Riccardo Muti to Conduct His Final Vienna New Year's Concert

The 83-year-old maestro aims to deliver a message of harmony and peace while celebrating Johann Strauss and introducing a historic first.

Riccardo Muti will lead the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert for the seventh and final time on January 1, 2025.
The concert will commemorate the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss, known as the 'Waltz King,' with a program centered on his works.
For the first time in the event's history, a piece composed by a woman, the 'Ferdinandus-Walzer' by Constanze Geiger, will be performed.
Muti criticized global cultural funding cuts, emphasizing music's essential role as a 'medication' for society, contrasting this with Asia's investment in the arts.
The maestro highlighted the importance of silence in music, warning of the dangers of divisive words in today's world.