Immediately after the close of the official 1869 Vienna Carnival calendar, Johann and Josef Strauss began preparations for their joint Russian summer season of concerts in Pavlovsk from 9 May (= 27 April, Russian calendar) until 10 October (= 28 September). But a number of concert engagements had to be fulfilled before their departure, including a journey by the Strauss orchestra under the direction of all three brothers, Johann, Josef and Eduard, to the Hungarian town of Pest on the banks of the Danube. To coincide with the opening of Pest's imposing new Redoutensaal building, the brothers had organised two concerts there on 16 and 17 March. It was at the first of these that Johann conducted his quick polka Éljen a Magyar!, composed especially for the occasion and dedicated "to the Hungarian Nation". From his early days as a composer Johann was as much at home with the music of Hungary as he was with that of his native Vienna, and this exciting work, further enhanced at its première by the participation of the Budapest Men's Choral Association, was triumphantly applauded and had to be repeated several times. The Coda of the work features a fleeting quotation from the Rákóczi March, which Berlioz had earlier utilised in his Damnation of Faust (1846), but which owes its origins to the patriotic Magyar Rákóczi song.
Johann Strauss II. Hail to Hungary! «Eljen A Magyar» / Polka schnell op. 332 © by WJSO-Archive
Saturday, 05. April 202521.30 o' clock MEO Arena
Concert in Lisbon
Alfred Eschwé conductor Nikola Hillebrand soprano Saimir Pirgu tenor Thomas Hampson bariton
Program Johann Strauss II : Ouverture to «Die Fledermaus» Johann Strauss II : Frühlingsstimmen / Waltz for soprano and orchestra op. 410 Johann Strauss II : «Treu sein, das liegt mir nicht» aus der Operette «Eine Nacht in Venedig» Johann Strauss II : Chit-Chat Polka op. 214 Johann Strauss II : «Als flotter Geist», Entreecouplet aus der Operette «Der Zigeunerbaron» Johann Strauss II : Duett aus der Operette «Wiener Blut» Johann Strauss II : Light of Heart / Quick polka op. 319 Johann Strauss II : Emperor Waltz op. 437 Break Johann Strauss II : Thunder and Lightning / Quick polka op. 324 Johann Strauss II : Roses from the South / Waltz op. 388 Johann Strauss II : Eljen A Magyar! « Long Live the Magyar!» / Quick polka op. 332 Johann Strauss II : Medley für Sopran, Tenor und Bariton
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