Vienna Summer Night Concert with Minute of Silence for Victims of Graz
Usually, the Summer Night Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic is a light-hearted affair. Weather-wise, everything was ready for it on Friday, thanks to mild temperatures and a cloudless sky. However, this year, the evening was overshadowed, as the classical event was still noticeably and audibly under the impression of the rampage in Graz.
Vienna Summer Night Concert: Minute of Silence for the Victims of the Graz Rampage
Following the attack at a school in Graz with eleven dead and many injured, the beginning of the concert was particularly dedicated to remembrance. As the opening piece, the orchestra played the melancholic "Air" by Johann Sebastian Bach instead of the originally planned lively "Cancan" by Jacques Offenbach. Subsequently, the approximately 53,000 attendees were asked to observe a minute of silence.
Philharmonic Chairman Daniel Froschauer emphasized at the beginning that they were "deeply affected by the events of the past days." "We hope that the music can somewhat ease the pain," added Russian conductor Tugan Sokhiev.
Three Debuts in One Evening
There was a certain underlying heaviness to the event, which seemed to dissipate as the evening progressed - not least because this year's selection of pieces was generally on the more entertaining side. Additionally, three debuts were presented against the magnificent imperial backdrop. Sokhiev had his first appearance in the palace park, as did the Vienna Boys' Choir. After the minute of silence, the cultural export hit performed the elf chorus "Come to us and sing and dance" from "The Rhine Nixies."
Later, the world-famous boys' choir returned to the transparently covered stage to share the spotlight with the third Schönbrunn newcomer of the evening: star tenor Piotr Beczała, who, with the support of the boys' choir, performed "Nessun dorma," the aria of Prince Calaf from Puccini's opera "Turandot," after he had already sung the aria of Don José from Bizet's opera "Carmen."
From "The Nutcracker" to "The Merry Wives of Windsor"
Overall, the program focus at the now 22nd edition of the free event was on well-known opera and operetta melodies. Among those heard were Hector Berlioz's "Hungarian March" from the opera "The Damnation of Faust," Camille Saint-Saëns' "Danse Bacchanale" from the opera "Samson and Delilah," and the "Waltz of the Flowers" from Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker." A musical dedication was made to the House of Music: Otto Nicolai's overture to the comic opera "The Merry Wives of Windsor" was performed in honor of the institution's 25th anniversary, which has found its place in the former residence of the composer and founder of the Philharmonic.
The musical open-air journey through various European landscapes and moods concluded with a generous dose of capital city bliss. Beczała intoned Emmerich Kálmán's "When Evening Comes (Greet My Vienna)," the song of Tassilo from the operetta "Countess Mariza."
A Greeting from Vienna to 80 Countries
As the last of the two encores, the obligatory "Vienna Blood" by Johann Strauss set the final punctuation. Thus, the Waltz King, whose 200th birthday is being celebrated in Vienna with a series of events throughout the year, was honored here as well.
ORF broadcasted the most widely aired classical event worldwide after the New Year's Concert again with a time delay, with the major event also being broadcast in over 80 other countries worldwide. 3sat will air the concert on Saturday at 8:15 PM.
(By Thomas Rieder/APA)
(APA/Red)
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