New Year's Concert - Intermission Film

Created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Albertina collection, the film "The Magic of Art" was produced for the Vienna Philharmonic’s 2026 New Year’s Concert and broadcast on ORF 2 on January 1, 2026. The concert reaches approximately 50 million viewers in 91 countries worldwide.

After the museum closes its doors to visitors, a night full of magic begins. Music awakens the artworks housed within the Albertina, and paintings step beyond their frames. The film follows a night watchwoman on her rounds through the historic building, where she encounters the last members of staff still at work – conservators, curators, cleaners, and the director.

One by one, they are drawn away from their everyday routines and transported into the fantastical worlds of the artworks themselves. Dreamlike scenarios unfold, shaped by music and imagination, dissolving the boundaries between reality and art.

27′ | ORF 2 & worldwide broadcast | 2025

Director & Editing  Alex Wieser
DOP Benny Paya
Additional Camera Stefan Vucsina
1st Assistant Camera & PM Eva Paya

Assistant Director & Editing Elena Zeh
Line Producer Cinja Kahl
Artwork Pia Padlewski

Sounddesign Peter Priemer