Vienna Concert's Florence Price Piece: A Forgery?

The Vienna Philharmonic's 2026 New Year's Day Concert included a piece presented as Florence Price's "Rainbow Waltz." Price, the first Black woman to compose a symphony in the US, was featured in an effort to broaden the concert's repertoire beyond traditional Strauss compositions.

However, experts like John Michael Cooper, a Price musicologist, have called the performed version a "forgery" and an "insult." Wolfgang Dörner's arrangement reportedly retains few recognizable elements of Price's original piano waltz, significantly altering its melodies, harmonies, and structure.

The re-orchestrated piece, also available on Sony's album, has been described as having Price's unique harmonies, which blend spirituals and blues with classical traditions, "ironed out" into pure Viennese pastiche.

Further complicating matters, the Austrian copyright collection agency, AKM, lists the "Rainbow Waltz" as public domain, with only Dörner credited as the arranger, not Florence Price. This has led to speculation that the orchestra may have prioritized diversity by including Price's name but then re-orchestrated her work to conform to white European musical conventions.

Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, a proponent of Price's music, stated that different arrangements of the "Rainbow Waltz" serve to reach various audiences and contexts. He hopes these arrangements promote Price's work globally.

The Vienna Philharmonic's chairman, Daniel Froschauer, acknowledged Dörner took "liberties" but denied any intent to mislead, suggesting the incident offers a learning opportunity. Listeners seeking to experience Price's authentic music are encouraged to seek out Nézet-Séguin's recordings of her symphonies or the original piano version of "Rainbow Waltz."