Vienna New Year's Concert: A gift to "Haydn Year"

Haydn portrait by Thomas Hardy, 1792. The Vienna Philharmonic's annual New Year's concert on Thursday commemorated the 200th anniversary of the death of Austrian composer Joseph Haydn.

The Vienna Philharmonic's annual New Year's concert on Thursday commemorated the 200th anniversary of the death of Austrian composer Joseph Haydn.

The concert also promoted the Austrian industrial city of Linz as the 2009 "European Cultural City."

Austria designated 2009 as Haydn Year to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of the Austrian composer. The country was to hold a series of commemorative activities and included a performance of Haydn's work for the first time at this year's concert.

Austrian Television ORF inserted a music video program introducing Linz during the concert's intermission to promote the city as the 2009 "European Cultural City."

The Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, ushered in the New Year with music for more than 2,000 spectators and hundreds of millions of television and radio listeners around the world.

Members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra are conducted by Argentine-born Israeli maestro and concert pianist Daniel Barenboim during a dress rehearsal for the New Year's Concert 2009 in Vienna's "Goldener Musikvereinsaal" Dec. 29, 2008.

The 2009 concert still mainly consisted of works of the Strauss family.

The Vienna New Year's concert tradition began in 1941 and was first broadcast on live television in 1959.

The concert now is not only a tradition for Austrians, but has also become a global cultural event.

This year's concert was broadcast to more than 70 television networks and 300 radio stations around the world.

Argentine-born Israeli conductor and concert pianist Daniel Barenboim conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra during a dress rehearsal for the New Year's Concert 2009 in Vienna's "Goldener Musikvereinsaal" Dec. 29, 2008.