REVIEW: Scarborough Spa Orchestra: Vienna Concert

The Vienna New Year’s Concert is a concert of classical music performed by the the Vienna Philharmonic that takes place each year on the morning of New Year’s Day in Vienna, Austria, and is broadcast to millions worldwide.

For the past years, Scarborough Spa Orchestra has been performing a similar programme of music each afternoon of New Year’s day in the Spa’s Grand Hall.

This year was no exception and there was hardly a seat to be had as probably more than a thousand people attended the concert.

The concert celebrates the music of the Strauss family and other composers associated with the city including Franz Lehar and Ralph Benatzky, who wrote White Horse Inn.

The running order and programme differs from the Vienna event – but the joy and celebration pervades the Scarborough concert as much as it does the one in the Austrian capital.

The orchestra’s musical director and pianist Paul Laidlaw introduced each piece with his customary mix of knowledge and humour.