Nine songs will be played for the first time in a New Year's concert directed by Christian Thielemann (11.15am, ORF 2). Among other things, the revised “Quadrille WAB 121”, a work by Anton Bruckner, will be heard for the first time in the New Year's concert. After all, the whole world, not least the Vienna Philharmonic, will be celebrating a big Bruckner anniversary on the composer's 200th birthday on September 4 next year.
A traditional intermission film (around 11.50 hrs) is also fully dedicated to the annual anniversary. Under the title “A Journey of Discovery”, directed by Felix Bryzak, two choir boys from St. Florian Abbey embark on a journey of discovery to the central stations of Upper Austrian life, including Ansfelden and Bad Ischl.
This year's ballet interludes were also filmed in the Upper Austrian health resort of Bad Ischl – albeit less in Bruckner's honor than in the year Bad Ischl serves as an anchor city for Salzkammergut 2024 Capital of Culture. In Rosenberg (Horn district), the Italian David Pompana also took over the choreography of the dancers – for the fourth time after 2012, 2015 and 2018. Dance performances were filmed later this summer under the direction of Michael Bayer, a New Year's concert and ballet veteran.
Vienna-based costume designer Susanne Piszowski makes her New Year's Concert Ballet debut as a designer of spectacular and expensive costumes. Ten outstanding soloists from the Vienna State Ballet stood in front of the camera: dancers Olga Esina, Ketawan Babava, Hyo-Jung Kang, Iona Avram, Elena Potaro and dancers Brendan Saye, Eno Besi, Masayu Kimodo, Giorgio Fors and Zsolt Török.
Pompana: “Greetings for love, lightness and freedom”
“It is always a great honor and a great pleasure for me to work with the great dancers of the Vienna State Ballet,” enthuses Milan-born Davide Pompana. “This is my fourth New Year's concert, and together with the company I have created two full-length ballets at the opera. This long-term experience of collaboration with very talented artists allows me to fully enjoy my work with complete freedom and confidence. “For that I am always very grateful,” said the former dancer TV Ballet. about his recent commitment to
Bombana danced two waltzes to two special compositions: the “Ischler Waltz” from Johann Strauss Sohn's Garden, which was performed for the first time at the New Year's concert, and the waltz “Wiener Bürger” by Karl Michael Ziehrer. The filming locations for both dance performances were chosen as locations for the New Year's Concert Ballet for the first time. This is how the “Ischler Waltz” was created, a couple danced in the Imperial Villa and in the nearby Marmorschlössl in Bad Ischl. Pompana's second choreography for the waltz “Wiener Burger” was recorded by five dance couples at Rosenberg in Waldviertel.
TV shows to get you in the mood for a New Year's Eve concert
As part of the New Year's “Madinie” on ORF 2 on January 1, the traditional documentary “Prelude to the New Year's Concert” (10:35 a.m.) puts TV viewers in the mood for a live broadcast. Popular among all Philharmonic concerts. For more than half a year, director Thomas Bokensberger and his camera crew have been broadcasting worldwide on January 1st with the most important productions and steps. As we look behind the scenes, the most important protagonists have their say, including host Christian Thielemann.
Before that, at 9:05 a.m. on ORF 2, you can watch the documentary “Dream Castles and Knights' Castles – The Eastern Waldviertel”. During the concert intermission, designed by Felix Bryzak, the ORF film opens on the anniversary of the Upper Austrian composer's 200th birthday entitled “Anton Bruckner – A Journey of Discovery” (around 11.50am). At the New Year concert.
If you can't drag yourself out of bed for the actual concert at 11.15am, ORF III will repeat the concert at 8.15pm, while ORF 2 will repeat it on January 6 at 10.05am, 3 Sat ago. The clock dance ends at 8.15 pm on the same day.