Revisit one of classical music’s most festive annual events when Sony Classical releases a live recording of the 2018 New Year’s Concert with the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Riccardo Muti, in digital and CD formats on Jan. 5. The Jan. 1 concert, which was broadcast to more than 90 countries and was seen by more than 50 million viewers worldwide, featured Viennese favorites by “The Waltz King” Johann Strauss II (as well as works by his father and brother), Franz von Suppé and Alphons Czibulka.

Music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Muti has a long-standing relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic, consisting of 500-plus concerts over 47 years. In 2011, to commemorate this special artistic bond, Muti was awarded honorary membership in the orchestra. The 2018 concert marked the fifth time that Muti had led the New Year’s event, after previous appearances in 1993, 1997, 2000 and 2004.

The Vienna Philharmonic regards the annual New Year’s Concert as “a musical greeting to the world that is offered in a spirit of hope, of friendship and of peace.” The New Year’s tradition dates to 1941, when the concert was conducted by Clemens Krauss. Beginning in 1955, Willi Boskovsky took the New Year’s Concert podium 25 times until 1979. Since then, the list of conductors presiding over the event has included maestros such as Zubin Mehta and Lorin Maazel.

In Chicago, the 2018 concert was broadcast on WTTW-Channel 11 and WFMT-FM (98.7). A DVD and Blu-ray edition of the 2018 concert will be released on March 9. Meanwhile, as part of a rare U.S. tour, the Vienna Philharmonic will perform Feb. 23-25 at Carnegie Hall in New York City and Feb. 27-28 at Artis-Naples (Frances Pew Hayes Hall) in Naples, Fla.

Sony Classical’s live recording of the 2018 New Year’s Concert with the Vienna Philharmonic and Riccardo Muti is available Jan. 5.

The track listing for the 2018 New Year’s Concert release:

1. Entry march to the operetta The Gypsy Baron by Johann Strauss II.
2. Viennese Frescoes Waltz, Op. 249, by Josef Strauss.
3. Brautschau (Bridal Parade), Op. 417, polka française, by Johann Strauss II.
4. Leichtes Blut (Light of Heart), Op. 319, a fast polka, by Johann Strauss II.
5. Marienwalzer (Maria Waltz), Op. 212, by Johann Strauss I.
6. William Tell Gallop, Op. 29b, a fast polka, by Johann Strauss I.
7. Overture to the operetta Boccaccio by Franz von Suppé.
8. Myrtle Blossoms Waltz, Op. 395, by Johann Strauss II.
9. Stephanie-Gavotte, Op. 312, by Alphons Czibulka.
10. Freikugeln (Magic Bullets), Op. 326, a fast polka, by Johann Strauss II.
11. Tales from the Vienna Woods Waltz, Op. 325, by Johann Strauss II.
12. Festival March, Op. 452, by Johann Strauss II.
13. Stadt und Land (Town and Country), Op. 322, a mazurka, by  by Johann Strauss II.
14. Un ballo in maschera Quadrille, Op. 272, by Verdi, orch. Johann Strauss II.
15. Roses from the South Waltz, Op. 388,  by Johann Strauss II.
16. Eingesendet (Letter to the Editor), Op. 240, a fast polka, by Josef Strauss.
17. Unter Donner und Blitz (Under Thunder and Lightning), Op. 324, a fast polka, by Johann Strauss II.
18. New Year’s Address
19. On the Beautiful Blue Danube Waltz, Op. 314, by Johann Strauss II.
20. Radetzky March, Op. 228, by Johann Strauss I.

TOP: Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic take a bow during the 2018 New Year’s Concert at the Musikverein. | Photo: ©Terry Linke

The CSO’s music director position has been endowed in perpetuity by a gift from the Zell Family Foundation.