Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Summer Night Concert

Overview

Abu Dhabi Festival joins as Artistic Partner for the annual open-air concert, which returns to the Castle Gardens of Schönbrunn Palace. A highlight of the international classical music calendar, the concert is conducted by Lorenzo Viotti and features renowned baritone Sir Bryn Terfel.

The Summer Night Concert has become the second largest annual classical music event broadcast throughout the world, after the New Year’s Concert. The Vienna Philharmonic is proud and happy to invite audiences to join this wonderful evening of classical music.

Programme

Franz von Suppè
Light Cavalry Overture

Arrigo Boito
“Son lo spirito che nega”, Arie des Mefistofele aus der Oper Mefistofele (1. Akt)

Giacomo Puccini
Intermezzo from the opera Manon Lescaut

Giuseppe Verdi
“Ehi! paggio!”, Arie des Falstaff aus der Oper Falstaff (1. Akt)

Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowsky
Trepak, aus dem Ballett Der Nussknacker

Florence Price
Adoration (Orchestrierung Elaine Fine)

Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Straussiana – Polka, Mazurka, Walzer

Richard Wagner
“Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge”, Auftritt des Wotan aus der Oper Das Rheingold (4. Szene)

Jules Massenet
Méditation aus der Oper Thaïs (2. Akt)

Maurice Ravel
Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

Jerry Bock
“If I Were a Rich Man”, Lied des Tevje aus dem Musical Fiddler on the Roof (Arr. Larry Blank)

Artists

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

There is perhaps no other musical ensemble more consistently and closely associated with the history and tradition of European classical music than the Vienna Philharmonic. In the course of its history, the musicians of this most prominent orchestra of the capital city of music have been an integral part of a musical epoch which, due to an abundance of uniquely gifted composers and interpreters, must certainly be regarded as unique.

The orchestra’s close association with this rich musical history is best illustrated by the words of countless pre-eminent musical personalities of the past. Richard Wagner described the orchestra as one of the most outstanding in the world; Anton Bruckner called it “the most superior musical association”; Johannes Brahms counted himself a “friend and admirer”; Gustav Mahler spoke of being joined to the orchestra through “the bonds of musical art”; and Richard Strauss summarised these sentiments, observing that “all praise of the Vienna Philharmonic reveals itself as understatement.”

Sir Bryn Terfel

Born in North Wales, he studied at the GSMD with Arthur Reckless and Rudolf Piernay. His award-winning discography encompasses operas by Mozart, Wagner and Strauss and over 15 solo discs. Awards and honours include a CBE (2003), the Queen’s Medal for Music (2006), a knighthood (2017) the title of Austrian Kammersänger (2022) and a European Cultural Award at the Tonhalle, Zurich. Recent appearances include the Coronation of King Charles III, Sweeney Todd (Zurich Opera), Balstrode (Vienna State Opera), Bluebeard (Paris Opera), Gianni Schicchi (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, European Opera Centre), Aleko, Gianni Schicchi, Dutchman (Grange Park Opera), Falstaff (Zurich Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper), Scarpia (Munich, Shanghai Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Paris, Zurich, Tokyo Spring Festival, Vienna, Bergen International Festival), Don Pizarro, Dulcamara, Don Basilio (Vienna), Belshazzar’s Feast with RLPO and Elijah with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. Previous roles for The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, include Scarpia, The Dutchman, Balstrode, Dulcamara, Don Basilio, Don Pasquale and Boris Godunov.  

Lorenzo Viotti

Born in Lausanne into a family of musicians, he studied piano, voice and percussion in Lyon. He trained to be a conductor under Georg Mark in Vienna, while at the same time performing as a percussionist in a variety of different ensembles, including the Vienna Philharmonic. He went on to hone his skills in Weimar under the guidance of Nicolas Pasquet.

Born in Lausanne into a family of musicians, he studied piano, voice and percussion in Lyon. He trained to be a conductor under Georg Mark in Vienna, while at the same time performing as a percussionist in a variety of different ensembles, including the ViHe made his opera debut conducting Le nozze di Figaro at the Schönbrunn Theatre in 2013. That same year, he won the International Conducting Competition in Cadaquès (Spain). Two years later, at the age of 25, he won the highly prestigious Young Conductor Award at the Salzburg Festival. In 2016, he made his debut leading the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Verbier Chamber Orchestra, as well as the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Salzburg Festival. In 2017, he conducted several concerts at the Salzburg Summer Festival and shared the rostrum with Christian Thielemann for a concert honouring Herbert von Karajan to mark the 50th anniversary of the Easter Festival.  

He has conducted numerous symphony orchestras including the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Staatskapelle, the Orchestre National de France, the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Radio Munich Orchestra, the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.  

He has also been musical director of the Gulbenkian Orchestra since the 2018–2019 season and he was appointed as the principal conductor of the Dutch National Opera and the Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra. He has conducted La Belle Hélène at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Rossini’s La cambiale di matrimonio at La Fenice in Vence, Carmen and La bohème in Klagenfurt, Rigoletto in Stuttgart and Dresden, Donizetti’s Viva la mamma at the Lyon Opera, Werther in Zurich, Klagenfurt and Frankfurt, Tosca at the New National Theatre in Tokyo and the Frankfurt Opera, and Carmen, first at the Hamburg Staatsoper and then for his debut at the Paris Opera.  

During the 2019–2020 season, he made his debut at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam with Pagliacci / Cavalleria rusticana and conducted Manon Lescaut in Frankfurt, Roméo et Juliette at Milan’s La Scala, Madama Butterfly in Dresden, and La bohème at the Paris Opera.  

Lorenzo Viotti received the Newcomers Award at the 2017 International Opera Awards.

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