Premieres Friday, Aug. 28, 2026 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 + Encore Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026 at 6 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream on KPBS+
The beloved annual concert from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Schönbrunn Palace Park this summer under the baton of Maestro Lorenzo Viotti for the first time. Soloist renowned bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel performs arias from Verdi’s “Falstaff,” Boito’s “Mefistofele,” and the finale from Richard Wagner’s “Das Rheingold.”
From Broadway, Terfel performs Tevye’s song “If I Were a Rich Man” from the classic musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” Soloists of the Vienna State Ballet also joins the celebration dancing to Ravel with choreography by Eno Peçi. (Recorded on June 19, 2026)
Musical Selections:
- Franz von Suppè – Overture to “Light Cavalry”
- Arrigo Boito – “Son lo spirito che nega” from “Mefistofele”
- Giacomo Puccini – Intermezzo from “Manon Lescaut”
- Guiseppe Verdi – “Ehi! Paggio!” from “Falstaff”
- Peter I. Tchaikowsky – Russian dance from “The Nutcracker”
- Florence Price – “Adoration” (arranged by Elaine Fine)
- Erich Wolfgang Korngold – “Straussiana”
- Richard Wagner – “Abendlich strahlt der Sonne Auge” from “Das Rheingold”
- Jules Massenet – “Méditation” from “Thaïs”
- Maurice Ravel – Symphonic fragments from “Daphnis et Chloé” Suite No. 2
- Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick – “If I Were a Rich Man” from “Fiddler on the Roof”
- Zequinha de Abreu – “Tico-tico no fubá” (arranged by Carmen Dragon)
- Johann Strauss II – “Wiener Blut”
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Credits: Directed by Henning Kasten and produced by Edith Hisch, GREAT PERFORMANCES "Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2026" is a production of Wiener Philharmoniker and ORF in association with The WNET Group. GREAT PERFORMANCES is produced by The WNET Group. For GREAT PERFORMANCES, John Walker is writer, Bill Kabel is producer, Bill O’Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer.
