The Vienna Philharmonic has invited Zubin Mehta to lead his fourth New Year's Concert, following his superb conducting in 1990, 1995 and 1998. Mehta who has held chief positions in Italy, Israel, Vienna, Montreal, Los Angeles and New York, has also toured Japan regularly and became a household name at the Salzburg Festival. In 1998 he began a five year appointment as Director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. The program is a mixture of well-known classics and New Year's Concert premieres, which include Joseph Strauss´s "Irenen" polka, the "Flattergeister" waltz and Johann Strauss's Einzugs-Galopp.

The DVD release includes performances by the Wiener Staatsopern Ballet, shown during the intermission of the live broadcast.