Cast
Daniel Barenboim — Conductor
Program notes
One of the most anticipated events of the classical calendar, the Vienna Philharmonic's exquisite New Year's Concert brings the musicians of the prestigious orchestra together under the baton of a different influential conductor each year. Centered around a wide variety of dances in the Viennese style—especially the world-famous waltzes of the Strauss family—every edition brims with stately serenity and a hint of mischief, the perfect way to begin your New Year in music.
This 2009 edition is notable for two firsts: the inaugural New Year's Concert appearance of Daniel Barenboim, a luminary renowned both as a pianist and as a conductor who would return to the event in 2014 and 2022; and the first time a New Year's Concert has featured the music of Joseph Haydn, whose charming "Farewell" Symphony marks the 200th anniversary of his death, tastefully rounding out the ensemble's typically lively slate of Viennese dances.
