Richard Strauss spent decades as a conductor with the Vienna Philharmonic, so the ensemble could be considered his home in a way. Although his Oboe Concerto cannot be directly linked to Vienna, as a late Strauss work, it was greatly inspired by the melodiousness of the Viennese Classical masters. It is a curiosity of the composition that the original idea came during the American occupation from an American corporal, himself an oboist in civilian life. During his stay in Germany, he made several visits to the elderly Strauss, and even though the composer clearly turned down the idea of a potential oboe concerto, in the end, he did write it. The concert concludes with the great Romantic Viennese composer Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 3, a tribute to Wagner, and through that, it showcases plainly what Vienna represents in the world of music: the meeting point of great cultures and great masters, the steady stage of music history, a lighthouse in German musical culture and an absolute cornerstone in the universal history of music.