Celebrate the new year with this beloved annual concert featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein. Hosted for the seventh consecutive year by PBS favorite Hugh Bonneville, the concert will include waltzes and polkas by Johann Strauss II, Josef Strauss, Eduard Strauss as well as favorites by Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr. and others. Guest conducted by three-time Grammy nominee Christian Thielemann and featuring dances choreographed by Davide Bombana with soloists from the Vienna State Ballet, Great Performances – From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2024 Folio premieres Monday, January 1 at 8 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings). The program will also encore at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Musical Selections:
- Johann Strauss II – Waldmeister Overture
- Johann Strauss II – Ischl Waltz
- Johann Strauss II – Nightingale Polka
- Eduard Strauss – The Mountain Spring Polka
- Johann Strauss II – New Pizzicato Polka
- Joseph Hellmesberger, Jr. – Estudiantina Polka
- Carl Michael Ziehrer – Viennese Citizens Waltz
- Anton Bruckner – Quadrille
- Hans Christian Lumbye – Happy New Year! Galop
- Josef Strauss – Deliriums Waltz
- Josef Strauss – Jockey Quick Polka
- Johann Strauss II – The Beautiful Blue Danube
- Johann Strauss Sr. – Radetzky March
Locations:
From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2024 will feature various locations including the opulent ballroom of Vienna’s City Hall and the Freud Museum on the 125th anniversary of Sigmund Freud’s groundbreaking work with dream analysis. In addition, location sequences in the alpine resort of Bad Ischl will trace the love story of Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elisabeth, including a tour of the royal couple’s country estate.
Notable Talent:
- Hugh Bonneville – host, actor, Masterpiece: Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey and Downton Abbey: A New Era
- Christian Thielemann – Guest conductor, three-time Grammy Award nominee and Principal Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden
Noteworthy Facts:
- This is Christian Thielemann’s second time conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s New Year’s Day concert following 2019’s concert.
- Christian Thielemann leads the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra regularly in subscription concerts in the Vienna Musikverein, at the Salzburg Festival, and on tour in Japan, China, Europe, and the U.S.
- Christian Thielemann was recently announced to succeed Daniel Barenboim as General Music Director of Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden in September 2024.
- This is Hugh Bonneville’s seventh consecutive year acting as host for the New Year’s Concert.
- The 2024 New Year’s Day Concert will mark the 40th concert presented on PBS.
