Julie Andrews Returns as Host of From Vienna: The New Year's
Celebration 2013, This Year Conducted by Franz Welser-Most, On
THIRTEEN's Great Performances Tuesday, January 1 at 2:30 and 8 p.m.
ET on PBS
The Vienna Philharmonic and the
Vienna State Ballet return for the beloved annual tradition against
the joyful backdrop of the picturesque city
NEW YORK, Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Stage
and screen legend Julie Andrews
returns for the fourth time to host the festive annual New Year's celebration with the Vienna
Philharmonic, under the direction of Franz Welser-Most from Vienna's Musikverein. This is
Welser-Most's second time at the podium of this much
cherished event; the last was 2011.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110413/MM83011LOGO)
From Vienna: The
New Year's Celebration 2013,
featuring the infectious melodies of the Strauss Family and
contemporaries, will air live on Great Performances,
Tuesday, January 1 at 2:30 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) with
an encore performance that evening at 8
p.m.
Great Performances is a production of THIRTEEN for
WNET, one of America's most prolific and respected public media
providers. For 50 years, THIRTEEN has been making the most of the
rich resources and passionate people of New York and the world, reaching millions of
people with on-air and online programming that celebrates arts and
culture, offers insightful commentary on the news of the day,
explores the worlds of science and nature, and invites students of
all ages to have fun while learning.
The venerable concert is the largest worldwide event in
classical music reaching over a billion people annually through
radio and television in 72 countries. The Vienna Philharmonic's
traditional New Year's program has
showcased Viennese musical culture at the highest level, and since
the first television broadcast in 1959, sent the world a
New Year's greeting in the spirit of
hope, friendship and peace. (The telecast has been a public
television tradition on PBS since 1985.)
The opportunity of Andrews celebrating New Years in Vienna has become a most pleasurable
tradition. "I'm so delighted to return to Vienna at this magical time of year. This
enchanting city never ceases to take my breath away with its
fairytale beauty and grace and history. The Strauss waltzes provide
a most delectable soundtrack to the visual delights that surround
me there."
She has been a frequent and luminous presence on Great
Performances, starting with "An Evening with Alan Jay Lerner" (1989); "Julie Andrews in Concert" (1990); "Some
Enchanted Evening: Celebrating Oscar Hammerstein II" (1995); "Back
on Broadway" which spotlighted her return to the Great White Way in
"Victor/Victoria" (1995); "Hey,
Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron
Mackintosh" (1998); "My Favorite
Broadway: The Leading Ladies" (1999); its follow-up
"My Favorite Broadway: The Love
Songs" (2001); and the restoration of the classic 1957 "Rodgers
& Hammerstein's Cinderella" (2004). She also hosted the Emmy
Award-winning series Broadway: The American Musical
in 2004. Andrews will soon be featured in the celebration of
Great Performances' 40th anniversary,
currently planned to air in spring/summer 2013.
At press time, the musical program was scheduled to run as
follows:
Josef Strauss
Music
of Spheres, Waltz, op. 235
Richard Wagner
Prelude to Act III of "Lohengrin"
Josef Hellmesberger
In Confidence, Polka mazur,
op.15
Josef Strauss
Hesperus' Paths, Waltz, op. 279
Josef Strauss
Runners Quick Polka, op.237
Joseph Lanner
Styrian Dances op. 165
Johann Strauss
Melodies Quadrille
Johann Strauss
Where the Lemon Trees Bloom, Waltz, op. 364
Johann Strauss Sr.
Memories of Ernst or The Carnival of Venice, Fantasy, op. 126
Josef Strauss
Chatterbox, Quick Polka, op. 245
Johann Strauss
The
Blue Danube Waltz, op. 314
Johann Strauss Sr.
Radetzky March, op. 228
As is customary with these broadcasts, Ms. Andrews will travel
from her home base in the Musikverein hall itself to visit multiple
picturesque Vienna landmarks: a
typical Syrian inn (telling of the rural traditions of the
heartland of Austria); The State
Hall, the magnificent 18th century central rotunda of
the old imperial library, now known as the National Library;
and Prince Eugene's beautiful Baroque rural palace,
Schloss Hof (where the two ballets
in the program take place).
She also interviews Maestro Welser-Most on the celebrations for
the milestone anniversaries of the two musical giants of the
19th century – Richard
Wagner (1813-1883) and Giuseppe
Verdi (1813-1901) – and the pieces chosen to honor them
during the evening. It happens that Johann
Strauss was a champion of both, and actually played their
music before it was heard in the opera house.
Since September 1st 2010,
Franz Welser-Most has been the
Musical Director of the Vienna State Opera having made his debut at
the opera house in 1987.
Franz Welser-Most has been music
director at The Cleveland Orchestra since 2002. His contract will
take him up to the orchestra's centenary in 2018. Franz Welser-Most and the orchestra work closely
together with Carnegie Hall in New
York, the Musikverein in Vienna and the Lucerne Festival.
Between 1995 and 2002 Franz Welser-Most was the chief conductor
at the Zurich Opera House,
becoming the general music director in 2008. It was here where he
conducted more than 40 premieres, many of which have been released
on DVD.
He regularly appears as a guest conductor for the Berlin
Philharmonic, Bayerischen Rundfunk's Symphony Orchestra, the Gustav
Mahler Youth Orchestra and has also conducted the most prominent
orchestras in the USA.
Franz Welser-Most has close ties
with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra having led the Summer
Night's Concert in 2010 (broadcast on Great
Performances).
The Vienna State Ballet is the new name for the Vienna State
Opera Ballet and since the name change on September 1st, the company has been directed by
Manuel Legris. It provides the
ensembles at both the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna
Volksoper.
For the first time a British choreographer, Ashley Page, has assumed that role at the
New Year's celebration. Page, who was
a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London, has been the Scottish Ballet's
artistic director for the last ten years.
On January 4th, Sony
Classical will release the live recording exclusively through Arkiv
Music and via Amazon.com's CreateSpace's Disc on Demand service as
well download through all major digital service providers, followed
by a nationwide CD release on January
22nd, and DVD and Blu-ray on February 5th.
Great Performances is funded by the Irene Diamond
Fund, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund, Vivian Milstein, Vera
von Kuffner Eberstadt, The Starr Foundation, The Agnes Varis
Trust, and the Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, public
television viewers, and PBS. Exclusive corporate support for
the concert is provided by Rolex.
From Vienna: The
New Year's Celebration 2013
is produced by Heidelinde Rudy, and
directed by Karina Fibich, with
John Walker as producer/writer. For
Great Performances, John
Walker and Richard R.
Schilling are producers; Bill O'Donnell is series producer;
David Horn is executive
producer.
Visit Great Performances Online at
www.pbs.org/gperf for additional information about this and other
programs.
About WNET
In 2012, WNET is celebrating the
50th Anniversary of THIRTEEN, New York's flagship public media provider. As
the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV,
WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming
to over 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents
such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American
Masters, Need to Know, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries,
children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings
available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming,
WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh
Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring
compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET
highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities
through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJ Today and MetroFocus, the
multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region.
SOURCE THIRTEEN/WNET