The traditional final piece performed at the Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Concert is the Radetzky March.
Johann Strauss I composed the Radetzky March in 1848 and named it after the Austrian field marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz. At the New Year's Concert, it is played as the customary encore and is famous for audience participation. Listeners clap along with the march's repeated rhythmic figures, following the conductor's tempo and gestures.
The concert is held in Vienna's Musikverein and is broadcast internationally. Its main repertoire centers on the Strauss family, especially Johann Strauss II, but the program can also include works by other composers connected with Viennese dance music.
The Blue Danube is another signature piece in the concert tradition and is commonly mistaken for the finale. In the usual sequence, it appears before the Radetzky March, which closes the performance after the audience has joined the musical celebration.