Opening concert of the Festival "Música de Morelia"

Josef Strauss
Mysterious Powers of Attraction (Dynamiden) / Waltz
op. 173 (1865)

For the ball of the association of Industrial Companies held on 30 January 1865 in the Redoutensäle rooms in the Hofburg, the imperial palace in Vienna, Josef Strauss composed a waltz to which he gave the title Dynamiden. This is a term coined in 1857 by Ferdinand Jacob Redtenbacher, the founder of the science of mechanical engineering, and by it he meant the basis for the molecular forces which are responsible for keeping together and attracting substances. It is worth mentioning that Josef Strauss was himself a qualified engineer — and also that the reports of the ball that appeared in newspapers made no mention whatsoever of his name.

In fact the Wiener Zeitung even claimed to know that it was Johann Strauss who had conducted the waltz. On the other hand they all agreed that the new waltz had been very well received, although it is not known whether the symphonic introduction, a musical gem, was played then or not until the first concert performance of the work, given at the Volksgarten establishment in Vienna on 5 March 1865. This was the concert at which the three Strauss brothers played all the new dances they had composed for the Carnival season which had just ended.

In the announcements for the concert a phrase in brackets was added to the title, giving a more generally comprehensible and more poetic explanation as well as a perfect characterisation of that introduction: Mysterious Powers of Attraction. In the printed edition of the piano arrangement this finally became the new main title of the work, with the opus number 173.

Someone who was evidently attracted to the work was Richard Strauss (no relation of the Viennese Strausses). He quotes the opening waltz theme with only minor alterations in his opera Der Rosenkavalier. It is not known whether he did so consciously or unconsciously; however, the great similarity makes it virtually impossible to believe this happened by chance.

Synopsis: Dr. Thomas Aigner

Translation: Dr. Leigh H. Bailey

Josef Strauss: Mysterious Powers of Attraction (Dynamiden) / Waltz op. 173 (1865)
© by WienBibliothek im Rathaus (2021)

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Thursday, 14. November 201320.30 o' clock
Morelia ⁄ Teatro "José María Morelos"

Opening concert of the Festival "Música de Morelia"
First Mexico tour

Johannes Wildner conductor

Program
Johann Strauss II : Overture to the operetta "The Gypsy Baron"
Josef Strauss : Forward! / Quick Polka op. 127
Josef Strauss : Mysterious Powers of Attraction (Dynamiden) / Waltz op. 173
Johann Strauss II : Anna Polka op. 117
Josef Strauss : Jockey / Quick polka op. 278
Johann Strauss II : Tales from the Vienna Woods / Waltz op. 325
Break Johann Strauss II : Thunder and Lightning / Quick polka op. 324
Johann Strauss II : Wine, Women and Song / Waltz op. 333
Johann Strauss II : A Masked Ball, Quadrille on Themes from Verdi’s Opera «Un ballo in masquera» op. 272
Johann & Josef Strauss : Pizzicato Polka
Josef Strauss : On Holiday Travels! / Quick polka op. 133
Johann Strauss II : The Blue Danube / Waltz op. 314
Encore Johann Strauss II : Cuckoo Polka / Polka française op. 336
Johann Strauss II : Champagne Polka op. 211
Johann Strauss I : Radetzky March op. 228

Zusätzliche Information:

Festival-Homepage: www.festivalmorelia.com
Festival-Folder herunterladen

Johannes Wildner
© by Lukas Beck

Johannes Wildner
Resumé
Website

Venue

Morelia ⁄ Teatro "José María Morelos"
Av. Ventura Puente esq. Camelinas s/n Col. Félix I
Michoacán
58070 Morelia
Mexico
+52 443 232 4400 Website Show Map