For decades, the Vienna Philharmonic has presented its audiences at the turn of the year with a cheerful yet contemplative program from the rich repertoire of the Strauss dynasty and its contemporaries. This time, Christian Thielemann was a debutant at the podium of the New Year's Concert on January 1, but one who is already very familiar to the Vienna Philharmonic due to many years of cooperation. In addition to two ballet interludes danced by the Vienna State Ballet, several interludes also recalled important anniversaries to be celebrated in 2019, such as the 150th anniversary of the Vienna State Opera. For the second time, Henning Kasten took over the picture direction for the concert and for the ballet interludes pre-recorded in August.