The fantastic annual New Year’s concert on PBS by the Vienna Philharmonic one week after Christmas. The perfect way to start the year musically.
Usually includes scenes from around Vienna, ballet dancers, close-ups of the concert hall and the orchestra playing. Pieces and conductors chosen by the orchestra members. Always culminating with “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” (often with visuals of the river and its countryside) and the well-heeled-audience-gets-to-clap-along “Radetzky March.”
Simply outstanding always. The perfect tonic to start the year afresh. January’s tv highlight. Goes a long way to showing how the Strauss family belong up there with the other classical greats. Two thumbs way up.
(Recommended for Strauss novices: the Decca multi-CD set shown above–includes all the main famous pieces)