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2 CD -
8573-83563-2 - (p) 2001
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Neujahrskonzert
2001 |
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- Johann Strauss (1804-1849,
Vater): "Radetzky-March", Op.
228 (original version)
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3' 56" |
CD1-1 |
- Joseph Lanner (1801-1843):
"Die Schönbrunner", Walzer, Op. 200 |
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8' 38" |
CD1-2 |
- Joseph
Lanner: "Jäger Lust", Jagd-Galopp,
Op. 82 |
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2' 50" |
CD1-3 |
- Johann Strauss (1825-1899,
Sohn): "Morgenblätter, Walzer, Op.
279 |
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10' 59" |
CD1-4 |
- Johann Strauss (Sohn):
"Electro-magnetische Polka", Op. 110 |
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2' 42" |
CD1-5 |
- Johann Strauss (Sohn):
"Electrofor-Polka", schnell, Op. 297 |
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2' 22" |
CD1-6 |
- Johann Strauss (Sohn):
Overture to "Eine Nach in Venedig" (Berlin
version) |
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7' 35" |
CD1-7 |
- Josef Strauss (1827-1870):
"Harlekin-Polka", Op. 48 |
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2' 53" |
CD1-8 |
- Josef Strauss:
"Dorfschwalben aus Österreich", Walzer,
Op. 164 |
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9' 41" |
CD1-9 |
- Joseph Lanner:
"Steyrische Tänze", Op. 165 |
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6' 52" |
CD1-10 |
- Johann Strauss (Sohn):
"Vergnügungszug", Polka schnell, Op. 281
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2' 49" |
CD1-11 |
- Johann Strauss (Sohn):
"Seid umschlungen, Millionen", Walzer, Op.
443
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10' 33" |
CD1-12 |
- Johann Strauss (Sohn):
"Der Kobold", Polka Mazur, Op. 226
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5' 08" |
CD1-13 |
- Johann Strauss (Sohn):
"Luzifer-Polka", Op. 266
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2' 47" |
CD1-14 |
- Josef Strauss: "Ohne
Sorgen", Polka schnell, Op. 271 |
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8' 38" |
CD2-1 |
- Johann Strauss (Sohn):
"An der schönen blauen Donau", Walzer, Op.
314 |
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9' 28" |
CD2-2 |
- Johann Strauss (1804-1849,
Vater): "Radetzky-March", Op.
228
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3' 26" |
CD2-3 |
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Wiener
Philharmoniker |
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Nikolaus
Harnoncourt |
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Luogo
e data di registrazione
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Musikverein,
Vienna (Austria) - 1 gennaio 2001 |
Registrazione
live / studio
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live
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Producer
/ Engineer
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Wolfgang
Mohr / Martina Gottschau / Friedemann
Engelbrecht / Michael Brammann /
Tobias Lehmann
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Prima Edizione CD
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Teldec
Classics - 8573-83563-2 - (2 cd) - 79'
24" + 16' 56" - (p) 2001 - DDD |
Prima
Edizione LP
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Notes
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In many
respects, the history of the Vienna
Philharrnonic's New Year Concerts and
of its links with the Strauß family is
not what it seems: not only has the
popularity of the event misled many
observers into assuming that the
orchestra's interest in Strauß can be
traced back seamlessly to the
composerßs ovm day, but the unique
charm of the music, combined with the
New Year's Day atmosphere, suggests
only light-heartedness and a carefree
delight in existence. In fact, it took
many years for the works of the Strauß
family to find a regular place in the
orchestra's repertory. Althorrgh the
Waltz King himself conducted a number
of concerts with the Vienna
Philharmonic, it was not until well
into the 20th century that Clemens
Krauss established the orchestra's Strauß
tradition: it was at
the 1929 Salzburg Festival that Krauss
first conducted a Vienna Philharmonic
concert devoted exclusively to the
works of Johann Strauß,
and so successful was the exercise
that he repeated it every year until
1933, adding the works of other
members of the Strauß
family and in that way anticipating
the later New Year Concerts. These
last-named concerts - now, thank to
television, a hugely popular way of
welcoming in the New Year and quite
rightly regarded as a very special
expression of civilised values and
hope - in fact date back to the
darkest period of the orchestra's
history: in 1938 the National
Socialists ordered the disbandment of
the Vienna Philharmonic Association,
and it required the intervention of a
number of leading figures, including
Wilhelm Furtwängler to have this
decision rescinded. Although afraid
for the future of their traditionally
independent, democratically structured
organisation, the members of the
Philharmonic none the less took the
remarkable step of programming a
concert devoted solely to the works of
the Strauß
family and thereby professing their
allegiance to Austria, a country for
which there was no place in the world
at that time.
Conducted by Clemens Krauss, this
“Extraordinary Concert" took place in
the Großer Saal of the Musikverein on
31 December 1939. The history of the
Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year
Concerts thus began with something of
a paradox, starting, as it did, on a
New Year’s Eve. The first actual New
Year Concert was held in 1941, again
under Krauss who, interestingly, was
initially opposed to a morning
concert: "I have reservations about 1
January and would suggest that you
hold the Johann Strauß
Concert on New Yearßs Eve as I fear
that the aftermath of New Year’s Eve
could adversely affect attendance at
the concert on 1 Januarz." In the
event, the success of the experiment
convinced him otherwise and from now
until the end of the war he conducted
all the Philhannonicßs New Year
Concerts, which now became a permanent
fixture on New Yearßs Day.
The tradition wan maintained even in
the blackest days of the war, in
January 1945, with the concert being
repeated on the 2nd. In 1946 and 1947
]osef Krips replaced Clemens Krauss,
whom the Allies had banned from
oonducting for two years. The 1946
concert was the first to be officially
designated the New Year Concert.
Krauss returned in 1948 and between
then and his death in 1954 conducted
seven more New Year Concerts. The
1951 concert was postponed until 14
January as a result of the death of
the then Austrian President Karl
Renner on 31 December 1950. In all,
Krauss conducted thirteen concerts,
turning the event into a highlight of
the Viennese social calendar. Although
he did not live to see the quantum
leap brought about by the advent of
television. his performances of this
great music are happily very well
documented and even today remain a
yardstick by which other performances
are judged.
With Kraussßs unexpected death in 1954
the Philharmonic found itself faced
with the not inconsiderable problem of
finding a successor to conduct the New
Year Concerts, and the orchestra met
on several occasions before finally
deciding to appoint their own leader,
Willi Boskovsky. But although the
choice had been controversial within
the orchestra, it proved to be a
stroke of the greatest good fortune,
and Boskovsky went on to conduct the
New Year Concert no fewer than
twenty-five times between 1955 and
1979, leaving his stamp on the
proceedings to such an extent that his
retirement, through illness, quite
literally marked the end of an era.
Boskovsky‘s incumbency also witnessed
the advent of live television
broadcasts, which turned the concerts
into the international epitome of
Viennese music-making. When he was
obliged to retire in 1980, the
orchestra again took a far-reaching
decision affecting a point of
principle and appointed the
high-profile Loriin Maayel, who
conducted the concerts until 1986.
Thereafter the players decided to
engage a different conductor every
year, starting with Herbert von
Karajan in 1987 and continuing with
Claudio Abbado (1988, 1991), Carlos
Kleiber (1989, 1992), Yubin Mehta
(1990, 1995, 1998), Riccardo Muti
(1993, 1997, 2000) and Lorin Maazel
(1994, 1996, 1999).
In 2001 the Vienna Plrillrannonic
entrusted the New Year Concert to
Nikolarrs Harnoncourt, a musician who
has not only worked regularly with the
orchestra as a conductor since the
early 1980s but who often performed
with them as a rank-and-file cellist
during his days as a student. As such,
he is the first conductor of the New
Year Concerts since Willi Boskovsky to
have also played in the orchestra. The
invitation not only reflects our
interest in the way that llarnoncourt
approaches this most Viennese of all
music, it also follows on naturally
from what has been his particularly
close association with the orchestra
in recent years, an association that
has produced many outstanding
concerts, including two unforgettable
performances of Franz Schmidtßs
oratorio Dear Buch mit sieben
Siegeln in April 2000 (both
concerts were recorded live by
TELDEC), an well as two Strauß
concerts given in Innsbruck and Berlin
in June 1999 to mark the centenary of
the death of Johann Strauß
the Younger.
Three of the works in the New Year
Concert in 2001 recall Joseph Lanner,
who was born in Vienna two hundred
years ago and who, together with
Johann Strauß
the Father, assisted at the birth of
the Viennese waltz. Otherwise the
concert pursues traditional lines,
combining exceptionally popular pieces
such as Morgenblätter
(performed five times so far within
the context of the Vienna
Philharmonic's New Year Concerts), Dorfschwalben
aus Österreich, Seid
umschlungen, Millionen (six
performances each) and Vergnügungszug
(sixteen performances to date!) with
largely unknown pieces such as Jäger
Lust, Electro-magnetische
Polka, Harlekin and Der
Kobild, none of which has been
heard at a New Year Concert before.
During the rehearsals, it was
fascinating not only to get to know
new works under Nikolaus Harnoncourt's
direction but also to explore new
aspects of apparently long-familiar
pieces. But no less fascinating was it
to reexamine the Philharmonic's Strauß
tradition through the eyes of this
analytical and yet so impulsive
conductor who was especially keen to
include one particular work in the
progrannne; he wanted the concert to
open with the original version of the
Radetzky March, a version completely
differently orchestrated from the one
more familiar to us and, without the
audience's obligatory clapping that
has long been a ritual at these
concerts.
Dr.
Clemens Hellsberg
(Chairman
of the Vienna
Philharmonic)
Translation: Stewart
Spencer
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Nikolaus
Harnoncourt (1929-2016)
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