At the New Year’s Concert in Vienna, the piece “Rainbow Waltz” by pianist Florence Price (1887 to 1953) is the first work by an African American woman to be played. The inclusion of the now rediscovered artist in the Vienna Philharmonic program was a heartfelt wish of his, said Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin at a press conference. The “Rainbow Waltz,” composed for piano, was specially arranged for orchestra.
Price had written piano pieces and symphonies under difficult living conditions. As a single black mother, she suffered from the racial discrimination that was widespread in the USA.
Signal with the “diplomatic polka”
From the perspective of Nézet-Séguin, who himself is conducting the New Year’s Concert for the first time, this year’s program around the waltz king Johann Strauss and his family is full of novelties. A third of the pieces have never been played for this occasion. Johann Strauss Sohn’s “Diplomat Polka” also consciously sends a signal about the importance of diplomacy in a divided world.
A message from this year’s New Year’s Concert (January 1st, 11:15 a.m., ZDF) from the Golden Hall of the Vienna Music Association is once again an appeal for peace and mutual understanding, it was said. “When we start talking, we argue and disagree; when we start listening to the same music, we feel that we have more similarities than differences,” said Nézet-Séguin.
Around 50 million viewers
The concert will be broadcast via television and stream in more than 150 countries. Around 50 million viewers watch from afar every year. The ORF uses 40 microphones and 14 cameras for the broadcast.
Nézet-Séguin is musical director of the renowned New York Metropolitan Opera. His contract runs until 2030. The Canadian has been working with the Vienna Philharmonic on an occasional basis since 2010.
