Happy New Year! This article features the Vienna Philharmonic stamps. One New Year’s tradition across much of the world is to gather together on New Year’s day and watch a special concert by the Vienna Philharmonic. The concert takes place in the Golden Hall of the the Wiener Musikverein, which is the home of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra, at 11:15 am local time on January 1. This post features stamps featuring the Vienna Philharmonic, the famous orchestra that performs this annual concert.
The Wiener Philharmoniker
The Wiener Philharmoniker, or the Vienna Philharmonic, performs the annual New Year’s Day concert. This orchestra is one of the greatest in the world and has roots in the early nineteenth century. Prior to the founding of the orchestra, large orchestral works were only possible by pulling together a variety of players from various smaller groups across the city. For example, for the premiere of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in 1824, musicians were recruited from the court opera, the Vienna music society, and even talented amateurs were engaged.
In 1842, a small group of musicians from the state opera formed the Wiener Philharmoniker. They persuaded the composer Otto Nicolai to conduct. Although the musicians were all members of the state opera orchestra, the ensemble was independent and completely democratic in its management. It only gave eleven concerts in its first five years and in 1847 when Nicolai left, the orchestra almost folded forever. In 1854, Karl Eckert became the first permanent conductor of the Vienna court Opera and led the orchestra in a few concerts. Since 1860, the orchestra has performed regularly.
Many famous musicians have conducted the ensemble including Johannes Brahms (as a guest conductor) and Gustave Mahler in the nineteenth century. Further, in the twentieth century conductors have included Arturo Toscanini, George Szell, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, Leonard Bernstein, and Gustavo Dudamel, among many others.
The orchestra continues to be independent and run as a democratic organization with day to day decisions made by an elected committee of twelve members.
Wiener Philharmoniker Postage Stamps
1959
Incredibly, there have been two postage stamps celebrating the Wiener Philharmoniker. The first dates to 1959 and features a variety of orchestral instruments. Each instrument levitates in a playing position, but without a musician. Additionally, they all point in the same direction as if facing a conductor. Dramatically, trumpets and trombones are shown through the framing of a large pedal harp while two violins are in the lower left corner. The stamp is by the famous Austrian stamp designer Hans Ranzoni, Jr.
1967
The second stamp in honor of the Wiener Philharmoniker comes from 1967 and celebrates the orchestra’s 125th anniversary. Like the earlier stamp, it only features musical instruments. However, this stamp only shows two instruments, a pipe organ in the background and a violin in the foreground. The engraving of the violin is rather spectacular and may be my favorite instrument on any stamp. The element that sets it apart, in my opinion, is the way the light reflection captures the arching of the carved violin top. The stamp design is by Otto Stefferl and the engraving by Rudolf Toth. Strangely, however, the organ in the background is not the famous organ from the Musikverein. In fact, you can see a beautiful stamp from 1970 that features the actual organ from the hall below.
New Year’s Concert
New Year’s Day concerts have taken place in Vienna since the 1830s, before the formation of the Wiener Philharmoniker. Then, beginning in 1928, Johann Strauss III led New Year’s concerts at the Musikverein. These concerts were broadcast on Austrian radio and became very popular. Strauss led six concerts with the last held in 1933.
This stamp features the pipe organ from the Golden Hall in the Musikverein
Then, in 1939, Clemens Krauss revived the tradition, except the concert took place on New Year’s Eve. Krauss’s efforts were to raise the morale of the country, and especially soldiers fighting in World War II. Although begun during the Nazi era, the concerts have continued annually ever since.
The Concert
1999
What really defines the New Year’s Day concerts, dating back to the 1920s, are the programs. These concerts primarily feature the music of the Strauss family, particularly Johann Strauss Sr. and Jr. Less often, music by Josef and Eduard Strauss also appear. Other Austrian composers such as Joseph Lanner, Franz Schubert, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart also are occasionally on the concert. Indeed, it was only in 2020 that Beethoven was played on the concert, due to it being his 250th anniversary.
As one would expect of the Strausses, the program contains dance music including polkas, mazurkas, waltzes, and polkas. Traditionally, there are three encores not listed on the program. First, there is a fast, short piece that changes each year. Next, the most famous Viennese waltz, “The Blue Danube” is played. Finally, the concert ends with a rousing rendition of the senior Strauss’s “Radetsky March.” It is only during this final piece that the audience is encouraged to clap along to the lively dance music.
The concert is broadcast across the globe, on Eurovision in Europe, on PBS in the United States, as well as on CCTV in China, the NHK in Japan, and on many other channels. It is estimated that approximately fifty million people watch the program in more than ninety countries. In 2021, due to the coronavirus, the orchestra played the concert for the first time without an audience.
Enjoy this wonderful performance of the “Radetzky March” from the 2017 New Year’s Day Concert, with Daniel Barenboim conducting the Vienna Philharmonic.
