Music for the New Year

These are, to me, some pieces of music that evoke rebirth, awakening, renewal, or change, all worth a listen as a new year graces, or curses, us all.

Mendelssohn's "Hunting Song" from Songs Without Words

Paul McCartney's "Coming Up"

Pete Seeger/The Byrds's "Turn! Turn! Turn!"

Tchaikovsky's "January" from the Seasons, although the whole suite makes for a good listen

John Lennon's "Just Like Starting Over"

Strauss's "Voices of Spring", or "Frühlingsstimmen" (if you follow today's television broadcasts of Vienna concerts, you'll likely hear another of Strauss's pieces: either The Blue Danube or the Die Fledermaus overture)

Queen's "Breakthru"

ELO's "Livin' Thing"

Handel's "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba"

All of them are cheerful, fast, and uptempo, except for Tchaikovsky's piece. I skipped some obvious ones like "Here Comes the Sun" and "Auld Lang Syne". Wishing you all a splendid 2026!