Enthusiastically received by international critics, the orchestra's CD recordings of Beethoven's nine symphonies under Philippe Jordan have earned the Wiener Symphoniker a place as one of the world's leading Beethoven orchestras. Small wonder, then, that the orchestra is in special demand as the city's official cultural ambassador in Beethoven Year 2020, the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth.
In January alone, the orchestra and its Chief Conductor give guest performances of the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies in Graz, Salzburg, Budapest and Zagreb. A veritable marathon of a concert awaits the audience in Paris, where the Wiener Symphoniker with Philippe Jordan and several soloists such as Nicholas Angelich recreate the legendary Great Academy of 1808. With works such as the Fifth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto, the Choral Fantasy and more, this will be a first-class concert experience.
The orchestra performs all five piano concerts over two evenings in both Frankfurt am Main and Düsseldorf. Rudolf Buchbinder, a longstanding close friend and artistic companion of the orchestra, directs the concerts and - how could it be otherwise? - performs the solo part.