Sony Classical will issue a recording of the 2014 New Year's Day concert from the Vienna Philharmonic--conducted this year by Daniel Barenboim. Gramophone reports that Sony plans the release for January 13, 2014.
The annual concert is a New Year's Day tradition that has become one of the most watched classical music events on television worldwide. The Vienna Philharmonic's program of waltzes, marches and polkas by the Strauss family (and other famous Austrian composers) has become the unofficial background music of many New Year's festivities.
Daniel Barenboim last conducted this concert in 2009. The Vienna Phil chose to invite him back this year to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their collaboration.
The orchestra chooses an illustrious guest conductor every year to lead the program. In recent years, conductors have included Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Carlos Kleiber, Franz Welser-Möst and Mariss Jansons.
The very first New Year's Concert was presented 75 years ago, in 1939, under the direction of Clemens Krauss, who led the concerts until 1954. The first television broadcast took place in 1959.
2014 marks the third year in a row that Sony Classical has recorded the New Year's concert. The recording will be released on CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, vinyl, digital download and digital longform video formats.
