Spring concert in the Golden Hall

Josef Strauss
Heart’s Sorrow / Orchestral Fantasy *
(1862)

In 1862 Josef Strauss had to stand in at short notice for his brother Johann in Pavlovsk near St Petersburg and complete the summer season there. In the hope of getting a regular engagement in Pavlovsk in the following years he tried to win over the promoter, the public and the press with a wealth of new compositions.

As early as 25 July [6 August NS] he informed Carl Haslinger, his publisher in Vienna, ‘Here I’m composing a polka mazurka, a quick polka, a quadrille (which is very necessary here), and little fantasy pieces with a sighing, kisscurling cello and with a plucked gridiron [i.e. a harp].’ As a model for the use of such a combination of instruments Josef may have been thinking of the two romances which his brother Johann composed in Pavlovsk, works of this kind having been very popular in Russia at that time. However, it seems that a contribution by Josef along these lines did not get beyond the planning stage, but at least his creative interest in the genre of the orchestral fantasy did produce actual results. Peine du Coeur (Heart’s Sorrow), the first such piece he composed, was first performed in Pavlovsk in 1862 and does after all have a lyrical horn solo. There is no harp, and it is only the double bass that is plucked. What was probably new for the audience in Pavlovsk was the rich chromaticism of individual passages in the work. This stylistic technique can be seen as an echo of Josef Strauss’s interest in the music of Richard Wagner, especially Tristan and Isolde.

At a concert held at the Volksgarten establishment in Vienna on 3 July 1860 Strauss had given the first performance worldwide of extracts from this ‘music drama’, and they continued to be heard frequently in his concerts. The title of his orchestral fantasy evokes the theme that underlies Tristan and Isolde, so that the occasional allusions to its musical language are thus given a deeper meaning. According to the programme notes made by F.A. Zimmerman, a member of the orchestra, Heart’s Sorrow was first heard on Thursday 9 [21 NS] August. After that the work received eight further performances, before it sank into oblivion for more than 150 years.

Synopsis: Dr. Thomas Aigner

Translation: Dr. Leigh H. Bailey

* Austrian first performance on May 15, 2016 in the Wiener Musikverein by the Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra.

DE 日
本
語 EN

≡ Menue ≡ Close

Concerts
- Events
- Previous Events
- Archive
- Database
- Worldmap
Orchestra
Media
Shop
Contact
FAQ
Press
Search

Sunday, 15. May 201611.00 o' clock
Vienna ⁄ Musikverein ⁄ The Große Musikvereinssaal

Spring concert in the Golden Hall
«Eduard-Strauss-Schwerpunkt» anlässlich des 100. Todestages

Johannes Wildner conductor

Program
Heinz Sandauer : Festive Fanfare of the Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra
Johann Strauss II : Overture to the operetta "The Gypsy Baron"
Eduard Strauss I : Brakes off / Quick polka op. 238
Josef Strauss : Heart’s Sorrow / Orchestral Fantasy *
Eduard Strauss I : Jubilee Waltz / Waltz op. 296
Josef Strauss : Ardent Love / Polka mazurka op. 129
Johann Strauss II : Vienna Blood / Waltz op. 354
Johann Strauss II : Thunder and Lightning / Quick polka op. 324
Break Josef Strauss : Allegro fantastique / Orchestral Fantasy*
Josef Strauss : Mysterious Powers of Attraction (Dynamiden) / Waltz op. 173
Johann Strauss II : Csárdás from the opera «Knight Pásmán» op. 441
Johann Strauss II : The Sighs of the Liguorian Monks / Playful polka op. 57
Johann & Josef Strauss : Pizzicato Polka
Eduard Strauss I : Who’ll Join the Dance? / Quick polka op. 251
Johann Strauss II : The Blue Danube / Waltz op. 314
Encore Johann Strauss II : Niko-Polka (Quick polka) op. 228
Josef Strauss : Eingesendet / Polka schnell op. 240
Johann Strauss I : Radetzky March op. 228

Hinweis:
* Bei den mit dem Stern gekennzeichneten Werken handelt es sich um eine österreichische Erstaufführung.
Wir danken der Wienbibliothek im Rathaus für die Zurverfügungstellung des Notenmaterials und die wertvolle wissenschaftliche Kooperation!

«Einführungsvortrag im Hotel Imperial»
Alle Informationen zum Einführungsvortrag finden Sie HIER

«Orchester-Dîner Johann Strauss»
Genießen Sie nach dem Konzert das exklusive «Orchester-Dîner Johann Strauss» im Hotel Imperial. Weitere Informationen zu diesem Angebot finden Sie HIER

«FAQ»
Wenn Sie weitere Fragen rund um unsere Musikvereins-Konzerte haben, besuchen Sie bitte den FAQ-Bereich unserer Webseite.

Johannes Wildner
© by Lukas Beck

Johannes Wildner
Resumé
Website

Venue

Vienna ⁄ Musikverein ⁄ The Große Musikvereinssaal
Musikvereinsplatz 1
1010 Vienna
Austria Website About the concert hall Travel Directions Show Map