Concert at the Musikverein Vienna

Johann Strauss II
Excursion Train / Quick polka
op. 281 (1864)

Pleasure trips by train to places close to — or even some distance from — Vienna, or perhaps by steamship to faraway destinations such as Constantinople, Cairo or even further into the Orient, became extremely popular in the second half of the nineteenth century. And so in the winter of 1863–4 Johann Strauss II composed the quick polka with the title Vergnügungszug, even including in the instrumentation a ‘conductor’s horn’, which was used to sound the signal for a train to depart. The various railway companies, at that time competing with one another, regularly offered their passengers so-called ‘excursion trains’ to attractive destinations.

On 19 January 1864 Der Zwischenakt, a newspaper published in Vienna, announced for the last three days of the Carnival season a festival entitled ‘An Evening in Paris, An Evening in Vienna’, with the three Strauss brothers Johann, Josef and Eduard being named as performers. It was even intended to organise an ‘excursion train’ from Paris to Vienna.

Strauss had composed his ‘excursion train polka’ for the ball of the association of Industrial Companies. This took place on 19 January 1864 in the Imperial-Royal Redouten-Säle rooms in the Hofburg Palace in Vienna. In the course of the evening Strauss’s new quick polka received its first performance. It was played by the Strauss Orchestra conducted by Eduard Strauss.

The work is dedicated not to a railway company, as one might suppose on the basis of the title, but of course to the organiser of the ball, namely the Association of Industrial Companies, some of the most important among them being the profitable railway companies.

Synopsis: Prof. Norbert Rubey

English translation: Dr. Leigh H. Bailey

Johann Strauss II. : Pleasure Train / Polka schnell op. 281
© by WJSO-Archive

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Sunday, 08. December 200219.30 o' clock
Vienna ⁄ Musikverein ⁄ The Große Musikvereinssaal

Concert at the Musikverein Vienna

Leopold Hager conductor
Michael Schnitzler solo violin

Program
Johann Strauss II : Ouverture zu «Cagliostro in Wien»
Franz Schubert : "Kupelwieser-Walzer" für Klavier, D Anh. I, 14; instrumentiert von Gottfried von Einem
Joseph Lanner : Favorit-Polka op. 201
Johann Strauss I : Gitana-Galopp op. 108
: Die Schlittschuhläufer / Walzer op. 183
Richard Eilenberg : Petersburger Schlittenfahrt / Galopp (Bearbeitung Bruno Hartmann) op. 57
Break Richard Heuberger der Aeltere : Ouverture zur Operette "Der Opernball"
Josef Bayer : Puppenwalzer nach Motiven aus dem Ballett "Die Puppenfee"
Franz Lehár : Ungarische Fantasie / Magyar ábránd für Violine und Orchester
Franz Lehár : Nechledil-Marsch
Johann Strauss II : Traumbild Nr. 2
Johann Strauss II : From the Banks of the Danube / Quick polka op. 356
Johann Strauss II : With Us at Home / Waltz op. 361
Encore Johann Strauss II : Excursion Train / Quick polka op. 281
Josef Strauss : In der Heimat / Polka Mazur op. 231
Hans Christian Lumbye : Champagne Galop op. 14

Leopold Hager
© by WJSO-Archive

Leopold Hager
Resumé
Website

Michael Schnitzler
© by Michael Schnitzler

Michael Schnitzler
Resumé
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