Johann Strauss the younger is a classic of popular music and therefore a must at every Viennese ball. Especially in the anniversary year of his 200th birthday. But the Divertimento Viennese ball orchestra, under the direction of Vinzenz Praxmarer, will be offering not only the greatest hits such as the Blue Danube Waltz but also a special surprise as a ball overture: Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “Straussiana” from 1953, a potpourri of rather unknown melodies by the Waltz King, which the composer masterfully condensed into a tribute. Continue reading Discovery at the anniversary →

The Music and Arts Private University of the City of Vienna (MUK for short) has accompanied the Science Ball from the very beginning. And this is to be understood literally. Every year, students specially compose fanfares which form the prelude to the opening. Student Laura Oos (born 2003) has composed a “Fanfare for the Scientists” especially for this year’s anniversary, which will be performed by students from the Jazz, Wind Instruments and Percussion departments under the direction of the composer. And that’s not all. At midnight, Alexandra Danilova (soprano), Ghazal Kazemi (mezzo-soprano), Malo Peloffy (tenor) and Aleksandr Ivanov (bass) will accompany Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” with the Divertimento Viennese ball orchestra.