The first Vienna New Year’s Concert, held in 1939, took place in Vienna’s Musikverein concert hall.
The concert is performed in the Musikverein’s Golden Hall, one of the world’s best-known classical music venues. The inaugural concert was conducted by Clemens Krauss on December 31, 1939, rather than on New Year’s Day. Later concerts became associated with the morning of January 1 and with a program centered on music by the Strauss family and related composers.
The Vienna Philharmonic performs the concert, which is broadcast internationally and watched by a large audience. The program traditionally concludes with the “Blue Danube” waltz and the “Radetzky March,” although the exact running order can vary.
The Musikverein is sometimes confused with the Vienna Konzerthaus or the Vienna State Opera because all are major Viennese music institutions. The New Year’s Concert’s defining venue is the Musikverein’s Golden Hall.