The 2014 Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert

One of the most anticipated events of the classical calendar, the Vienna Philharmonic's exquisite New Year's Concert brings the musicians of the prestigious orchestra together under the baton of a different influential conductor each year. Centered around a wide variety of dances in the Viennese style—especially the world-famous waltzes of the Strauss family—every edition brims with stately serenity and a hint of mischief, the perfect way to begin your New Year in music.

After a widely lauded outing in the 2009 New Year's Concert—and before another exciting return coming in 2022—the legendary Daniel Barenboim leads the 2014 edition with brio and panache. The Argentine maestro's subtlety and finesse, coupled with the Viennese ensemble's immaculate tone, are audible in this terrific program that includes the Strauss family's waltzes and polkas, as well as the widely-known Pizzicati from the ballet classic Sylvia by French composer Léo Delibes, and an excerpt from Richard Strauss's (no relation) opera Capriccio.

Photo © Richard Schuster