125 years of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra

#Löwenstark

A spirit of optimism in the Großer Musikvereinssaal: on October 30, 1900, Ferdinand Löwe conducted the founding concert of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, then known as the „Wiener Concert-Verein“, which still lives on today in the „Wiener Concert-Verein“, newly founded in 1987, with its cycle in the Brahms Hall. Löwe, a Bruckner student at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde conservatory (where he later taught himself), led the orchestra until 1925. The „cultivation and popularization of symphonic music“ was the founding idea of the orchestra. At that time, the spectrum ranged from „popular concerts“ in the Volksgarten to so-called society concerts in the Musikverein. At the anniversary concert on October 30, 2025, chief conductor Petr Popelka will conduct works by Wagner, Ravel, Berg and Mozart.

#EngerDraht

The Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Musikverein have always been closely linked. This relationship was particularly close during the years Wilhelm Furtwängler (1927-1930) and Herbert von Karajan (1948-1964) were in charge of the musical fortunes of the two institutions.

#Zyklisch

Cyclical performances of groups of works by important composers are a cherished tradition today but were not yet taken for granted around 1900. In Vienna, the present-day Vienna Symphony Orchestra was the first to perform Beethoven’s symphonies in their entirety. Herbert von Karajan also went all out in the 1952/53 season, conducting all of Beethoven’s symphonies and a concert performance of „Fidelio“ to mark the 125th anniversary of his death – at the Musikverein. In 2014, the then-chief conductor, Philippe Jordan, presented a complete recording of all Beethoven symphonies with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

#Geburtshilfe

The list of works that went out into the world from the Musikverein is long. Musicians from today’s Vienna Symphony Orchestra were very often at the cradle of groundbreaking compositions. In 1903, Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony was premiered in a heavily edited version by Ferdinand Löwe, followed two years later by Schönberg’s „Pelleas und Melisande“ and Zemlinsky’s „Seejungfrau“. The year 1913 brought the world premiere of Schönberg’s acclaimed „Gurre-Lieder“ – but also the scandalous concert in which compositions by Zemlinsky, Werbern and Berg were proverbially waved off. Many more premieres were to follow.

#Arbeiter-Symphoniekonzerte

Classical music is for everyone! This conviction is firmly anchored in the genes of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and has been part of its program since 1905. That was when the first workers‘ symphony concert took place at the Musikverein under the direction of Ferdinand Löwe. At the time, the musicians had scores by Weber, Wagner and Beethoven on their desks. Today, the Musikverein and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra continue to work together in many areas of music education: Orchestra concerts for children, young people and families as well as rehearsal visits for school classes are very popular.

#Popelka

The current chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra knows the Musikverein like few others. As a youngster who traveled from Prague at weekends, he initially watched the most important conductors of the day from the standing room only. He later made regular guest appearances in the Großer Musikvereinssaal as deputy principal double bass of the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden. He has also appeared at the Musikverein as a composer: his „Scenes for Piano Quartet“ were premiered by the Stratos Quartet and Pauli Jämsä in 2015. His promising era as chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra began in the fall of 2024 with a brilliant performance of Schönberg’s „Gurre-Lieder“ at the Musikverein.

125 years of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra

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