Vienna Philharmonic's Summer Night Concert attracts 50,000 to Schönbrunn Palace

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's annual Summer Night Concert transformed the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace into a grand open-air venue, drawing an estimated 50,000 music lovers. This year's event, conducted by Swiss maestro Lorenzo Viotti in his debut with the orchestra for this concert, showcased a rich tapestry of musical genres.

Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel was the featured soloist, captivating the audience with his versatile performance. He opened with a dramatic rendition of "Son lo spirito che nega" from Arrigo Boito's opera "Mefistofele," engaging the crowd with a combination of singing and whistling. Terfel later returned to perform a lighthearted variation on "Ehi! Paggio!" from Verdi's "Mefistofele" and concluded his solo set with "If I were a rich man" from the musical "Fiddler on the Roof," complete with dancing and audience participation.

The program itself was a journey through classical and popular music. It included Franz von Suppè's "Light Cavalry Overture," Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Trepak" from "The Nutcracker," and Florence Price's "Adoration," marking a significant inclusion of a contemporary African-American composer. The orchestra also performed works by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Richard Wagner's "The Rhinegold," and Jules Massenet's "Meditation" from "Thaïs."

Visual elements complemented the music, with projections of dancers accompanying Maurice Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloé." The concert concluded with spirited encores, "Tico-Tico no Fubá" by Zequinha de Abreu and Johann Strauss II's "Wiener Blut, Walzer," leaving the audience enchanted by the evening's diverse and celebratory musical offerings.

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If I were a rich man