Thursday, May 29, 2025
The Vienna Tourist Board is set to host a unique and free event in New York’s Bryant Park on May 31 to celebrate a historic space transmission. This special occasion will highlight a groundbreaking cultural collaboration that merges classical music and space exploration in a truly unforgettable way.
In partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the event will feature the transmission of Johann Strauss II’s renowned waltz, “The Blue Danube,” into deep space. This musical piece will be beamed toward NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft, which has been traveling through the cosmos since its launch in 1977. The transmission stands as an extraordinary homage to the 200th birthday of Strauss and addresses a long-standing omission—the waltz was excluded from the initial Voyager Golden Records sent into space over four decades ago.
This ambitious project is part of Vienna’s larger “Waltz Space” initiative, a global celebration designed to honor one of the world’s most beloved composers and reaffirm the city’s status as the undisputed capital of classical music. The initiative invited music lovers worldwide to symbolically contribute a note of Strauss’s iconic waltz to be sent into the cosmos. The campaign successfully engaged 13,743 supporters, each sponsoring a musical note, creating a meaningful connection between audiences on Earth and the vastness of space.
The upcoming event at Bryant Park marks the grand finale of this worldwide celebration. Through the transmission of “The Blue Danube” into the cosmos, Vienna honors Strauss’s enduring legacy while showcasing its continuous commitment to advancing cultural creativity and artistic distinction. This project highlights how Vienna continuously seeks to create unique, immersive experiences that attract global audiences to its rich heritage and vibrant music scene.
Johann Strauss II, famously known as the “Waltz King,” created the timeless piece “The Blue Danube” in the year 1866. The waltz quickly became one of the most famous and enduring pieces of classical music, symbolizing elegance, grace, and the spirit of Vienna itself. Over the years, it has been celebrated worldwide and remains a staple in concert halls and cultural events. However, despite its immense popularity, the piece was notably missing from the Voyager Golden Records, a set of phonograph records launched into space aboard the Voyager spacecraft to represent Earth’s culture to any potential extraterrestrial life.
By correcting this omission, the Vienna Tourist Board’s initiative not only celebrates Strauss’s timeless work but also symbolically extends Vienna’s cultural influence beyond Earth’s boundaries. The partnership with ESA and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra emphasizes the seamless blend of art and science, inspiring a new generation to appreciate the power of music and human creativity.
Beyond the technical marvel of transmitting music across space, the event also serves as a reminder of Vienna’s rich cultural traditions and its role as a global hub for music and the arts. The city’s commitment to preserving and promoting its musical heritage has helped maintain its reputation as a top destination for cultural tourism. Through innovative projects like “Waltz Space,” Vienna continues to engage audiences in novel ways, ensuring its artistic legacy resonates across time and space.
Norbert Kettner, Director of the Vienna Tourist Board, said: “Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey made the ‘Danube Waltz’ the anthem of space – the omission of the most famous of all waltzes from the 1977 Voyager Golden Record is a cosmic mistake that we are correcting.”
The free event in Bryant Park will feature live performances and presentations, giving attendees a chance to experience Vienna’s musical excellence firsthand. It also offers a unique opportunity to be part of a historic moment, where classical music transcends earthly limits and travels into the unknown reaches of the universe.
As Vienna celebrates Strauss’s bicentennial and the successful conclusion of the “Waltz Space” campaign, this event encapsulates the city’s spirit of creativity, cultural pride, and forward-thinking vision. It beautifully illustrates how music can connect people across the globe and beyond, inspiring wonder and unity in the face of the vast cosmos.
In summary, the Vienna Tourist Board’s Bryant Park event is more than just a celebration of a classical masterpiece. It is a symbol of artistic ambition, cultural heritage, and humanity’s enduring quest to explore and express itself—whether on Earth or among the stars.
