Wiener Philharmoniker
Biography
There is perhaps no other musical ensemble more consistently and closely associated with the history and tradition of European classical music than the Vienna Philharmonic. In the course of its history, the musicians of this most prominent orchestra of the capital city of music have been an integral part of a musical epoch which due to an abundance of uniquely gifted composers and interpreters must certainly be regarded as unique.
The orchestra's close association with this rich musical history is best illustrated by the statements of countless pre-eminent musical personalities of the past. Richard Wagner described the orchestra as being one of the most outstanding in the world; Anton Bruckner called it "the most superior musical association"; Johannes Brahms counted himself as a "friend and admirer"; Gustav Mahler claimed to be joined together with the orchestra through "the bonds of musical art"; and Richard Strauss summarized these sentiments by saying: "All praise of the Vienna Philharmonic reveals itself as understatement."
Current album
Sommernachtskonzert 2023 / Summer Night Concert 2023
Artists Wiener Philharmoniker, /Yannick Nézet-SéguinRelease Date: 06/30/2023
Sony Classical is proud to announce the release of this year’s Summer Night Concert 2023 with the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin with Mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča as soloist.
The Summer Night Concert was performed this year on June 8th, 2023. It is an annual open-air event, which has been held since 2008. The park of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna/Austria is the magical setting for the concert. The illustrious conductors who have previously led the orchestra at this event are Georges Prêtre, Daniel Barenboim, Franz Welser-Möst, Lorin Maazel, Christoph Eschenbach, Zubin Mehta, Semyon Bychkov, Gustavo Dudamel , Daniel Harding and Andris Nelsons.
The 181-year old tradition of the Vienna Philharmonic goes back to 1842, when Otto Nicolai conducted a Grand Concert with all members of the imperial “Hof-Operntheater”. This event was originally called “Philharmonic Academy” and is regarded as the origin of the orchestra. Since its founding, the orchestra has been managed by the administrative committee – a democratically elected body – and works with artistic, organisational and financial autonomy. All decisions are reached on a democratic basis during the general meeting of all members.
Sony Classical will release the unique concert experience on CD, DVD, Blu-ray as well as digitally on June 30 (CD) and July 14 (DVD, Blu-ray).
