End of the season 2015-16

26.6.2016

With 162 performances, 97 of which were in Vienna’s concert halls and 33 of which were guest or tour concerts in 31 cities in 8 countries, the Wiener Symphoniker can look back over an eventful season.

Particular mention goes to highlights such as the Beethoven-Bartók cycle with Music Director Philippe Jordan and Artist in Residence Pierre-Laurent Aimard, which met with great enthusiasm: “After such a brilliant and masterly interpretation by the orchestra and its director, who was almost bursting at the seams with energy, all that can be said is: things are going very well for the Wiener Symphoniker.” (Der Standard)

With the performance of Bach’s superb Mass in B minor as part of the OsterKlang festival, the Music Director continued his exploration of Bach’s repertoire of great works. Emblematic of the rich landscape of contemporary music were the orchestra’s concerts of Austrian premieres at Wien Modern featuring works by Heinz Karl Gruber and Johannes Maria Staud, as well as the Orchesterstück by Erkki-Sven Tüür, a joint commission with the Orchestre de Paris and the Philharmonie de Paris.

As the cultural ambassador for the City of Vienna, last summer the orchestra travelled to Europe’s major music centres with Music Director Philippe Jordan on a festival tour, giving concerts that included works featured on its latest CD release, Schubert’s Symphonies Nos. 7 and 8. With guest conductors such as Charles Dutoit, Enrique Mazzola, Lahav Ahani and Ádám Fischer, it has toured to eastern Europe, China, Germany and Spain. Last weekend the 2015-16 season came to a fitting close in a magnificent setting with concerts in Istanbul and in the ancient amphitheatre of Ephesus near Izmir.

Yet another significant event was the appointment of the young Israeli conductor Lahav Shani as First Guest Conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker from the 2017-18 season. This follows his convincing performances during projects at the Wiener Konzerthaus and his success standing in for Philippe Jordan on most of the European tour with star violinist Hilary Hahn after the Music Director fell ill.

And so an eventful season comes to an end.

We wish you a relaxing summer and look forward to seeing you again in the 2016-17 season!

Your Wiener Symphoniker

Intern