You couldn’t get a more “classic” start to the year than this. For enthusiasts, the concerts on January 1st are unmissable, the one at the Fenice in Venice and the one at the Musikverein in Vienna. Not a real “challenge”, as it will be possible to see both, without necessarily having to choose. Let’s see where and how
At the Fenice in Venice with Daniel Harding
The New Year’s Concert in Fenice, XXII edition, will be directed by the maestro Daniel Harding who will lead the Orchestra and Choir of the Teatro La Fenice – the latter prepared by Alfonso Caiani – and the two soloists, the soprano Mariangela Sicilia and the tenor Francesco Demuro.
The musical program will consist of two parts: an exclusively orchestral premiere with the performance of Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 by Ludwig van Beethoven, and a second part dedicated to melodrama, with a series of arias and choral passages from the most beloved operatic repertoire which will end with “Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate” from Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco, “Padre Augusto ” from Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot and with the toast “Libiam ne’ pleased glasses” from Verdi’s La Traviata.
Where to see the New Year’s Concert at the Fenice in Venice
This second part of the program will be broadcast live on Rai 1 at 12.20pm on New Year’s Day and will then be broadcast again on Rai 5 at 5.45pm. The concert will be broadcast in full on Rai Radio 3 on Wednesday 1 January at 8.30 pm and on Rai 5 on Thursday 27 February 2025 at 9.15 pm. A live streaming is also planned for WDR, ART and BR which will broadcast the concert throughout the rest of the world. During the live broadcast on Rai 1, the live images of the concert will be interspersed with the choreographies created for the occasion by Marcos Morau for the Aterballetto artists. The dancers of the company founded in Reggio Emilia in 1977 will dance in cult places in Venice, settings of great charm with the hope that they will be of good omen and good luck for the new year.
New Year’s concert at the Fenice, the musical program
The musical program will open with the Fifth Symphony in C minor op. 67 by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). The second part of the setlist will offer a series of pieces from the operatic repertoire by Rossini, Leoncavallo, Puccini, Wolf-Ferrari, Bizet, Gounod and Verdi. It will start with the Sinfonia dalla Thieving magpie by Gioachino Rossini; and then propose the chorus by Ruggero Leoncavallo taken from Clowns “Din, don, ring vesper.” Following, two Puccini pieces, performed respectively by the tenor and the soprano: “Recondita armonia” from Tosca and “Donde lieta exit” from Bohemia. Two instrumental pieces will follow: the intermezzo dai Four rusteghi by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari and the Farandole from the second suite ofArlesienne by Georges Bizet. The program will continue with two classics of the melodramatic repertoire, once again interpreted by soprano and tenor: “Je veux vivre dans le rêve” by Romeo and Juliet by Charles Gounod and “Nobody Sleeps” by the Puccini’s.
And after the Bohemian dance from the second suite of the Carmen by Bizet, proposed in the arrangement by Ernest Guiraud, the finale will be with three very engaging choral pieces: “Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate” from Nabucco by Verdi, “Father Augustus” from Turandot by Puccini and the inevitable toast “Libiam ne’ pleased glasses” again from Traviata.
In Vienna with Riccardo Muti
Riccardo Mutione of the greatest conductors in the world, will be the protagonist of the traditional New Year’s Concert at the Musikverein in Vienna, on January 1, 2025. The maestro thus achieves a historic milestone: it will in fact be the seventh New Year’s concert he has conducted, a cycle which began in 1994 and which saw him lead the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in memorable editions, increasingly awaited by the millions of spectators who follow the event live worldwide. This edition – which opens the special program dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss fils (1825-1899) – will not only offer a tribute to the great musical tradition of the Strauss family, but also an important rediscovery for the first time, the New Year’s Concert will host the work of a female composer, Constanze Geigerwith his Ferdinandus Walzer, composed at the age of only twelve.
New Year’s concert in Vienna, for the first time the opera of a woman
The opera was performed for the first time in 1848 under the direction of Johann Strauss senior, but remained forgotten for a long time. Now, thanks to Muti, this youthful masterpiece by Geiger will finally have the chance to shine in a New Year’s concert. “I am deeply honored to celebrate the music of the Strauss family and, at the same time, to give space to a composer who deserves to be rediscovered. Strauss’ music is a symbol of the Viennese soul, but today, with the discovery of this young composer, we demonstrate that the history of music is still to be written”, underlined Muti.
Muti and the link between Vienna and Naples
The conductor also recalled the historical link between Vienna and Naples, two capitals of classical music, united by a long and profound cultural connection. He mentioned in particular the figure of Maria Carolina of Habsburg-Lorraine, wife of Ferdinand of Bourbon, who represents a symbol of this connection between the two kingdoms. A bond that dates back to Mozart, who during his trip to Milan (at the time under Austrian occupation) entered the city without a passport, while Giuseppe Verdi, unlike Mozart, had to show his passport to enter Milan from Parma. The event will be broadcast live worldwide, offering millions of spectators the opportunity to experience this extraordinary musical moment, which promises to be unforgettable.
Where to see the New Year’s Eve concert from Vienna
The New Year’s Concert from the Musikverein of Vienna, directed by maestro Riccardo Muti, will be visible on Rai 2 at 1.30 pm and delayed at 8 pm on Rai 5
