18 November 2011
On completion of their U.S. tour with a total of nine concerts, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra performed at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, New York on 13 and 14 November. The program of the two sold-out concerts included works by Sergei Rachmaninov, Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms. Special attention was paid to these concerts in the press, not least because of Fabio Luisi obligation as Principal Conductor of New York's Metropolitan Opera.
More than 20,000 visitors at nine concerts in 10 days
The Wiener Symphoniker played on their first U.S. tour after 2003 in addition to her appearances in New York e.g. in Chicago, Kansas City and Newark. The climax of this tour came with the two concerts at New York's Avery Fischer Hall, where the Viennese orchestra presented itself in top form: "If you measure performances in terms of sheer energy, precision and adrenaline, these were hard to top." (New York Times). With Fabio Luisi and the orchestra, which presented itself to the U.S. audience with "careful balances" and "smooth string sound" (Chicago Tribune), the young French pianist Lise de la Salle was on the podium in Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto that Sunday afternoon. The next day the Grammy-nominated Eroica Trio took the soloist's part in Beethoven's Triple Concerto.
Fabio Luisi and his musicians bid farewell only after prolonged standing ovations and two encores strongly acclaimed by the New York concertgoers. On Thursday, 17 November, the orchestra landed again at Vienna Airport.