0:01:01 > 0:01:05Happy New Year and good morning to you from Vienna where hundreds
0:01:05 > 0:01:09of blooms lovingly tended by the municipal gardeners
0:01:09 > 0:01:13and park-keepers of this city complement the gilded ceiling,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16the golden caryatids and glittering chandeliers of the large
0:01:16 > 0:01:17hall of the Musikverein.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21For the next few hours waltzes and polkas, marches, mazurkas,
0:01:21 > 0:01:25quadrilles and gavottes by the Strauss family will provide
0:01:25 > 0:01:29a perfect start to 2018 - a model unchanged in eight decades.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33Its reassuring familiarity perhaps key to the popularity
0:01:33 > 0:01:35of this great annual event.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37The Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Day Concert
0:01:37 > 0:01:40in association with Rolex.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43On the conductors podium this year, Riccardo Muti who is an honorary
0:01:43 > 0:01:46member of the Vienna Philharmonic having conducted them
0:01:46 > 0:01:48more than 500 times.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53This is his fifth New Year's Day Concert.
0:01:53 > 0:01:59To get here this morning I walked past the Theatre An Der Wien
0:01:59 > 0:02:03associated with Mozart and Beethoven and also with Johann Strauss Junior,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05whose operetta The Gypsy Baron premiered there in 1885.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09A comedy set in both rural Hungary and imperial Vienna,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Strauss thus cleverly bringing together both parts
0:02:13 > 0:02:16of the old Dual Monarchy.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21Riccardo Muti makes his way onto the platform to open the 2018
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Day Concert with the Entrance March
0:02:23 > 0:02:26from The Gypsy Baron.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Johann Strauss, Sohn - Einzugsmarsch aus der Operette
0:02:50 > 0:02:55"Der Zigeunerbaron"
0:05:50 > 0:05:56APPLAUSE.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00The Entrance March from the Gypsy Baron
0:06:00 > 0:06:03by Strauss launching the 2018 Vienna Philharmonic
0:06:03 > 0:06:06New Year's Day Concert.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10Johann's younger brother Josef next, celebrating the rich murals
0:06:10 > 0:06:13and ceiling paintings found in the churches and palaces of this
0:06:13 > 0:06:16city in his waltz "Vienna Frescoes".
0:06:31 > 0:06:38Josef Strauss Wiener Fresken, Walzer, op249
0:15:18 > 0:15:21APPLAUSE
0:15:23 > 0:15:28Vienna Frescoes by Josef Strauss, with images of the Austrian National
0:15:28 > 0:15:37Library in the Hofburg, the old Imperial Palace.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42This is the third performance of the concert, the Vienna
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Philharmonic ended the old year with a performance last night
0:15:44 > 0:15:46and on Saturday morning the Austrian Armed Forces made up
0:15:46 > 0:15:49a substantial chunk of the audience, their olive drab uniforms
0:15:49 > 0:15:51contrasting with the golden glow of this hall.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56We opened with The Gypsy Baron.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Sutch was a success that Strauss wrote a series of works on it,
0:16:00 > 0:16:06including this.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Johann Strauss, Sohn Brautschau, Polka francaise op.417
0:20:04 > 0:20:06APPLAUSE
0:20:08 > 0:20:13Strauss' polka Bridal Parade.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15In 1866, Austria was defeated at Koniggratz in the decisive battle
0:20:15 > 0:20:19of the Austro-Prussian War.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21As a result, the country lost much of her political
0:20:21 > 0:20:22influence in Europe.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Carnival season the next year desperately needed music
0:20:25 > 0:20:27that would bring cheer, one of the works Strauss
0:20:27 > 0:20:31provided was his fast polka "Leichtes Blut" - "Light of Heart".
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Johann Strauss, Sohn Leichtes Blut, Polka schnell op.319
0:22:37 > 0:22:39APPLAUSE
0:22:44 > 0:22:50Light of Heart.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Johann Strauss writing for the 1867 Carnival Season,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54for which he also wrote the Blue Danube which we will
0:22:54 > 0:22:58hear much later in this New Year's Day Concert.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Also ahead later, dancers from Vienna State Ballet taking us
0:23:00 > 0:23:03to a railway station designed by the architect Otto Wagner,
0:23:03 > 0:23:10who died a century ago this year.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Having heard Strauss the son, his father next.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15In the last years of his life father and his son
0:23:15 > 0:23:18were great rivals; they had different political viewpoints -
0:23:18 > 0:23:22and Strauss Junior found it hard to get bookings at some venues due
0:23:22 > 0:23:25to his father's greater influence over the city's music scene.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Riccardo Muti is going to conduct Marie Waltz, a work Johann Senior
0:23:27 > 0:23:31composed a couple of years before his death in 1849.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Johann Strauss, Vater Marienwalzer, op.212
0:32:17 > 0:32:24APPLAUSE
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Johann Strauss writing for the 1867 Carnival Season,
0:32:39 > 0:32:42for which he also wrote the Blue Danube which we will
0:32:42 > 0:32:43hear much later in this New Year's Day Concert.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01Johann Strauss, Vater Wilhelm Tell-Galopp, Polka schnell, op.29b
0:34:14 > 0:34:18APPLAUSE
0:34:19 > 0:34:23The William Tell Gallop by Johann Strauss Senior,
0:34:23 > 0:34:26ending the first part of the 2017 Vienna Philharmonic
0:34:26 > 0:34:32New Year's Day Concert.
0:34:32 > 0:34:37Managed with some speed by Riccardo Muti who will be back on the
0:34:37 > 0:34:51platform in about 25 minutes' time. Later we'll have the blue Danube
0:34:51 > 0:34:59march. During the interval, a tribute to Viennese modernism, the
0:34:59 > 0:35:05movement at its right at the turn of the century. Otto Wagner died a
0:35:05 > 0:35:11century ago, he was at the heart of this.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18APPLAUSE.
1:01:01 > 1:01:11Good morning if you have just joined us.
1:01:11 > 1:01:14A mild start to 2018 here in the Austrian capital,
1:01:14 > 1:01:17where since the early hours an army of street cleaners have been
1:01:17 > 1:01:20out and about removing the evidence of last night's city wide party.
1:01:20 > 1:01:23Bottles and cans, of course, but also the remains of a myriad
1:01:23 > 1:01:26fireworks launched into the sky at midnight, as the bells
1:01:26 > 1:01:29of the St Stephen's rang out, revellers taking every available
1:01:29 > 1:01:32space along the Graben, on Kartnerstrasse, and around much
1:01:32 > 1:01:36of the famous Ringstrasse.
1:01:36 > 1:01:46The Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Day Concert supported by Rolex.
1:01:46 > 1:01:49We"ll return to the Strauss family shortly - after another
1:01:49 > 1:01:51composer of the Austro - Hungarian Empire, Franz von Suppe,
1:01:51 > 1:01:53who came from Dalmatia, in what is now Croatia.
1:01:53 > 1:01:56A prolific writer of operettas - four dozen in total -
1:01:56 > 1:01:58he was also a fine bass singer.
1:01:58 > 1:02:00His operetta Boccaccio opened here in Vienna in 1879.
1:02:00 > 1:02:03The Italian conductor Riccardo Muti takes us to his homeland for a drama
1:02:03 > 1:02:05set during Renaissance times.
1:09:39 > 1:09:46APPLAUSE.
1:09:46 > 1:09:49Giovanni Boccaccio an Italian poet, writer and parliamentarian active
1:09:49 > 1:09:52in Florence and Naples, Muti's hometown,
1:09:52 > 1:09:55author of the Decameron, in which he criticlally
1:09:55 > 1:10:00and sarcastically portrayed 14th century Florentine society.
1:10:19 > 1:10:251881 wedding music next. Empress Elizabeth, the much-loved Sisi
1:10:25 > 1:10:30Belgian Princess was just 16. Long-term it was not to be a happy
1:10:30 > 1:10:34partnership but the wedding was a grand affair, like the hall this
1:10:34 > 1:10:38morning, every available space decked with flowers. The people of
1:10:38 > 1:10:42Vienna welcomed the new Princess with open arms. As part of the
1:10:42 > 1:10:47celebrations, Strauss provided his waltz.
1:11:08 > 1:11:18Johann Strauss, Sohn Myrthenbluten, Walzer op.395
1:19:59 > 1:20:03APPLAUSE
1:20:07 > 1:20:15Riccardo Muti, conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.
1:20:15 > 1:20:17Myrtle Blossom, written for the marriage of Crown Prince Rudolph
1:20:17 > 1:20:19and Princess Stephanie.
1:20:19 > 1:20:22Our next work also written for that Grand Royal Wedding,
1:20:22 > 1:20:23the Stephanie Gavotte, by the Imperial Bandmaster
1:20:23 > 1:20:26Alfons Czibulka.
1:20:26 > 1:20:28And this is the moment where we first meet dancers
1:20:28 > 1:20:32from the Vienna State Ballet.
1:20:32 > 1:20:35This year, Vienna marks a centenary since the death of the great
1:20:35 > 1:20:36Austrian modernist architect Otto Wagner.
1:20:36 > 1:20:39Many of his buildings survive, including stations
1:20:39 > 1:20:42that he built for the Stadtbahn, a new Metropolitan Railway
1:20:42 > 1:20:46constructed as the 19th century turned into the 20th.
1:20:46 > 1:20:50Emperor Franz Joseph had his own pavilion
1:20:50 > 1:20:52at its station at Heitzing, which is where we will
1:20:52 > 1:20:55find the dancers.
1:20:55 > 1:20:58Not a favourite amongst the Emperors buildings -
1:20:58 > 1:21:05he only used it twice.
1:21:05 > 1:21:08Not that that worried Otto Wagner,
1:21:08 > 1:21:12Who got the royal seal of approval.
1:21:17 > 1:21:23Alphons Czibulka "Stephanie-Gavotte" op 312.
1:25:58 > 1:26:01APPLAUSE
1:26:03 > 1:26:06The Stephanie Gavotte - and a celebration of Otto Wagner,
1:26:06 > 1:26:12the architect who died a century ago and left a vital legacy
1:26:12 > 1:26:22with his buildings in Vienna.
1:26:22 > 1:26:25Davide Bombana choreographing the Vienna State Ballet
1:26:25 > 1:26:27for his third New Year's Concert.
1:26:29 > 1:26:32Johann Strauss, Sohn Freikugeln, Polka schnell op.326
1:28:48 > 1:28:52APPLAUSE
1:28:55 > 1:28:57A polka premiered 150 years ago in 1868.
1:28:57 > 1:28:59Magic Bullets, written for the 3rd German Federal Shooting Contest
1:28:59 > 1:29:05in the Prater Park.
1:29:05 > 1:29:07The event attracted no less than 10,000 marksmen
1:29:07 > 1:29:15from many parts of the world.
1:29:15 > 1:29:20Work that Strauss took to America - he conducted it in Boston
1:29:20 > 1:29:23to an audience of tens of thousands with an orchestra of 809,
1:29:23 > 1:29:25including 200 first violins.
1:29:25 > 1:29:28Another work Strauss composed 150 years ago was "Tales
1:29:28 > 1:29:38from the Vienna Woods", premiered under the collonades
1:29:38 > 1:29:40Of the Paradise Cafe.
1:29:40 > 1:29:42Alongside excerpts from Wagner's brand new opera, The Mastersingers
1:29:42 > 1:29:45of Nuremburg.
1:29:45 > 1:29:52A pause for a table to accommodate a zither.
1:29:52 > 1:29:55The oldest instruments of the family are found in China, there are many
1:29:55 > 1:29:57different national variations.
1:29:57 > 1:29:59The Austrian Zither grew in size during the C19,
1:29:59 > 1:30:04and zither virtuosi started to emerge around the 1850s.
1:30:04 > 1:30:07The Shrammel brothers were the most celebrated players in Strauss' day,
1:30:07 > 1:30:09though he only used the instrument occasionally and Tales
1:30:09 > 1:30:13from the Vienna Woods the only time he gave it a prominent solo passage.
1:30:13 > 1:30:19An instrument that became synonymous with Vienna in the 20th century,
1:30:19 > 1:30:24thanks to the film the Third Man.
1:30:24 > 1:30:26Soloist Barbara Laister Ebner Strauss gave the zither a prominent
1:30:26 > 1:30:30role in his Tales from the Vienna Woods.
1:30:59 > 1:31:07Johann Strauss, Jr Tales from Vienna Woods, waltz, op 325.
1:42:45 > 1:42:49APPLAUSE
1:42:50 > 1:42:54Strauss' Waltz Tales From the Vienna Woods.
1:42:54 > 1:42:58The zither player Barbara Laister Ebner, born here in Vienna
1:42:58 > 1:43:05and studied the instrument at the State Conservatoire.
1:43:05 > 1:43:13One of 16 zither players auditioned for this prestigious concert.
1:43:13 > 1:43:20She is one of just six women on stage today.We were up to nine or
1:43:20 > 1:43:24ten, so it's a backwards journey this year.
1:43:33 > 1:43:36Riccardo Muti, born in Naples.
1:43:36 > 1:43:39Another Italian connection next chosen by Maestro Muti,
1:43:39 > 1:43:43a march written for a wedding that took place in a villa on the coast
1:43:43 > 1:43:45near Lucca in 1893 - the wedding of Prince Ferdinand
1:43:45 > 1:43:48of Bulgaria, who later became the Tsar of Bulgaria.
1:43:48 > 1:43:51He held the role for a decade before he abdicated in favour
1:43:51 > 1:43:54of his son in 1918, in order to save the Bulgarian throne.
1:43:54 > 1:43:59Ferdinand lived on until 1948; long enough to see his nine-year-old
1:43:59 > 1:44:02grandson deposed in 1946 when the communists
1:44:02 > 1:44:12abolished the monarchy.
1:44:15 > 1:44:19For the first half of this year it will hold the Presidency of the EU,
1:44:19 > 1:44:20hence the inclusion of the march today.
1:44:20 > 1:44:23Austria will then take over for the second six
1:44:23 > 1:44:28months of the year.
1:44:28 > 1:44:31The Sir Mervyn King completely captivated by you and your music,
1:44:31 > 1:44:37Strauss was told. The grandson had a brief stab at being Tsar as a boy
1:44:37 > 1:44:42and returned as Prime Minister of Bulgaria in 2001 and it was he who
1:44:42 > 1:44:47was in part responsible for bringing about Bulgaria's membership of the
1:44:47 > 1:44:57European Union. So we await the return of Riccardo Muti. The music
1:44:57 > 1:45:03Director of The Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He has a relationship
1:45:03 > 1:45:07spanning almost half a century with the Philharmonic.
1:45:07 > 1:45:09Riccardo Muti returns to conduct The Festival March,
1:45:09 > 1:45:12written for a royal wedding.
1:45:18 > 1:45:23Johann Strauss, Sohn Festmarsch op.452
1:48:55 > 1:48:58APPLAUSE
1:49:04 > 1:49:07Strauss's Festival March.
1:49:07 > 1:49:09It was at a charity concert in the Floral Hall
1:49:09 > 1:49:13of the Vienna Horticultural Society that Strauss introduced his polka
1:49:13 > 1:49:15Stadt und Land - town and country, a title
1:49:15 > 1:49:16that rather reflected his
1:49:16 > 1:49:18lifestyle after he purchased a yellow sandstone villa
1:49:18 > 1:49:22in the green suburb of Hietzing.
1:49:27 > 1:49:32Johann Strauss, Jr Town and Country, polka mazurka, op 322.
1:53:21 > 1:53:24APPLAUSE
1:53:34 > 1:53:35Town and country.
1:53:35 > 1:53:38Like his father, Strauss always took a keen interest
1:53:38 > 1:53:40in musical happenings abroad - the first nights of new
1:53:40 > 1:53:41operas in particular.
1:53:41 > 1:53:44He managed to work a little Verdi into his Masked Ball Quadrille,
1:53:44 > 1:53:49which we'll hear next.
1:53:49 > 1:53:52Verdi's opera heard it in St Petersburg in 1862.
1:53:56 > 1:53:59Johann Strauss, Sohn Un ballo in maschera, Quadrille op.272
1:58:59 > 1:59:03APPLAUSE
1:59:08 > 1:59:10The Masked Ball Quadrille - Riccardo Muti conducting
1:59:10 > 1:59:14the Vienna Philharmonic.
1:59:14 > 1:59:162018 will the mark the centenary of the end
1:59:16 > 1:59:20of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
1:59:20 > 1:59:24In November that year, Karl, the last emperor,
1:59:24 > 1:59:30renounced his participation in affairs of state and left Vienna.
1:59:30 > 1:59:33A convoy of seven vehicles set off from the Schonbrunn Palace
1:59:33 > 1:59:36in the dead of night, carrying the Emperor and his family
1:59:36 > 1:59:38to Schloss Eckartsau, a hunting lodge in Lower Austria.
1:59:38 > 1:59:40The Lodge was close the to the Hungarian border;
1:59:40 > 1:59:43for a brief moment Karl thought he might be able to maintain
1:59:43 > 1:59:44sovereignty over Hungary at least.
1:59:44 > 1:59:48But just two days after he arrived, a delegation arrived from Budapest,
1:59:48 > 1:59:53demanding he make a formal abdication as King of Hungary.
1:59:53 > 1:59:56We go to Schoss Eckartsau now, with dancers from Vienna State
1:59:56 > 2:00:05Ballet, and Strauss' great waltz Roses from the South.
2:00:05 > 2:00:08Premiered here in the Golden Hall in 1880.
2:00:15 > 2:00:21Johann Strauss, Sohn Rosen aus dem Suden, Walzer, op.388
2:10:18 > 2:10:23APPLAUSE
2:10:32 > 2:10:34Strauss' waltz Roses from the South.
2:10:34 > 2:10:37Dancers of Vienna State Ballet at Schloss Eckartsau
2:10:37 > 2:10:41where the deposed last Austro-Hungarian Emperor, Karl,
2:10:41 > 2:10:44spent four months before he went into exile in Switzerland.
2:10:44 > 2:10:46This year the centenary of the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
2:10:46 > 2:10:49Viennese high spirits to finish the publically billed
2:10:49 > 2:10:53element of this concert.
2:10:58 > 2:11:02Josef Strauss Eingesendet, Polka schnell op.240
2:12:36 > 2:12:40APPLAUSE
2:12:41 > 2:12:46Letters to the Editor by Jozef Strauss.
2:12:46 > 2:12:51Sigmund Schlesinger, contemporary of Josef,
2:12:54 > 2:12:56in the Wiener Morgenpost described him as having, "A winning
2:12:56 > 2:12:59double faceted personality, so audaciously dashing,
2:12:59 > 2:13:01with such Viennese high spirits when it comes to gaiety,
2:13:01 > 2:13:03so artistically dreamy when it comes to your music".
2:13:03 > 2:13:10Much has changed since we gathered here. New offices in like ya and
2:13:10 > 2:13:14Zimbabwe, an election in Britain that we weren't expecting 12 months
2:13:14 > 2:13:19ago and major political change in Austria as well. You might have seen
2:13:19 > 2:13:22the Austrian Chancellor in the audience. Turbulent times globally.
2:13:22 > 2:13:27As the world moves on, what is clear is that for many of us, there is a
2:13:27 > 2:13:30pleasing sense of continuity about this concert, the way it offers the
2:13:30 > 2:13:35perfect opportunity to reflect on times past and consider the New Year
2:13:35 > 2:13:46that lies invitingly ahead of us with resolutions to break aplenty.
2:13:46 > 2:13:52You can see this concert again tonight on BBC4 at 7.
2:13:57 > 2:14:04Riccardo Muti brings the orchestra to its feet. They were a little
2:14:04 > 2:14:09disdainful of Strauss earlier on in the century.
2:17:08 > 2:17:14APPLAUSE
2:17:15 > 2:17:19The Thunder and Lightening Polka by Johann Strauss -
2:17:19 > 2:17:23Riccardo Muti conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.
2:17:32 > 2:17:36An Italian maestro are many links with Italy, which Strauss toured in
2:17:36 > 2:17:451874.
2:17:45 > 2:17:47He played in cities including Venice, Milan,
2:17:47 > 2:17:48Genoa, and Florence.
2:17:48 > 2:17:50The great conductor Hans von Bulow heard him in Turin,
2:17:50 > 2:17:53and reported that, as ever, "He played in such a manner that
2:17:53 > 2:17:55that washes away all your internal and external cares".
2:17:55 > 2:17:58Back home, Viennese papers raved about the success of the tour.
2:17:58 > 2:18:00"Strauss creates near fanatical reactions in Italy",
2:18:00 > 2:18:09ran one headline.
2:18:09 > 2:18:10I think equal enthusiasm as to Strauss"s powers
2:18:10 > 2:18:13here in Vienna this morning, and a sense of anticipation
2:18:13 > 2:18:14as to what comes next.
2:18:14 > 2:18:16Is the Blue Danube Strauss' masterpiece
2:18:16 > 2:18:20The Italians certainly thought so on that tour.
2:18:20 > 2:18:24The relationship with Italy two way. The Strauss family championing
2:18:24 > 2:18:34Italian opera.
2:18:36 > 2:18:38Verdi made this admiring assessment of Strauss -
2:18:38 > 2:18:41"I revere him as one of my most brilliant colleagues".
2:18:46 > 2:18:49LAUGHTER
2:18:50 > 2:18:55APPLAUSE
2:19:11 > 2:19:15APPLAUSE
2:19:29 > 2:19:31Johann Strauss, Sohn An der schonen blauen Donau.
2:19:31 > 2:19:35Walzer, op.314
2:30:14 > 2:30:22APPLAUSE
2:30:22 > 2:30:36Riccardo Muti conducting the Vienna Solomonic. The Blue Danube.
2:30:36 > 2:30:38As broadcast at midnight last night on Austrian television,
2:30:38 > 2:30:40along with the sound of the Pummerin bell,
2:30:40 > 2:30:47literally the boomer bell of St Stephens Cathedral at nearly
2:30:47 > 2:30:5745,000 pounds in weight, cast behind by Ottoman invaders.
2:30:57 > 2:31:07"Same procedure as last year", he asks, "same procedure
2:31:08 > 2:31:17as every year".
2:31:17 > 2:31:19Words that fill well with the Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Day concert
2:31:19 > 2:31:22because we kind of know what is going to happen next,
2:31:22 > 2:31:34Maestro Muti conducting the orchestra.
2:34:49 > 2:34:58APPLAUSE
2:34:58 > 2:35:06The March, composed by Johann Strauss Sr and dedicated
2:35:06 > 2:35:12to Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky.
2:35:12 > 2:35:16Now the orchestra get to enjoy their New Year's Day. They will be in the
2:35:16 > 2:35:23Golden Hall in a fortnight when the 77th Vienna Philharmonic Hall. As
2:35:23 > 2:35:32for the audience, now something of a bunfight. Same procedure as last
2:35:32 > 2:35:37year, same procedure as every year, we will do it all again in 2019. But
2:35:37 > 2:35:41there is 2018 to enjoy first. Goodbye from Vienna and happy New
2:35:41 > 2:35:45Year.
2:35:46 > 2:35:48Every house in Britain has a story to tell,
2:35:48 > 2:35:50but in this series,
2:35:50 > 2:35:52I'm going to uncover the secret life
2:35:52 > 2:35:54of just one, here in Liverpool.
2:35:55 > 2:35:58In March 1885, again, in this house,
2:35:58 > 2:36:01he grabbed her by the throat and assaulted her.