Vienna Philharmonic

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which was founded in 1842, comprises musicians who have played for at least three years in the orchestra of the Vienna Staatsoper. They form a private association that is democratically organized: all artistic and organizational decisions are made independently at the general meeting. The Philharmonic can look back on a glorious history. In 1877, the orchestra performed outside Vienna for the first time at the Salzburg Music Festival, and the first guest performance abroad took place at the Paris World’s Fair in 1900 under Gustav Mahler. In addition to Mahler, the Philharmonic’s podium has also hosted Wagner, Verdi, Bruckner, Brahms, and Richard Strauss; Hans Richter, Felix Wein­gartner, Wilhelm Furtwängler, and Clemens Krauss are among the ensemble’s list of past music directors. Since 1933, the Vienna ­Philharmonic has relied on close collabo­ration with various outstanding artistic personalities, with Karl Böhm, Herbert von Karajan, and Leonard Bernstein in particular adding important chapters. They have been part of the Salzburg Festival since 1922 and, since 1957, of Lucerne Festival as well. Along with 40 concerts in Vienna and 50 international appearances each year, they also regularly perform at the Salzburg Mozart Week and have their own concert cycles in New York and Japan. Highlights of each season include the New Year’s Concert, which is broadcast worldwide, and the Schönbrunn Summer Night Concert. A new generation of Philharmonic musicians is being trained in the Orchestra Academy, founded in 2018. Rolex is the exclusive partner of the Vienna Philharmonic.

Lucerne Festival (IMF) debut on 1 September 1957 in a program of works by Schumann, Barber, and Beethoven, with Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting.

For further information on this ensemble, visit their homepage at: www.wienerphilharmoniker.at

August 2024