New Year's Concert for 2026 from the Wiener Philharmoniker

[LKB]

I don't know if the link will remain viable, but here you go and, Happy New Year. 

[Belle]

We watched it on YT this morning and found it dull.  Yannick thought it was all about himself, quite obviously.

[Harry]

We watched it on YT this morning and found it dull.  Yannick thought it was all about himself, quite obviously.

Absolutely correct, and what to think him kissing a musician in the neck, or kissing a violinist on the cheek uninvited, and his parade through the hall, I got almost a fit seeing that. His ego is enormous, the choice of music mediocre, and his directing more focused on himself as on the music. His many grimaces and dancing moves while directing made me seasick in an instant. Ughhhh

[AnotherSpin]

Absolutely correct, and what to think him kissing a musician in the neck, or kissing a violinist on the cheek uninvited, and his parade through the hall, I got almost a fit seeing that. His ego is enormous, the choice of music mediocre, and his directing more focused on himself as on the music. His many grimaces and dancing moves while directing made me seasick in an instant. Ughhhh

Exactly: conducting has degenerated into cheap showbiz entertainment.

We live in an era where the ego on the podium matters more than the score, and the conductor is no longer a servant of the music but a TikTok star with grimaces, unsolicited kisses on the neck, and parades through the hall.

The greats are gone. 2026, the year the orchestra became mere scenery for someone's narcissism.

[ritter]

TBH, I do not understand why a mass market product like the New Year's Concert is criticised for being exactly that, mass market. It's the concert itself which is (and has always been) cheap showbiz entertainment.

[AnotherSpin]

TBH, I do not understand why a mass market product like the New Year's Concert is criticised foo being exactly that, mass market. It's the concert itself which is (and has always been) cheap showbiz entertainment.

So you genuinely fail to grasp why one might dare to criticise the Neujahrskonzert for being precisely what it is: a glittering, mass-market spectacle?

[LKB]

I would suggest, respectfully, that y'all take a breath, step back and think for a moment.

What the masses call " Classical Music " is not exactly thriving. Indeed, it has not really been thriving since it was current, and that period in time expired long ago.

Jazz, Pop, Rock, New Age and Soul have all established themselves as more commercially viable than the old, " obsolete "  works of great masters who are now long dead.

I revere Bach, Bruckner, Mahler, and Beethoven. I have for decades, as they have brought meaning to my life and to the effort I have expended over sixty years as a performing musician.

But one must recognize reality in order to survive. The Neuejahr Concert is about inspired marketing. Die Wiener Philharmoniker are most certainly aware of this, and must surely take it into account when selecting their conductor for the day.

So it is not about the most refined performance, or the greatest possible rendition of the Blue Danube Waltz.

It is simply about motivating those audience members in attendance to put out the means which allow the orchestra to continue. Entertain them, make them feel as though they are participating in the music-making as they are experiencing it.

Since we live in an era where the most lucrative music is replete with base, disgusting and objectionable content, this is how it must be if the greatest ensembles are to survive.

[Papy Oli]

Never mind the musical choices and the conductor, the floral displays in front of the stage were simply ghastly this year!!! a real eye sore!!

 

[AnotherSpin]

I would suggest, respectfully, that y'all take a breath, step back and think for a moment.

What the masses call " Classical Music " is not exactly thriving. Indeed, it has not really been thriving since it was current, and that period in time expired long ago.

Jazz, Pop, Rock, New Age and Soul have all established themselves as more commercially viable than the old, " obsolete "  works of great masters who are now long dead.

I revere Bach, Bruckner, Mahler, and Beethoven. I have for decades, as they have brought meaning to my life and to the effort I have expended over sixty years as a performing musician.

But one must recognize reality in order to survive. The Neuejahr Concert is about inspired marketing. Die Wiener Philharmoniker are most certainly aware of this, and must surely take it into account when selecting their conductor for the day.

So it is not about the most refined performance, or the greatest possible rendition of the Blue Danube Waltz.

It is simply about motivating those audience members in attendance to put out the means which allow the orchestra to continue. Entertain them, make them feel as though they are participating in the music-making as they are experiencing it.

Since we live in an era where the most lucrative music is replete with base, disgusting and objectionable content, this is how it must be if the greatest ensembles are to survive.

I completely understand where you are coming from, and I share the feeling. Even the most distinguished orchestras today have to think about survival, about bills, audiences, and staying relevant, and that is simply the reality we live in. I knew a few musicians from the Odesa Philharmonic personally, and I am well aware of how difficult their material situation was even before the war. It is hardly surprising that they would create their own version of a New Year's extravaganza, borrowing from the Viennese model to attract an audience and keep things going.

My frustration, however, is not really directed at the musicians who are trying to make ends meet. It is more about the era itself. Everything seems to be slowly eroding, with depth giving way to surface appeal and gravitas being exchanged for something catchy and easily digestible. At times I feel like putting on Cicero's toga and sighing along with his "O tempora, o mores," wondering how far we have drifted from the standards that once felt natural.

And yes, that conductor in particular gets under my skin in a way I cannot quite suppress. No offense to those who admire him and his talents, musical or otherwise, but to me he embodies this shift toward something lighter and crowd-pleasing. Forgive the outburst. It comes more from melancholy than from malice.

[Belle]

TBH, I do not understand why a mass market product like the New Year's Concert is criticised for being exactly that, mass market. It's the concert itself which is (and has always been) cheap showbiz entertainment.

I would suggest (particularly if you look back on versions from previous decades) that it's all about encouraging tourism to Vienna and Austria more generally.
The Wiener Philharmoniker does not need to raise funds;  it is backed by the Austrian government and is their national marque, and a source of  pride in its heritage.

That little country punches well above its weight on most metrics, by the way.  Having lived there I can tell you that the Viennese people take their eponymous orchestra very seriously indeed.

[Florestan]

I'd bet ten to one that some people here would have been much more aghast attending a real Johann Strauss (Vater or Sohn) "concert" than they were watching the YN-S VP NY concert.

For God's sake, folks --- nobody back in those days went to a Strauss evening for "listening" to the music in a reverent manner, in formal attire and stiff-and-still comportment, they went there for dancing and carousing. The first to object to the "concertifying" of their performances would have been the Strausses themselves.

I've said it countless times before but it bears repeat: André Rieu's entertainment is much closer in spirit to a real Johann Strauss entertainment than the VP NYC, no matter who or how conducts it.

That being said, YN-S's suddenly and unsollicitedly kissing a male violinist on the back of the neck was the top of tastelessness and shamelessness. I mean, I'm fine with him being gay, but that was really too much.

[Florestan]

something lighter and crowd-pleasing.

That's precisely what the Strausses were about. And there's nothing wrong with it.

[Florestan]

So it is not about the most refined performance, or the greatest possible rendition of the Blue Danube Waltz.

Heck, Johann Strauss-Sohn himself was never about that, either in composing or in performing it.

[Florestan]

putting on Cicero's toga and sighing along with his "O tempora, o mores," wondering how far we have drifted from the standards that once felt natural.

The very fact that Cicero lived more than 2,000 year ago should give one pause for thought. Nihil novum sub sole.

[Florestan]

That the music chosen was not the most exciting ever I'm not going to dispute. And I'm beginning to understand the reason why the French loved ballets within operas so much: if the music is dull, one can at least have a feast for the eyes. Slim ladies with long and agile legs, what's not to like?

[Brian]

Jazz, Pop, Rock, New Age and Soul have all established themselves as more commercially viable than the old, " obsolete "  works of great masters who are now long dead.

With respect and affection: this sentence does sound like it was written in about 1975. 

[Florestan]

Jazz, Pop, Rock, New Age and Soul have all established themselves as more commercially viable than the old, " obsolete "  works of great masters who are now long dead.

Yuja Wang would strongly disagree.

[Florestan]

Heck, Johann Strauss-Sohn himself was never about that, either in composing or in performing it.

Just think about it: even at its most numerous, the JS-S orchestra never reached the size of the VP. As for professionalism and rehearsal time, better just not to think about. 

[Florestan]

TBH, I do not understand why a mass market product like the New Year's Concert is criticised for being exactly that, mass market. It's the concert itself which is (and has always been) cheap showbiz entertainment.

The only word I object to is "cheap". The lowest price for a seat is far from cheap, at least by Romanian standards.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Yuja Wang would strongly disagree.

And for some, she also offers a feast for the eyes.