TRANSCRIPT
-Next on "Great Performances", Conductor Tugan Sokhiev and the Vienna Philharmonic invite you for a waltz amidst the flowers in the beautiful Baroque gardens of Schoenbrunn.
Acclaimed tenor Piotr Beczala joins them in singing Vienna's praise.
[ Singing "Grafin Mariza: Wenn es Abend wird" ] ♪♪ -Just add the Vienna Boys' Choir and we're all set for The Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2025.
[ Classical music plays ] ♪♪ [ Applause ] -The Vienna Philharmonic and Conductor Tugan Sokhiev have chosen to begin the concert on this summer night in remembrance of those who perished in the tragic school shooting on June 10th in Graz, Austria.
-[ Speaking German ] -Together, with Vienna Philharmonic, we share and feel the pain of everyone who was affected by this terrible tragedy.
It is difficult to find words that would console anyone.
But as musicians, we hope that sometimes music can help to ease the pain.
[ "Air", from Orchestral Suite No.
3 by Johann Sebastian Bach plays ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Each year, with the summer night concert, the Vienna Philharmonic sends a wish for peace to the world from here in the beautiful Baroque gardens of Austria's imperial palace of Schoenbrunn.
Tonight, the program highlights well-known melodies from operas and operettas in settings throughout Europe.
The Vienna Boys' Choir launches our musical journey on the Rhine with an invitation to join them on a merry romp.
-[ Speaking indistinctly ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Choir singing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] -You probably recognized that melody.
Offenbach repurposed it as the famous "Barcarolle" in his "Tales of Hoffmann".
From the Rhine to the Rhone, Bizet next incorporates the tambourin, a Provencal drum, in his farandole, a folk dance from Arles in southwestern France.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] Next, tenor Piotr Beczala whisks us off to Seville in sunny Spain for an aria from Carmen.
In the opera, the soldier, Don José, has been imprisoned for freeing the seductress, Carmen.
Now released, he declares his love for her and how the flower she had thrown to him at their first meeting had given him hope to endure his incarceration.
The tenor is performing the role this summer at the massive Arena di Verona in Italy.
It's a busy summer for him with appearances at both Salzburg and Bayreuth before he comes to the Met in New York in the fall.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Singing in French ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] -Piotr Beczala and the "Flower Song from Carmen".
Now we're off with the sugar plum fairy to the land of sweets found in every child's dream on Christmas Eve.
"The Nutcracker" was first performed in Saint Petersburg but I suspect Tchaikovsky was paying homage to Vienna's Waltz King, Johann Strauss, with his "Waltz of the Flowers".
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] The gardens and statues below Schoenbrunn's towering Gloriette provide the perfect setting for Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers".
Moving along to Bohemia, Dvorak composed the next fast and fiery number in the style of the vigorous and witty traditional Czech dance, the furiant.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] A roommate of Puccini at the Milan Conservatory, the 26-year-old Pietro Mascagni achieved instant fame with his portrayal of the brutality of rural Sicily in his one act opera, "Cavalleria Rusticana".
The peaceful Easter Sunday intermezzo opening the final scene juxtaposes dramatically with the opera's violent end.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] Now, while the best-known tenor aria in all opera is set in ancient China, it has become synonymous with the wildly popular pan European sport of soccer.
It is sung by Calaf, an unknown prince, who falls for the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot and her father's kingdom.
If she correctly guesses his name, then she is free to have him killed.
If not, they must marry.
She decrees that under pain of death, none of her subjects shall sleep that night until his name is discovered.
♪♪ -[ Choir singing in Italian ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Piotr singing in Italian ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Choir singing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Piotr singing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] -"I will triumph" exclaims Piotr Beczala to the Vienna Boys' Choir, and the capacity crowd of 60,000 here in the park agrees.
From ancient China to the Middle East, let's join the Philistines for a wild drunken party in celebration of their victory over the Hebrews.
Their ecstatic dancing will come to a screeching end, however, when Samson pulls the roof down on them.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] In 1846, Hector Berlioz gave two concerts in Budapest.
For the occasion, he composed a march in which he included a folk tune associated with the Hungarian's fight against Austrian oppression.
It brought down the house and immediately became an audience favorite.
With a few modifications, it became famous as a part of his "The Damnation of Faust".
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] Otto Nicolai was a German composer, conductor, and one of the founders of the Vienna Philharmonic.
He is best known for his operatic version of Shakespeare's comedy, "The Merry Wives of Windsor", which features the rotund Falstaff in comic pursuit of two married women.
Unbeknownst to him, though, they're onto him.
"The Overture", made up of themes from the opera, begins with moonrise over Windsor Great Park.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] Tugan Sokhiev regularly conducts the world's leading orchestras.
On his calendar this year are the Vienna, Berlin, and Munich Philharmonics, the Cleveland, Philadelphia, and NHK Japan Orchestras, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Once again, Piotr Beczala joins Tugan Sokhiev and the Vienna Philharmonic on stage for an aria, this one from Vienna's Silver Age of Operetta, Emmerich Kálmán's "Countess Mariza".
In this lament, Count Tassilo, who is stranded in Hungary, longs to return to Vienna -- to the Danube, the waltz, and the town's beautiful women.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Singing in German ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] -This free concert in the park for the music lovers of Vienna and viewers throughout the world is just one of the ways the Vienna Philharmonic continues to broaden the reach of classical music to more people.
For more than 180 years, this orchestra has been influential in the course of musical history.
But now, it looks like we have an encore.
From Vienna to a picturesque village on the Mediterranean, Franz Lehar wrote this song to introduce the character of an exuberant young captain who is confident in his ability to charm the ladies.
The song conveys his sense of excitement and his belief that life is full of possibilities and opportunities.
"Friends, life is well worth living!"
♪♪ -[ Piotr singing in German ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] -Ah, yes, that's so right!
Life is beautiful, so beautiful!
But there's still one more encore to come from the Vienna Philharmonic.
Originally wanting to perform Beethoven's symphonies at the highest level, the musicians of the Vienna Court Opera Orchestra banded together to establish their own organization in order to give themselves complete artistic and financial freedom.
Today, the Vienna Philharmonic believes that as cultural messengers their performances should express the ideals of peace, humanity, and reconciliation.
Now, it is time for the orchestra and maestro, Tugan Sokhiev, to bid farewell with Johann Strauss's "Wiener Blut", his "Viennese Spirit" waltz.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] Tugan Sokhiev and the Vienna Philharmonic performed "Wiener Blut" by Johann Strauss.
The orchestra premiered it with the composer conducting in celebration of the indomitable spirit of the Viennese.
It was the first piece by the waltz king that the orchestra ever played more than 150 years ago.
From the beginning, the orchestra has held a fascination for prominent composers and conductors, as well as for audiences all over the world.
To this day, prominent soloists and conductors refer to the unique "Viennese Sound" as the outstanding quality that sets it apart from all other orchestras.
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[ Applause ]
