Composers Datebook

In Beethoven's day, there were no independent symphonic orchestras in Vienna, so when Ludwig van wanted to put on an orchestral concert, the way he did it was to hire a theater orchestra for a night or two. Now, Viennese theaters were usually pretty busy and well booked up, but in Catholic Austria, they would shut down for a few weeks each year during Lent, which explains why a number of Beethoven's symphonies premiered in April when the orchestras were available for hire. It wasn't until today's date in 1842 that Vienna's most famous independent orchestra played its first concert, and even then, as it still does today, the Vienna Philharmonic also doubles as the orchestra of the Vienna Opera. The German composer and conductor Otto Nicolai led that first concert of the Vienna Philharmonic. The program included Beethoven's Seventh Symphony and two of his concert overtures, alongside vocal selections by Mozart and Cherubini. Not surprisingly, Beethoven remains core repertory for the Vienna Philharmonic, along with those other two Viennese "B's"—Brahms and Bruckner. But in the 20th century, the Austrian orchestra presented important European premieres of works by Samuel Barber and Leonard Bernstein, two notable American "B's." And more recently, the Vienna Philharmonic premiered this work, entitled "Diversions," by the German-born, American composer and conductor, Andre Previn.