New Year's Concert 2009

Daniel Barenboim (Artist, Conductor), J. Strauss II (Composer), J. Hellmesberger II (Composer), J. Haydn (Composer), Josef Strauss (Composer), Wiener Philharmoniker (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Wiener Philharmoniker
• Conductor: Daniel Barenboim
• Composer: J. Strauss II, J. Hellmesberger II, J. Haydn, Josef Strauss
• Audio CD (February 10, 2009)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B001KPKPFE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,909 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #69 in Music > Classical > Ballets & Dances > Polkas

Editorial Reviews

The ever popular New Year s Concert from Vienna returns in another sparkling performance, broadcast live
to over 50 countries! Daniel Barenboim makes his New Year s Concert debut and brings with him a number of works that have never been performed at the concert before.
The live concert features popular waltzes, gallops and polkas from the Strauss family including The Blue Danube, The Gypsy Baron March, Thunder and Lightening Polka and much more. The CD is at a special 2-for-1 price. The DVD includes complete performance as featured on the CD as well as special ballet bonus performances.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Musically Superb Outing from the Wiener Philharmoniker But....., February 22, 2009

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: New Year's Concert 2009 (Audio CD)

It's an annual treat and tradition of mine to see the New Year's Concert as it is broadcasted live on PBS here in New York, and then, weeks later, to hear this great orchestra perform live at its favorite North American venue, Carnegie Hall (I have had the pleasure of meeting several of its musicians, including one of its concertmasters, and all have spoken enthusiastically about performing at Carnegie Hall.). I was especially looking forward to hearing this year's concert under the baton of Daniel Barenboim, especially when he had taken them on tour to Carnegie Hall a few seasons ago. Musically, I am not disappointed with this year's outing, enjoying once more the excellent sounds of the orchestra in its permanent home, Vienna's Musikverein. But much to my surprise, Barenboim's conducting was more routine in this concert than what I remembered from him here in New York City. More routine except for his humorous conducting of the last movement from Haydn's "Farewell Symphony", performed as a lighthearted tribute to the composer in this, the 200th anniversary of his death.

As New Year Concerts go, this one is replete with the usual assortment of favorites like the two traditional encores, Johann Strauss II's "The Blue Danube Waltz" and his father's "Radetzky March". And then there are some surprising novelties like Johann Strauss II's "Schnellpost-Polka" and Hellmesberger's "Valse Espagnole" (which, to my ears anyway, did evoke musically a fine portrait of Spain.). There is certainly no other ensemble like the Wiener Philharmoniker, whose members are each capable of exacting, virtuoso playing (to which I can testify affirmatively, having heard them perform brilliantly in chamber music recitals several times here in New York City at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York). I have no doubt that long-time fans of the Wiener Philharmoniker won't be disappointed with this year's concert, but those who remember vividly earlier performances from the likes of Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Riccardo Muti and Zubin Mehta, among others, may be slightly disappointed.

5.0 out of 5 stars Barenboim puts framework on this performance, February 21, 2011

By 

nquall - See all my reviews

This review is from: New Year's Concert 2009 (Audio CD)

Yes, the Vienna Philharmonic is known for their incredibly flexible and warm sound. But for the 2009 New Year's Concert, Daniel Barenboim clears up the sometimes messy articulation issues, rushed tempi, and other various ensemble issues that this revered ensemble can have. He holds those tempos so that they could to be danced to (especially for the polkas). He also has some interesting dynamic ideas that might be seen as atypical by some who are fanatics of this concert but fresh by others. Yes, this is the best "walzer ensemble" in the world, but Barenboim pushes them to the next level; making this concert not just another New Year's Concert.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vienna at it's Finest, February 15, 2009

By 

Official Use Only - See all my reviews

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This review is from: New Year's Concert 2009 (Audio CD)

With this concert Maestro Barenboim and the Vienna Philharmonic provided a grand and joyful start to 2009, blending familiar Neujahrskonzert works with some entertaining alternatives. The conductor's great wit and style were evident in the performance, which I found to be among the more memorable of the annual concerts. This two-disc album captures the entire program with great sound. If you're looking for the brooding complexity of Mahler, this concert most likely isn't for you; however, if you enjoy the clasic beauty of melodic 19th-century Viennese music, you won't go wrong here.