We couldn't have had a more “classic” start to the year than this one. For enthusiasts, the concerts on January 1st are unmissable, that of the Fenice in Venice and that of the Musikverein in Vienna. Not a real “challenge”, since 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 led by the maestro Daniel Harding who will conduct 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 include two parts: an exclusively orchestral first with the interpretation of Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op. 67 by Ludwig van Beethoven, and a second part devoted to melodrama, with a series of arias and choral passages from the most appreciated lyrical repertoire which will end with “Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate” from Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi, “Padre Augusto” from Turandot by Giacomo Puccini and with the toast “Libiam ne' please glasses” from Verdi's 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 12:20 p.m. on New Year's Day and will then be rebroadcast on Rai 5 at 5:45 p.m. The concert will be broadcast in full on Rai Radio 3 on Wednesday January 1 at 8:30 p.m. and on Rai 5 on Thursday February 27, 2025 at 9:15 p.m. A live broadcast is also planned for WDR, ART and BR who will broadcast the concert to the rest of the world. During the live broadcast on Rai 1, live images of the concert will be interspersed with 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 auspicious and good luck for the new year.
New Year's concert at 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 lyrical repertoire of Rossini, Leoncavallo, Puccini, Wolf-Ferrari, Bizet, Gounod and Verdi. It will start with the Sinfonia dalla Magpie thief de Gioachino Rossini; then he proposed the refrains of Ruggero Leoncavallo Clowns “Dine, don, ring vespers.” Two pieces by Puccini follow, performed respectively by the tenor and the soprano: “Recondita armonia” from Tosca and “Donde lieta exit” from Bohême. Two instrumental pieces will follow: the intermezzo dai Four rustics by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari and the Farandole from the second sequel ofArlesienne by Georges Bizet. The program will continue with two classics of the melodramatic repertoire, once again performed by soprano and tenor: “I want to live in the dream” by Romeo and Juliet by Charles Gounod and “Nobody Sleeps” by Puccini.
And after the Bohemian dance from the second sequel of Carmen by Bizet, proposed in the arrangement of Ernest Guiraud, the finale will be with three very engaging choral pieces: “Va, pensiero, sull'ali dorate” by Nabucco by Verdi, “Father Augustus” by Turandot by Puccini and the inevitable toast “Libiam ne'please 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 takes a historic step: it will in fact be the seventh New Year's concert that he conducted, a cycle which began in 1994 and which saw him conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in memorable editions, increasingly awaited by the millions of spectators who follow the event live around the world. This edition – which opens the special program dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss Jr. (1825-1899) – will offer not only a tribute to the great musical tradition of the Strauss family, but also an important rediscovery for the first concert of the New Year will welcome the work of a female composer, Constance Geigerwith his Ferdinandus Walzer, composed at the age of only twelve.
New Year's concert in Vienna, for the first time a woman's opera
The opera was first performed in 1848 under the direction of Johann Strauss Sr., but remained forgotten for a long time. Now, thanks to Muti, this early Geiger masterpiece 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 a place 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,” Muti emphasized.
Muti and the connection 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 deep cultural bond. It notably evokes the figure of Marie-Caroline de Habsburg-Lorraine, wife of Ferdinand de Bourbon, who represents a symbol of this link between the two kingdoms. A link that goes 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 around the world, 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 of the Vienna Musikverein, conducted by maestro Riccardo Muti, will be visible on Rai 2 at 1:30 p.m. and delayed at 8 p.m. on Rai 5
