Ring in the New Year with Great Performances – From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2021, Hosted by Hugh Bonneville
The annual concert premieres Friday, January 1, 2021 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and streams the following day on pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app
Synopsis
As the world eagerly bids farewell to 2020, Great Performances continues its beloved tradition of ringing in the New Year with the Vienna Philharmonic at the world-famous Musikverein. PBS favorite Hugh Bonneville (Masterpiece: Downton Abbey) returns as host for a fourth year with Riccardo Muti as guest conductor for the sixth time. The Vienna Philharmonic orchestra performs favorite waltzes by Strauss, and the celebration features the Vienna State Ballet dancing on location from notable Vienna landmarks. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Bonneville will host the concert remotely from England on location at Goodwood House, the country estate of the Duke and Duchess of Richmond and Gordon, located north of Chichester.
Broadcast & Streaming Availability
Premieres nationwide Friday, January 1, 2021 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). The broadcast streams Saturday, January 2 on pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app.
Song List
- Franz von Suppé – Poet and Peasant Overture
- Karl Komzák – The Girls of Baden*
- Josef Strauss – Margherita Polka*
- Johann Strauss Sr. – Venetian Galop*
- Johann Strauss Jr. – Voices of Spring, Waltz
- Johann Strauss Jr. – In Krapfen’s Woods, French Polka
- Johann Strauss Jr. – New Melodies Quadrille
- Johann Strauss Jr. – Emperor Waltz
- Johann Strauss Jr. – Tempestuous in Love and Dance, Quick Polka
Encores
- Johann Strauss Jr. – Furioso Polka,
- Johann Strauss Jr. – The Blue Danube, Waltz
- Johann Strauss Sr. – Radetzky March
*First-time performed at a Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert
Notable Talent
- Hugh Bonneville, host, best known as Robert, Earl of Grantham, in Masterpiece: Downton Abbey
- Riccardo Muti, guest conductor, music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and two-time GRAMMY-winning conductor for his live recording of Verdi’s “Messa da Requiem”
- David Horn, Executive Producer of Great Performances
Noteworthy Facts
- This year’s telecast marks the 37th broadcast of the event on PBS.
- The Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s concert is the largest worldwide event in classical music reaching millions of people annually through radio and television in over 80 countries.
- The program annually showcases Viennese musical culture at the highest level since the first television broadcast in 1959.
Short TV Listing
Ring in 2021 with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Musikverein hosted by Hugh Bonneville.
Long TV Listing
Ring in 2021 with host Hugh Bonneville joined by guest conductor Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic performing a festive selection of Strauss Family waltzes.
Series Overview
Throughout its more than 40-year history on PBS, Great Performances has provided viewers across the country with an unparalleled showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts, serving as America’s most prestigious and enduring broadcaster of cultural programming. The series is available for streaming simultaneously on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, which is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast. PBS station members can view episodes via Passport (contact your local PBS station for details).
Production Credits
From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2021 is a production of Wiener Philharmoniker and ORF in association with THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET. For Great Performances: John Walker is producer, Bill O’Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer.
Underwriters
Major funding for Great Performances is provided by The Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund, the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, Jody and John Arnhold, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, Seton J. Melvin, the Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, Rosalind P. Walter, The Starr Foundation, Ellen and James S. Marcus, public television viewers and PBS. Exclusive corporate support for the concert is provided by Rolex.
Websites:
http://pbs.org/gperf, http://facebook.com/GreatPerformances, @GPerfPBS #GreatPerformancesPBS
