PRESENTATION OF THE GOLDEN JOHANN STRAUSS AWARD 2017

to
Riccardo Muti

On 29th June 2017 the Golden Johann Strauss Award was given to Riccardo Muti. As usual, the ceremony was held in the Marchfelderhof Restaurant in Deutsch-Wagram in the presence of numerous celebrities and representatives of the media.

In his keynote speech, which was held in Italian followed by a German translation, Peter Widholz, the President of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna, pointed out that it is not essential to be a native Austrian in order to interpret the works of Johann Strauss in an authentic way. What counts is only the conductor’s musical talent. The Maestro, who has already directed the New Year’s Concert four times, will again stand at the conductor’s podium of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra next year. Riccardo Muti expressed his thanks in a witty speech and was visibly moved by the special honour bestowed on him.

The ceremony was framed by a great number of musical presentations, a definite highlight of which was the Küchl Quartet playing compositions by Johann Strauss. The celebration went on late into the night. When the Maestro said good-bye to Gerhard Bocek, the owner of the Marchfelderhof Restaurant, he promised to come again, because he had greatly enjoyed the evening in this unique setting.

A commemorative plaque was unveiled on the outer wall of the Marchfelderhof Restaurant.

President Prof. Peter Widholz (left) and Vice President Prof. Werner Resel (right) handing over the award to Riccardo Muti

The local band of Deutsch-Wagram welcoming the Maestro, who allowed himself to be persuaded to play the role of a guest conductor for a short time.

You can experience the most impressive moments of this evening if you click the following link:

>>>click here to see the video<<<

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