Fall Concert at Vienna Musikverein

Johann Strauss II
The Blue Danube / Waltz
op. 314 (1867)

What prompted Johann Strauss to choose ‘By the beautiful, blue Danube‘ as the title of his composition? Was it the regulation of the river Danube that was being planned at the time? Or the poems by Karl Beck in which the phrase appears? Had Strauss been planning a waltz with such a title for some time, or did this thought not come to him until he was reminded by the Vienna Men’s Choral Society of the promise he had once made to compose a work dedicated to them?

Be that as it may, The Blue Danube is, apart from a student exercise, Strauss’s first composition for voices. Did he draw on the advice and support of the choirmaster of the Society, Rudolf Weinwurm, when it came to the vocal parts? There is a great deal that we do not know. On the other hand it has been definitively established that the first performance was given on 15 February 1867, with Weinwurm conducting, at an ‘Evening of Songs for Carnival‘ held in the hall of the Dianabad establishment in Vienna, and that, despite later commentaries to the contrary, the waltz received glowing reviews. The orchestral version of The Blue Danube was first heard at the Carnival Review concert at the Volksgarten establishment on 10 March 1867, with the composer conducting in person. The first edition for piano had already been published on the day of the first performance, which was rather unusual practice at that time. The demand for the waltz must have been enormous, because it is more or less impossible to say just how many times it was reprinted by C.A. Spina, the original publisher, within a very short time. Foreign editions, arrangements for all widely played instruments and combinations of them, highly virtuoso paraphrases, and passages from the waltz quoted in the works of other composers and those of Strauss himself: these all bear witness to the enormous popularity of The Blue Danube.

Moreover, Eduard Hanslick, the high priest of critics, attested the work a ‘quite remarkable significance […] the significance of a quotation, of a phrase summing up everything there is in Vienna that is beautiful, lovable and gay. […] Alongside the national anthem composed by Papa Haydn, which celebrates the emperor and the imperial family, we have in Strauss’s Blue Danube a second national anthem which sings of our country and people.’

Synopsis: Dr. Thomas Aigner

Translation: Dr. Leigh H. Bailey

Johann Strauss (Sohn) : An der schönen blauen Donau / Walzer op. 314
© by «Kulturverein Wiener Blut»

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Thursday, 26. October 201711.00 o' clock
Vienna ⁄ Musikverein ⁄ The Große Musikvereinssaal

Fall Concert at Vienna Musikverein

Johannes Wildner conductor

Program
Johann Strauss II : Ouverture to «Die Fledermaus»
Johann Strauss II : Light of Heart / Quick polka op. 319
Josef Strauss : From Afar / Polka mazurka op. 270
Josef Strauss : Watercolours / Waltz op. 258
Josef Strauss : Impromptu für kleines Orchester *
Johann Strauss II : We’re Not That Worried / Quick polka (Galop) op. 413
Franz Lehár : Gold and Silver / Waltz op. 79
Break Johann Strauss II : Be embraced, ye millions! / Waltz op. 443
Johann Strauss II : Melodien-Quadrille op. 112
Johann Strauss II : Chit-Chat Polka op. 214
Josef Strauss : Fire-Proof! / Polka française op. 269
Eduard Strauss I : Clear the Track! / Quick polka op. 45
Johann Strauss II : The Blue Danube / Waltz op. 314

* Uraufführung

Bei diesem Stück handelt es sich um eine Uraufführung.

Herausgebracht von Dr. Thomas Aigner (Wienbibliothek im Rathaus), mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Verlagshauses Doblinger Wien.

Hinweis
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«Orchester-Dîner Johann Strauss»
Als Mitglied des Freundeskreises haben Sie die exklusive Möglichkeit, nach dem Konzert das «Orchester-Dîner Johann Strauss» im Hotel Imperial. Weitere Informationen zu diesem Angebot finden Sie HIER

Concert review of "The.blogartpost" in Italian

Johannes Wildner
© by Lukas Beck

Johannes Wildner
Resumé
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Venue

Vienna ⁄ Musikverein ⁄ The Große Musikvereinssaal
Musikvereinsplatz 1
1010 Vienna
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