Wiener Philharmoniker

For the past 177 years, the Vienna Philharmonic has been inseparably linked with European musical tradition, from the Classical to the contemporary. The Philharmonic’s performances have gone down in musical history and several masterpieces have been written for the ensemble.

Since its inception by Otto Nicolai in 1842, the fascination that the orchestra has held for prominent composers and conductors, as well as for audiences all over the world, is based not only on a homogenous musical style, carefully bequeathed from one generation to the next, but also on its unique history and structure. The foremost ruling body of the organization is the orchestra itself.

In accordance with Philharmonic statutes, only a member of the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera can become a member of the Vienna Philharmonic. Before joining the Philharmonic, the musicians must first audition for a position with the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera and then successfully complete a three-year period before becoming eligible to submit an application for membership of the Association of the Vienna Philharmonic.

The Vienna Philharmonic performs approximately 40 concerts annually in Vienna, presents Vienna Philharmonic weeks in New York and Japan and has appeared at the Salzburg Festival since 1922. The orchestra makes yearly guest appearances, playing more than 50 concerts in leading concert halls and festivals around the world, presents the New Year’s Concert, which is broadcast internationally in more than 90 countries, and presents the free Summer Night Concert Schönbrunn, attended annually by up to 100,000 people.

From the beginning, the orchestra has displayed a strong social consciousness, characterized by a commitment to individuals in need and the fostering of young musicians. To this day, the orchestra performs numerous benefit concerts annually and develops initiatives for the disadvantaged.

The musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic endeavour to implement the motto with which Ludwig van Beethoven prefaced his Missa solemnis: ‘From the heart, to the heart’.

Rolex has been the exclusive sponsor of the Vienna Philharmonic since 2008.

Conductor: Christian Thielemann

The 2018 / 2019 season is Christian Thielemann’s seventh as Principal Conductor of the Staatskapelle Dresden. Following engagements at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, in Gelsenkirchen, Karlsruhe, Hanover and Dusseldorf, in 1988 he moved to Nuremberg to occupy the post of Generalmusikdirektor. In 1997 he returned to his hometown of Berlin to direct the Deutsche Oper until 2004, when he became Music Director of the Munich Philharmonic, a post he occupied until 2011. In addition to his current position in Dresden, Thielemann has been Artistic Director of the Salzburg Easter Festival since 2013, where the Staatskapelle is resident orchestra.

Christian Thielemann has contributed to the birthday celebrations for Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss with numerous Staatskapelle concerts in the Semperoper and on tour. His programmes have also featured a wide range of music from Bach to Henze, Rihm and Gubaidulina. He conducted new productions of »Manon Lescaut«, »Simon Boccanegra«, »Elektra« and »Der Frei schütz« as well as two complete performances of Wagner’s »Ring« Cycle in Dresden. In Salzburg he directed the premieres of »Parsifal«, »Arabella«, »Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci«, »Otello«, »Die Walküre« and »Tosca

Christian Thielemann maintains close ties to the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, whose New Year’s Concert he will conduct in 2019. Since his debut at the Bayreuth Festival in the summer of 2000, he has returned every year to thrill audiences with groundbreaking interpretations. After five years as musical advisor in Bayreuth, he was appointed the festival’s music director in 2015. Much in demand as a versatile concert conductor, he has collaborated with the world’s leading orchestras in Amsterdam, London, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, and has also performed in Israel, Japan and China.

As a UNITEL exclusive artist, Christian Thielemann has a comprehensive catalogue of recordings. His most recent ventures have been the recordings of Anton Bruckner’s symphonies Nos. 1 and 3-9, a complete cycle of the symphonies and solo concertos of Johannes Brahms as well as the operas »Der Freischütz«, »Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci«, »Elektra«, »Die Walküre« and »Lohengrin« for CD or DVD. With the Staatskapelle Dresden he has recorded symphonic works by Beethoven, Liszt, Bruckner, Reger, Pfitzner and Busoni as well as various New Year’s Eve Concerts released on DVD. He has recorded all of Beethoven’s symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Christian Thielemann is an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London and holds honorary doctorates from the Franz Liszt College of Music in Weimar and the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. In May 2015 he was awarded the Richard Wagner prize by the Richard Wagner Society of the city of Leipzig, followed by the prize of the Semperoper Trust in October 2016.

Conductor: Andrés Orozco-Estrada

In 2014/15, Andrés Orozco-Estrada took over the position of Chief Conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony and also became Music Director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. In September 2015, the London Philharmonic Orchestra appointed him to the post of Principal Guest Conductor. In 2021/22 he will take over the position of Principal Conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. However, he will begin his connection with the orchestra a year earlier, in 2020/21, as Principal Conductor Designate.

Orozco-Estrada conducts many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and the Orchestre National de France, as well as some of the most renowned American orchestras from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Chicago. With outstanding success he has also conducted both concerts and opera performances at the Glyndebourne and the Salzburg Festivals as well as at the Styriarte Festival.

Highlights of the 2018/19 season include concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Mozartwoche Salzburg and a new production of Verdi's “Rigoletto” at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin. He also conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra in his debut at the BBC Proms and works for the first time with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He returns to the Staatskapelle Dresden and to the Mahler Chamber Orchestra as Guest Conductor and presents a concert performance of Richard Strauss' “Elektra” in Frankfurt and Dortmund on the podium of his Frankfurt Radio Symphony. In December, he takes over the traditional New Year's concerts of Beethoven's 9th Symphony as Principal Conductor Designate of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

He has also been invited to re-join both the Chicago Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra. In addition, Andrés Orozco-Estrada is continually committed to support young musicians. He conducts a concert with the Karajan-Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and leads a joint education project of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich with the Filarmónica Joven de Colombia, and subsequently takes the orchestra on tour.

His releases with Pentatone have attracted considerable attention. With the Frankfurt Radio Symphony he has recorded Stravinsky's “Firebird” and “Rite of Spring” which were hailed by the critics as “hauntingly beautiful” (Gramophone). Amongst his most recent releases are the “Alpine Symphony” which forms part of his Richard Strauss Cycle, again with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, which won him the praise of being “a fine Straussian” by Gramophone magazine, and his Dvořák-Cycle with the Houston Symphony, which “Pizzicato” considers to be a “zestful Dvořák with warm colours”. In addition, he has recorded all Brahms and Mendelssohn symphonies.

Born in Medellín (Colombia), Andrés Orozco-Estrada began his musical studies on the violin. At the age of 15, he received his first conducting lessons and in 1997 he moved to Vienna in order to study at the renowned University of Music and Performing Arts with Uroš Lajovic, himself a pupil of the legendary Hans Swarowsky. Orozco-Estrada currently lives in Vienna.

Piano: Yuja Wang

Artist in Residence, Carnegie Hall, 2018/19
Artist in Residence, Wiener Konzerthaus, 2018/19
Artist in Residence, Luxembourg Philharmonie, 2018/19

©Norbert Kniat

Critical superlatives and audience ovations have continuously followed Yuja Wang’s dazzling career. The Beijing-born pianist, celebrated for her charismatic artistry and captivating stage presence, is set to achieve new heights during the 2018-19 season, which features recitals, concert series, as well as season residencies, and extensive tours with some of the world’s most venerated ensembles and conductors.

Wang begins the summer of 2018 with a performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 at the Tanglewood Music Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Andris Nelsons, followed by a tour with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Kirill Petrenko featuring Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Later engagements include an extensive recital tour to South America, as well as several concerts with the Munich Philharmonic and Valery Gergiev throughout Asia in autumn.

Wang is featured as an Artist-in-Residence at three of the world’s premiere venues: New York’s Carnegie Hall with a season-long “Perspectives” series, the Wiener Konzerthaus with a “Portrait” series, and also at the Luxembourg Philharmonie. Engagement highlights include concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at Versailles, as well as the Summer Night Concert at the Schönbrunn Palace with Gustavo Dudamel. She also embarks on tours with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. Other notable appearances include concerts in Istanbul, Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Kotor.

Spring of 2019 sees Wang embark on a tour of Los Angeles, Seoul, and Tokyo with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra to give the first-ever performances of John Adams’ newest piano concerto, as well as reuniting with cellist and frequent collaborator Gautier Capuçon for a vast US chamber tour.

Wang was born into a musical family in Beijing. After childhood piano studies in China, she received advanced training in Canada and at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music under Gary Graffman. Her international breakthrough came in 2007 when she replaced Martha Argerich as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Two years later, she signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and has since established her place among the world’s leading artists, with a succession of critically acclaimed performances and recordings.

Wang was named Musical America’s Artist of the Year in 2017.