On 30 October 2025, the Wiener Symphoniker will celebrate their 125th anniversary! From the first concerts with the new chief conductor Petr Popelka in September 2024 to the gala concert on the anniversary itself, everything is dedicated to this major anniversary.

Founded in 1900 with the aim of ‘making high-quality classical music accessible to all,’ the Wiener Symphoniker quickly developed into one of Europe's most important premiere orchestras. Many concerts during the anniversary year commemorate this tradition.

At the gala concert in the Musikverein, the venue of the founding concert, chief conductor Petr Popelka will conduct works by Alban Berg and Maurice Ravel, which belong to the Wiener Symphonikers' premiere canon. On Arnold Schoenberg's 150th birthday, Popelka conducted the Gurre-Lieder, which was premiered by the Wiener Symphoniker in 1913, and he also took a premiere work with him on the European tour: Richard Strauss' Rosenkavalier Suite.

After Arnold Schönberg personally conducted the Wiener Symphoniker at the world premiere of his version of Pelleas and Melisande, Lahav Shani, former principal guest conductor of the orchestra, took over in the anniversary year. The return of former chief conductors was celebrated when Philippe Jordan conducted Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 and Fabio Luisi conducted Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln (The Book with Seven Seals) by Franz Schmidt – another work premiered by the orchestra.

Marcus Nigsch's Cello Concerto, performed by Kian Soltani, was a new premiere on the programme.

Ingo Metzmacher combined Anton Bruckner's Ninth Symphony, which the Wiener Symphoniker had once premiered in a version by Ferdinand Löwe, with the Austrian premiere of a work by Luigi Nono. In 1907, Gustav Mahler conducted the Wiener Symphoniker in the Austrian premiere of his Sixth Symphony; in the anniversary season, Vladimir Jurowski took the podium for the ‘Tragic’.

Another absolute highlight of the anniversary year was the first edition of the Wiener Symphonikers' new spring festival, Primavera da Vienna, in Trieste. Petr Popelka conducted three concerts in the beautiful Politeama Rossetti, where the orchestra performed in 1902 - outside Austria for the first time.