The Vienna Philharmonic’s annual concerts at Carnegie Hall began with an invitation-only concert and dinner hosted by The Vienna Philharmonic Society and its indefatigable chairman Marifé Hernández. With the participation of her full Board of Directors, and under the distinguished patronage of Her Excellency Petra Schneebauer, Austrian Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency Alexander Marschik, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United States, Ms. Christina Marschik, Her Excellency Helene Steinhausl, Austrian Consul General in New York, and Mr. Herbert Heiss, this special evening was held at a private club.
“My Grandmother took me to Salzburg when I was just 8,” explained Marifé, “She was a friend of the conductor Herbert von Karajan, who was fantastic with women and persuaded my Grandmother to let me stay up late to see the orchestra. Other little girls fall in love with little boys; that night I fell in love with 160 men, the orchestra, and this is a love affair that has continued. Their golden sound remains unique. I am in heaven when they play.”
After cocktails, a chamber sextet, composed of some of the finest musicians from The Vienna Philharmonic, thrilled guests with Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, op. 70. Then on to a splendid dinner of Petrosian Sevruga Caviar over Egg Flan with Brioche Soldiers, followed by Boneless Quails Stuffed with Porcini Mushrooms and Foie Gras, and finishing with Dark Chocolate Tartufo scattered with Gold Leaf in a Warm Chocolate Sauce. The superb wines were followed by a toast with Champagne Laurent Perrier Rose. Unlike so many events in New York, the friends continued to linger long after dessert had been cleared.
Guests included Thomas Altmann, Ariane Batterberry, Patricia Beagley, Frank Beane, David, Beer, William Bernard, Veronique Bich, Hanna Cho, Stephane Dalyac, Paula Dietz, Geoffrey John Davies, Ivelin and Ralitza Dimitrov, HRH Prince Dimitri de Yougoslavie, Maria and Matthias Ederer, Megan and Peter Fleischut, Brandon Fradd, Carole and John French, Christina and Marco Grassi, John Hargraves, Charles Holmes, Bruce Horten, Caroline and Max Jahn, LaVon Kellner and Tom Roush, Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger, Elbrun and Peter Kimmelman, Ulrike Köstinger, Galina Novikova, Rev. Leo O’Donovan, Judith Pisar, Stefan Simon, Theodora Simons, Barbara Tober, and many more.
Three days of Vienna Philharmonic concerts at Carnegie Hall received ecstatic reviews, five stars from the Financial Times. The New York Times proclaimed the concerts, “Breathless, exhilarating and moving.”
Following the Sunday matinee concert, Marifé Hernández and Joel Bell opened their duplex apartment to friends celebrating the success of the run. Among the guests Ariane Batterberry, George Beane, David Beer, Veronique Bich, Nabil Chartouni, Alan Cumming and Grant Shaffer, Carole and John French, Sir Clive Gillinson and Lady Anya Gillinson, Christina and Marco Grassi, John Hargraves, Max Jahn, Susanne Keppler-Schlesinger, Elbrun and Peter Kimmelman, Anna Knopp, Mozhan Navabi, Theodora Simons, Her Excellency Helene Steinhausl and Mr. Herbert Heiss, Sedgwick Ward, Barbara Tober, and many many more.
The Vienna Philharmonic returns to Carnegie Hall in March 2025.
For more information about the Vienna Philharmonic Society see: https://www.viennaphilharmonicsociety.org
