THE SYMPHONIKER IN THE HEART OF VIENNA

Some concerts by the Wiener Symphoniker have long become fixed highlights in Vienna’s cultural calendar. Traditionally, the orchestra performs in the festive setting of St. Stephen’s Cathedral during Advent. This season, under the baton of Elim Chan, they present a particularly distinctive programme in which Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is set alongside works by Mozart and Saint-Saëns. Soprano Christiane Karg and tenor Lucas von Lierop will also appear in this concert, which is traditionally broadcast on ORF III.

The successful new format Hör-Bar, in which Chief Conductor Petr Popelka presents chamber music up close and with great passion in the Musikverein, returns this season for two editions. The Fridays@7 series expands to include an additional concert, offering relaxed musical experiences with varied programmes at the Wiener Konzerthaus.

The Wiener Symphoniker also quite literally set music in motion when they are joined by runners of the Vienna City Marathon, performing together in a concert that unites music and running.

A particularly intimate encounter with the orchestra can be experienced in the Beisl concerts: various chamber ensembles welcome spring with swing and conviviality while “beisl-hopping” through Vienna’s 7th district.

Alongside the Festival of Joy, this season also features the major film music concert Cinema:Sound, where the Wiener Symphoniker can be heard in widescreen sound with music by Danny Elfman. Tradition also has it that the orchestra ushers in the summer holidays with a lively and diverse programme spanning all musical genres at the Prater picnic on Kaiserwiese.