CONCERT
Carlos Kleiber conducts New Year’s Concert 1992
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
(90 min; 1992; dvd)

One of the most gifted conductors of the second half of the twentieth century also excelled in the lighter Viennese classics, of which the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual New Year’s Concerts are such a notable celebration. This 1992 concert celebrated the 150th Jubilee Year of the VPO and won particular acclaim. Kleiber’s unorthodox conducting looks so expressive, so fluid, that at times it seems as if it must be improvised on the spot. In fact, he was wont to insist on copious rehearsal time in which to secure those lean, crystalline textures. Featuring music by Johann Strauss II, Johan Strauss I, Josef Strauss and Otto Nicolai.

Curated & Introduced by Sunit Tandon