Vienna Symphony Orchestra

Vienna, 1900. There was a strong, shared desire: to have an orchestra of our very own for the city! And so, on October 30th of that same year, the brand-new Wiener Concertverein—later known as the Wiener Symphoniker (Vienna Symphony Orchestra)—gave its first concert in the historic Great Hall of the Musikverein. A legendary ensemble, the ‘Wiener’ ranks among the finest orchestras in the world. They now return to Eindhoven for a second visit, following their resounding success there in April 2024. Joining them is the young pianist Mao Fujita, an artist who truly excels in the music of Mozart; in 2015, he won the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians.

In 1838, Robert Schumann was astonished to discover the manuscripts of several symphonies among a vast stack of music at the home of Schubert’s brother. One, in particular, filled him with immense excitement. It was a monumental work—‘a novel in four substantial volumes’—which prompted Schumann to write a review celebrating the piece’s ‘heavenly length.’ Shortly thereafter, Felix Mendelssohn conducted the premiere in Leipzig. Schubert’s Ninth is a true cornucopia. In contrast, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 is far from overflowing; it is, however, in the best possible hands with Mao Fujita—who, as a 19-year-old student, won first prize at the Concours International de Piano Clara Haskil.