Deutsche Grammophon Honors the Vienna Philharmonic's 175th Anniversary with Wiener Philharmoniker 175th Anniversary Edition

Deutsche Grammophon celebrates the 175th anniversary of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with the release of Wiener Philharmoniker 175th Anniversary Edition, a deluxe limited edition box set of 44 CDs and one DVD, featuring a selection of the most notable albums the orchestra has released on the label.

The compilation offers a broad survey of the orchestra's core repertoire including symphonic works, concertos, operatic selections, iconic Viennese waltzes, and more, while exploring its deep collaborations with some of the most influential and distinguished conductors associated with the orchestra in modern history. Featured conductors are Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Karl Böhm, Pierre Boulez, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Carlo Maria Giulini, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Herbert von Karajan, Hans Knappertsbusch, James Levine, André Previn, Christian Thielemann and Bruno Walter, on recordings spanning from 1951 to 2004.

Highlights of the collection include:

• Live recordings of Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting Bruckner's Fourth Symphony in 1951 and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in 1953
• ·Bruno Walter conducting his mentor Mahler's Symphony No. 4, as well as Mozart's "Prague" Symphony
• Hans Knappertsbusch, a regular conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic for nearly 30 years, leading a live recording of Schubert's "Great" Symphony No. 9 and Franz Schmidt's Variations on a Hussar's Song
• Schoenberg's massive cantata Gurrelieder led by Claudio Abbado
• Two New Year's concerts including a 2003 recording with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and a DVD of the 1989 New Year's concert conducted by Carlos Kleiber
• John Eliot Gardner conducting Lehar's quintessentially Viennese operetta Die lustige Witwe with Cheryl Studer, Bryn Terfel, Barbara Bonney, and Boje Skovhus, as well as the orchestra's first-ever recording of music by Chabrier
• Christian Thieleman leading a recording of German Overtures including the overture from Vienna Philharmonic founder Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor; and recordings of R. Strauss's An Alpine Symphony and Ein Heldenleben featuring violinist Rainer Honeck
• Karl Böhm leading Mozart's four late symphonies and waltzes and polkas by the Strauss family
• The last of Herbert von Karajan's recordings of Brahms's A German Requiem with soprano Barbara Hendricks and baritone José van Dam, a live recording of the conductor leading an all-Wagner program featuring Jessye Norman at the Salzburg Festival in 1987, Mozart's Requiem, and symphonies by Schumann and Dvo?ák
• Leonard Bernstein, the first American to lead the Vienna Philharmonic, conducting Beethoven's Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6, and Haydn's Symphonies Nos. 88 and 92
• Brahms's four symphonies conducted by James Levine
• Pierre Boulez leading Bruckner's Eighth Symphony, recorded live at the 1996 Bruckner Festival at the monastery or St. Florian, and Mahler's Fifth Symphony

Presented in a luxury box, the set includes cover art from the original releases and a 120-page booklet with liner notes by Dr. Silvia Kargl, Head of the Historic Archive of the Vienna Philharmonic, and Richard Evidon. The book also features rare photographs from the archives of the Vienna Philharmonic, such as the orchestra's first photo taken in 1864, the last page of Richard Strauss's Sinfonia Domestica with a handwritten dedication to the orchestra by the composer, the poster for the world premiere performance of Bruckner's Symphony No. 8, and a handwritten letter from Bruckner in which the composer thanks the orchestra for performing the world premiere of the symphony.

There is perhaps no other musical ensemble more closely associated with the history and tradition of European classical music than the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Over the course of its 175 year history, the musicians of this most prominent orchestra of the capital city of music, have been an integral part of a musical epoch that - thanks to an abundance of uniquely gifted composers and interpreters - is regarded as truly unique. The Vienna Philharmonic is renowned for its distinctive musical style passed from generation to generation, as well as its structure and history. Formed on March 28, 1842 by conductor-composer Otto Nicolai and members of the Imperial Court Opera Orchestra as a professional orchestra for the performance of symphonic repertoire (which until that time had not existed in Vienna), the orchestra's initial objective was to perform symphonies by Mozart and Beethoven in their own city. Today, the Vienna Philharmonic presents more than 40 concerts annually at the Musikverein in Vienna, performs over 50 concerts on tour around the world, appears every summer (since 1922) at the Salzburg Festival, and presents a New Year's Concert, which is broadcast internationally to more than 90 countries, and the free Summer Night Concert Schönbrunn, attended annually by up to 100,000 people. Deutsche Grammophon and the Vienna Philharmonic have collaborated for more than 60 years and have released more than 400 recordings.

The set can be pre-ordered here.