‘Dear Sirs / Herewith I have the honour to submit to the esteemed committee the title “Shooting Star” for a composition – to be precise a quick polka – for the Hesperus Ball.’ This brief announcement was sent by Jetty Strauss to Hesperus, an association of actors and musicians, and the letter was signed ‘Yours faithfully’ by her husband Johann. The date for the Hesperus Ball had already been advertised as 16 February in the Wiener Zeitung, a Vienna daily, on 10 January 1868. Jetty’s letter is undated.
Hesperos – the evening star of Greek mythology – is the planet Venus, seen sometimes in the evening, sometimes in the early morning (Hesperus had a sister society named Aurora). So how did the polka get the title “Shooting Star”? On the evening of 30 January 1868 a meteor was observed in towns to the north of Vienna. It must have been an impressive event, as from 1 February it was reported in many newspapers, both in Austria and abroad, ‘The phenomenon, a ball of blue flame […] disappeared with a crash like thunder’ (Neue Freie Presse, 1 February); ‘The luminous phenomenon was one of splendour and magnificence […] a meteor moving slowly forward in an easterly direction […] The speed of the luminous body increased unusually rapidly and with it the phenomenon grew bigger […] almost the diameter of the sun […].’ (Neue Freie Presse, 3 February).
This means that Jetty’s letter was written at the beginning of February 1868, not earlier, but not later either, because from 6 February there were already announcements that Johann Strauss was preparing a quick polka with the title “Shooting Star” for the Hesperus Ball. He thus had ten days to complete a composition which is orchestrated so as illustrate in music dazzling flashes of light and thunder.
Johann Strauss II. Thunder and Lightning op. 324 © by WJSO-Archive
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.
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