vienna. For the fourth time, the Kaiserwiese – set against the iconic Giant Ferris Wheel – becomes the backdrop of a shared musical experience connecting generations, styles and stories. With a cross-genre programme combining operetta, musical, jazz and pop, the orchestra traces a lively Viennese tradition that has been bringing people together since the 19th century. Bass-baritone Thomas Quasthoff brought Frank Sinatra’s repertoire to life with his unmistakable voice, joined by soprano Alina Wunderlin, who moved effortlessly between classical music, operetta and jazz. Double bassist and composer Georg Breinschmid and his trio offered a jazz-inflected tribute to Johann Strauss, while singer-songwriter Lemo added a contemporary touch.
125 Years Wiener Symphoniker – The Anniversary Concert
The Wiener Symphoniker celebrate their anniversary at the Wiener Musikverein, the very place where their inaugural concert took place 125 years ago. The concert looks back to the orchestra’s very first program in 1900 with Wagner’s rarely performed Faust Overture. It also celebrates two landmark premieres: In Alban Berg’s Seven Early Songs, “the orchestra provided Hanna-Elisabeth Müller with a soundscape reminiscent of an Art Nouveau painting” (Kurier); Anna Vinnitskaya’s performance of Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand was “gripping and full of energy” (Der Standard) The evening concludes with Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, performed an extraordinary 282 times over the orchestra’s 125-year history. PROGRAM Wagner: Faust Overture; Berg: Sieben Frühe Lieder (Seven Early Songs); Ravel: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand; Mozart: Symphony No. 41
The Vienna Christmas Concert at St. Stephen’s Cathedral
From traditional Christmas carols to John Williams soundtracks – the Vienna Christmas Concert in Vienna’s grand St. Stephen’s cathedral is sure to put anybody in a festive mood! This edition features French conductor Stéphane Denève at the helm of the Wiener Symphoniker and the Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, presenting a programme that spans the gamut of festive music, including Mozart’s Laudate Dominum with soprano Rosa Feola, to Saint- Saëns’ Ave Maria with mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey, pieces from Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel and chorus hits from the beloved Christmas film Home Alone
Vienna Prater Picnic Concert 2024
The Vienna Prater Picnic offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy a classical concert for free on a warm summer evening. With this open-air concert, the Wiener Symphoniker invite their audience to pack their picnic baskets and relax on the green Kaiserwiese of the Vienna Prater in front of the famous ferris wheel. This edition of the Picnic features Austrian singer Julian le Play as well as soprano Annette Dasch and baritone Georg Nigl. At the podium of the Wiener Symphoniker, Dirk Kaftan entertains with a crowd-pleasing programme featuring Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár, Arturo Márquez and more.
The Vienna Christmas Concert
The Wiener Symphoniker perform a grand Advent concert at Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral featuring a diverse program conducted by Marie Jacquot. The concert includes works from various composers, such as Michael Praetorius, Leopold Mozart, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Albert Malotte, and Adolphe Adam. Soprano Fatma Said, tenor Jonathan Tetelman, and the Singverein will explore global Christmas traditions, with classics like Bach’s “Jesus bleibet meine Freude” and “O du fröhliche” concluding the event.
Springtime in Vienna 2024
Say goodbye to winter blues with this musical bouquet of wonderful melodies. Every year, the Wiener Symphoniker ring in the spring season with their Easter Concert, which has been a major highlight of Vienna’s musical calendar for more than 40 years. This edition features conductor Manfred Honeck, the Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien and world-class soprano Diana Damrau, who dazzles the audience with Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro”, Lehár’s “Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß” and Poulenc’s “Gloria” among others. PROGRAM: Music by Bruckner, Brahms, Puccini, Lehar, Orff, Poulenc.
Vienna Prater Picnic Concert
With their Prater Picnic, the Wiener Symphoniker offer a very special open-air concert to their audience: visitors are invited to pack their picnic basket and enjoy a colourful concert on the Kaiserwiese in the Vienna Prater in front of the spectacular backdrop of the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel. This year, under the musical direction of Dirk Kaftan, the Wiener Symphoniker, together with soprano Vera-Lotte Boecker and baritone Rafael Fingerlos, embark on a musical journey around the world to mark the 150th anniversary of the Vienna World’s Fair of 1873 – with works by composers of this era from Robert Stolz and George Enescu to George Gershwin, Cole Porter and John Lennon.
Springtime in Vienna 2023
For more than 40 years, “Springtime in Vienna”, the TV Easter Concert of the Wiener Symphoniker, has been a major highlight of Vienna’s musical calendar. Featuring the world’s most in demand soloists, the Wiener Symphoniker celebrate the upcoming spring with a colorful bouquet of lively melodies. This edition features Swiss soprano Regula Mühlemann. Within just a few years, she has established herself as one of the leading sopranos of her generation being acclaimed by audiences and critics alike for her exceptionally beautiful timbre and sensitive performances, most recently “outstanding as a radiant Pamina” (The Telegraph) at the Salzburg Festival. She has received numerous awards and prizes and in 2015, she was finalist of the “Cardiff Singer of the World” Competition.
Vienna Advent Concert at St. Stephen’s Cathedral
The Christmas concert of the Wiener Symphoniker in St. Stephen’s Cathedral is a wonderful way to get in the mood for Christmas. It opens the heart and makes one ready to welcome Christ in every person. For this concert French conductor Fabien Gabel presents timeless oratorio classics by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, as well as romantic church music by Gioachino Rossini, Giacomo Puccini and Hector Berlioz. The soloists are soprano Elsa Benoît, tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Diana Tishchenko on violin and ARD Music Prize winner Selina Ott on trumpet. In addition, the Wiener Sängerknaben and the Chorus Viennensis created a Christmas atmosphere in the festively decorated cathedral. Programme: Bach: Magnificat, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen; Handel: Overture to Samson, Thus when the sun, Awake the trumpet lovely sound, Let the Bright Seraphim; Puccini: Preludio sinfonico; Rossini: Domine Deus from Petite messe solenelle; Berlioz: L’Adieu des bergers à la Sainte Famille from L’Enfance du Christ; Massenet: Méditation from Thaïs; Glasunov: Album leaf; Schreker: Valse lente; Strauss: Wiegenlied (Lullaby); Anonymus: Adeste fideles
The Vienna Christmas Concert from the Stephansdom
The festive concert from St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna spreads pre-Christmas mood with four well-known vocal soloists, the Vienna Boys’ Choir and the Vienna Symphony
Orchestra. The program under the musical direction of David Afkham includes sacred and solemn music from all over Europe, from J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and Charles Gounod’s “Sanctus” to the grand finale with Engelbert Humperdinck’s Evening Blessing from “Hänsel und Gretel”. At the end of the concert, the Christmas carol “Adeste fideles” is sung together.