This 2017 concert, on the market by the end of the second week in January, marked the first Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert led by the sensational Venezuelan-American conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Those hoping, or fearing, that he would shake up the repertory of this Vienna institution, are given little material to work with; the program follows the time-honored pattern, with the Strauss family in the foremost position and The Beautiful Blue Danube in its proper place in the encores. This said, Dudamel's New Year's ...
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This 2017 concert, on the market by the end of the second week in January, marked the first Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert led by the sensational Venezuelan-American conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Those hoping, or fearing, that he would shake up the repertory of this Vienna institution, are given little material to work with; the program follows the time-honored pattern, with the Strauss family in the foremost position and The Beautiful Blue Danube in its proper place in the encores. This said, Dudamel's New Year's Concert is fresh and energetic, and really a great deal of fun. The Viennese audience rewards him with warm applause and as much enthusiasm as Viennese can muster. He introduces quite a few pieces that are new to the concert, closing out the first half with the utterly charming Pepita-Polka, Op. 138, an unjustly neglected masterpiece of Johann Strauss II. There are no fewer than four Johann II premieres, and among the other newcomers is the familiar Skaters' Waltz (Les Patineurs) of...
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