Johann Strauss II is the composer most strongly associated with Vienna’s New Year’s Concert.
The concert is performed by the Vienna Philharmonic in the Musikverein’s Golden Hall and is held on the morning of January 1. Its program traditionally emphasizes the music of the Strauss family and related Viennese composers, with waltzes and polkas forming the musical core. Johann Strauss II is particularly prominent because of works such as “The Blue Danube” and the “Radetzky March,” which are customary encores.
The concert began in 1939, during a period when its history and political context were complicated by Nazi rule. After World War II, it developed into an international broadcast tradition. The event is not limited exclusively to Johann Strauss II, but his compositions provide the clearest musical signature of the program.