New Year's concert 2025: Muti celebrates Strauss and strengthens women in music!

New Year's concert 2025: Muti celebrates Strauss and strengthens women in music!

On January 1, 2025, a very special event is imminent: Riccardo Muti will conduct the New Year's concert of the Vienna Philharmonic for the seventh time. This year is entirely dedicated to Johann Straus's son's 200th birthday, whose music will be the start of the tract year. Muti, who has been working with the renowned orchestra for over 54 years, explained that the music in today's world is more important than ever: "We need a lot more music! We need harmony in this world!" This message underlines the central role of culture in difficult times, as well as the enthusiasm of the conductor for the power of music

The concert is not only shaped by the honor of Strauss, but also by a premiere: For the first time, a work of a composer is performed with Constanze Geiger's “Ferdinandus Walzer”. Muti emphasized that the quality of the music was decisive and not the gender of the composer: "I do not conduct because a piece comes from a man or a woman, but when the music is good." This event could be understood as a delicate step towards gender justice within the classic music scene, which is traditionally dominated by men. Muti also critically commented on the current challenges for culture and warned against underestimating the importance of music in educational funding.

a festival of sounds and experiences

The program of the New Year's concert comprises a total of eight pieces by Johann Strauss as well as the work of Geiger and other performances mentioned earlier, including the “Fidele Brothers” march by Joseph Hellmesberger. The ORF is transferred the event worldwide, which underlines the reach of this musical message. The concert is supported by choreographic interludes of the state ballet that intensify the atmosphere. Muti emphasized the special relationship between the Philharmonic and him and described the revival of music as crucial during the lonely times of pandemic: "We did not play for ourselves, but for the world!" This shows how important the revival of classical music for the global community is, as is the Kleine Zeitung