Vienna New Year's Concert
The New Year's Concert (in German Das Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker) of the Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra is a concert which takes place each year on January 1 in Vienna, Austria. It is broadcast around the world to an estimated audience of 1 billion in 44 countries.The music is mostly that of the Strauss family. The flowers that decorate the hall are a gift each year from the city of San Remo, Liguria, Italy.
The concert always ends with several encores after the main programme. The musicians then collectively wish the audience a happy new year, and close with Johann Strauss II's Blue Danube Waltz followed by the Radetsky-March. During this last piece, the audience clap along in time and the conductor turns to conduct them instead of the orchestra.
The concert was first performed in 1939.
