Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Austrian orchestra, one of the most renowned classical musical ensembles in the world. Known in German as the Wiener Philharmoniker, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was originally formed by musicians employed primarily by the Vienna State Opera. Members of the opera joined together to establish a professional concert orchestra capable of playing the most difficult new works at the highest possible standards. They gave their first performance as the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra on March 28, 1842 at the Grosser Redoutensaal, then Vienna’s main concert hall. The conductor was German composer and conductor Otto Nicolai. At first, concerts took place sporadically, and they were further disrupted by the Revolution of 1848 (see Austria: Revolution of 1848). German pianist, violinist, and composer Carl Eckert conducted a few concerts during the 1850s but the orchestra did not play on a regular basis until 1860, when they began performing eight concerts per season.

The Vienna Philharmonic moved to the Kärntnertortheater in 1860, where it remained until the opening of the Musikverein in 1870. Its first permanent conductor was Austrian conductor Felix Dessoff, director of the orchestra from 1860 to 1875. He introduced the music of Hungarian-born composer Franz Liszt, as well as the work of German composers Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms. Other early conductors of the Vienna Philharmonic include Austro-Hungarian conductor Hans Richter and Austrian conductor and composer Gustav Mahler.

Directors of the Vienna Philharmonic during the early 20th-century include Austrian conductor Felix Weingartner, German composer and conductor Richard Strauss, and Austrian conductor Clemens Krauss. German-born American conductor Bruno Walter and Wilhelm Furtwängler shared direction between 1933 and 1938, but during most of World War II, Furtwängler had sole charge. Postwar regular conductors have included Austrian conductors Herbert von Karajan and Karl Böhm, Hungarian-born conductor Sir Georg Solti, American conductor Leonard Bernstein, and Italian conductor Claudio Abbado.

Since 1900 the Vienna Philharmonic has toured abroad extensively and made numerous recordings. It has also played regularly at the Salzburg Festival, a summer music and drama festival held in Salzburg, Austria. Although its repertoire is considered conservative, it maintains a reputation as one of the finest orchestras in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic remains a private institution, and continues to select its members from the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera.