For 125 years, the Wiener Symphoniker have stood for musical excellence, a passion for discovery, and a living spirit of innovation. With timpani, trumpets – and a program that brings our musical DNA to life – we celebrate this grand anniversary on October 30 at the Musikverein Wien. The very place where it all began in 1900.

Together with our Chief Conductor Petr Popelka, the birthday concert opens with Richard Wagner’s Faust Overture. At the heart of the evening are two milestones from our history of world premieres: Alban Berg’s Seven Early Songs and Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand – brought to life by soprano Hanna-Elisabeth Müller and pianist Anna Vinnitskaya. The festive finale features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony, and to sum it up in the words of our Chief Conductor: “Mozart is the best way to celebrate!"

With this program, we not only reflect on our beginnings in the spirit of modernism, but also conclude an impressive anniversary season featuring many revived world premieres and the launch of the new spring festival Primavera da Vienna in Trieste. A season that also marks the beginning of a new era: our collaboration with Chief Conductor Petr Popelka, who now joins the ranks of former chief conductors such as Ferdinand Löwe, Herbert von Karajan, Fabio Luisi, and Philippe Jordan.

In addition, the book How Does a Classical Orchestra Work? is being released – not a commemorative publication, but a unique behind-the-scenes look at the orchestral world. Editor Otto Biba presents personal insights, historical developments, and explores how an orchestra sounds, lives, and works – through contributions by musicians, conductors, artistic directors, and scholars.

Three special gifts also honour our anniversary: Münze Österreich has issued a 100 euro gold coin Wiener Symphoniker, uniting music and craftsmanship at the highest level. The Österreichische Mediathek presents a sonic time capsule by making historic recordings of the orchestra from 1952 to 1955 available digitally for the first time. Visually, artist Coco Wasabi goes all out: with her vibrant anniversary poster, she creates a playful collage reflecting the multifaceted spirit of the Wiener Symphoniker – rooted in tradition, full of life, and always ready to surprise.

Celebrate with us – here’s to many more centuries of musical history, written together with you, our audience!

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