Sommernachtskonzert 2017 / Summer Night Concert 2017 Wiener Philharmoniker, Christoph Eschenbach & Renee Fleming

• Antonín Dvorák (1841 - 1904):
• 1 Carnival Overture, Op. 92 09:54
• 2 Armida, Op. 115, Act I: Za stíhlou gazelou 05:10
• 3 Rusalka, Op. 114, Act I: Mesícku na nebi hlubokém (Song to the Moon) 07:09
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893):
• 4 The Sleeping Beauty, Ballet Suite, Op. 66a: II. Adagio - Pas d'action 06:43
• 5 The Sleeping Beauty, Ballet Suite, Op. 66a: V. Valse 05:23
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943):
• 6 12 Romances, Op. 21, No. 3 Sumerki (Twilight) 02:33
• 7 6 Romances, Op.4, No. 4 Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne! (Oh, never sing to me again) 05:38
• 8 12 Romances, Op.14, No. 11 Vesenniye vody (Spring Waters) 02:30
• Engelbert Humperdinck (1854 - 1921):
• 9 Hänsel und Gretel: Prelude 08:50
• John Williams (1941):
• 10 Hedwig's Theme (From "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone") 05:25
• Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971):
• 11 L'oiseau de feu (Firebird Suite) - Ballet Suite for Orchestra (1919): V. Danse infernale du roi Kachtcheï 04:48
• 12 L'oiseau de feu (Firebird Suite) - Ballet Suite for Orchestra (1919): VI. Berceuse 03:33
• 13 L'oiseau de feu (Firebird Suite) - Ballet Suite for Orchestra (1919): VII. Finale 03:46
• Bedrich Smetana (1824 - 1884):
• 14 The Bartered Bride, JB 1:100: Dance of the Comedians 04:23
• Johann Strauss, Jr. (1825 - 1899):
• 15 Wiener Blut, Walzer, Op. 354 10:06
• Total Runtime 01:25:51

Info for Sommernachtskonzert 2017 / Summer Night Concert 2017

Fairytales and myths have inspired composers from time immemorial, and audiences, too, have invariably been enthralled by the unending struggle between good and evil. Central to the Vienna Philharmonic’s 2017 Summer Night Concert are German, French, Russian and Czech fairytales as well as a contemporary fantasy figure that is Anglo-Saxon in origin.

In 2017 the Summer Night Concert will again be conducted by one of the most distinguished musicians of our time. Christoph Eschenbach, who also conducted the 2014 Summer Night Concert, is in demand as a guest conductor for prominent orchestras and opera houses worldwide. Since 2010 he has been musical director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. Having begun his career as a pianist, he learned conducting under George Szell and Herbert von Karajan. Since making his debut as a conductor in 1972, he has led renowned orchestras, including the Tonhalle-Orchester in Zurich, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Renee Fleming, soprano
Wiener Philharmoniker
Christoph Eschenbach, conductor

Summer Night Concert in Park von Schloss Schönbrunn
Fairytales and myths have inspired composers from time immemorial, and audiences, too, have invariably been enthralled by the unending struggle between good and evil. Central to the Vienna Philharmonic’s 2017 Summer Night Concert are German, French, Russian and Czech fairy- tales as well as a contemporary fantasy figure that is Anglo-Saxon in origin. Performed for the first time in front of Schönbrunn Palace, the concert is conducted by Christoph Eschenbach, who is returning for his second such concert. His first was in 2014.

Dvořák’s three-part set of overtures, Nature, Life and Love, dates from 1891 and received its first performance the following year at the final concert that the composer gave in Prague before leaving for New York. With its virtuoso furiant opening, the central panel, Carnival, leads us straight to the heart of the carnival celebrations, with a frenzy of pleasure from all parts of human society. An intermezzo for solo violin and English horn describes a moment of love and looks backward thematically to the earlier overture, In Nature’s Realm. By February 1895 Carnival had been heard for the first time as part of a “lighter and more varied programme” organized by the Vienna Philharmonic at one of its Nicolai Concerts. All proceeds from these concerts were donated to the orchestra’s pension fund. At the same time, the local press assured its readers that a “broad public” had enjoyed the carnival fare.

Booklet for Sommernachtskonzert 2017 / Summer Night Concert 2017