New Year's concerts

Traditionally a New Year Concert takes day on New Year's Eve/Day. The most famous one is the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Vienna.

Saffron Hall scheduled there's for Saturday 4th January and I thought ? Why not!

The orchestra was the BBC Concert Orchestra with Conductor Bramwell Tovey and pianist Martin James Bartlett.

The concerts in Vienna are notable for being full of music by the Strauss family and this was no different.

What was nice is that it was a lot less "formal" than a normal concert with Tovey telling the audience about the pieces and cracking jokes.

Part one

J Strauss - Overture to Die Fledermaus
Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (1st Movement)
Rachmaninov - Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini

The Rachmaninov was performed by Bartlett who is previous BBC young musician of the year and still only 23 (he won in 2014)

Part Two
Baewicz  - Overture
Mozart - Symphony 25 1st movement
J Strauss II - Perpetuum Mobile
Eduard Strauss - Alpine Rose
J Strauss II - Pizzicato Polka
J Strauss II - Champagne Polka
J Strauss II - Blue Danube

I admit I have never head of Baewicz who is a female 20th century Polish composer nice piece, not sure it fit the programme but it was a good piece.

the encores were
J Strauss II - tritsch-tratsch polka
J Strauss II - Radetzky March

good music? lots of laughs? what more could one want?