Happy New Year from Vienna

Every New Year's  Day on the morning of January 1st, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performs a program of light concert music, and broadcasts it around the world. You'll hear a lot from the Strauss family, Johann senior and junior, Josef and Eduard, and other Austrian composers, including Joseph Lanner, Otto Nicoli, and Mozart among others. It's a festive musical celebration every year. This annual concert tradition started in 1939 with Clement Krauss leading the orchestra in the Large Hall of the Musikverein, where the performances been held ever since. Many illustrious conductors have led the concerts over the years, including Willi Boskovsky, Lorin Maazel, Claudio Abaddo, Herbert von Karajan, Carlos Kleiber, Seijii Ozawa, Daniel Barenboim, and this year's conductor, Georges Pretre. The world-wide broadcasts reach an estimated 50 million people in 72 countries. Here is the opening of this year's concert with George Pretre leading the Vienna Philharmonic in Johann Strauss Jr.'s Overture to Die Fledermaus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QROR4LioU-8 --Happy New Year