Musikverein Vienna: New Year's Concert 2021

When the broadcast of the New Year's Concert from Vienna began, there was great joy, as we could participate in this celebration, as we could be in that hall recalling memories of previous years, which gave a sense of being there in person together with the Viennese.

Every time the camera showed the place from which I listened to the New Year's Concert 2017 and I felt the atmosphere there live, and when it showed the stage where I had the honor to be during the Vienna Philharmonic Ball, I had the feeling that I was there and admiring that beautiful hall with its unique interior and listening without fear to the waves of music filling the historical space illuminated not only by elegant chandeliers but primarily by the light of the orchestra members, from whom joy radiated, giving us a sense of good fun.

There was something different in this concert; the Viennese style replaced the melancholy that enveloped the lonely musicians on stage. The waltz Frühlingsstimmen conducted by maestro Riccardo Muti unleashed a dance in me, through which I could express the emotions accompanying this concert.

The duet from the Overture to Dichter und Bauer by Franz von Suppé fascinated me, and that was the moment when the concert captivated me and showed the beauty of the entire undertaking.

Polkas and gallops set the pace and added the much-needed energy that we could not convey live, which is why the waltzes might have been played too slowly, because there was no one to speed them up?

Bad’ner Mad’l was a protest against the closure of hotels and health resorts in the current situation, which prevented us from feeling the atmosphere of the city and this exceptionally festive event this year.

Iwona Karpińska
Wrocław