Concert in Pasadena

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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Saturday, 24. January 198720.30 o' clock
Pasadena ⁄ Ambassador Auditorium

Concert in Pasadena
2nd US tour

Kurt Woess conductor

Program
Johann Strauss II : Overture to the operetta «Waldmeister» (Woodruff)
Johann Strauss II : Anna Polka op. 117
Johann Strauss II : Eljen A Magyar! « Long Live the Magyar!» / Quick polka op. 332
Josef Strauss : Mysterious Powers of Attraction (Dynamiden) / Waltz op. 173
Johann Strauss II : Excursion Train / Quick polka op. 281
Johann Strauss II : Artist’s Life / Waltz op. 316
Break Johann Strauss II : Persian March op. 289
Josef Strauss : Watercolours / Waltz op. 258
Josef Strauss : Without a Care! / Quick polka op. 271
Johann Strauss II : Bandits Galop / Polka schnell op. 378
Johann Strauss II : New Pizzicato Polka, from the Operetta «Fürstin Ninetta» op. 449
Johann Strauss II : The Blue Danube / Waltz op. 314
Encore Johann Strauss I : Radetzky March op. 228

Reiseanekdote:

Nach dem Konzert in Washington kam es zu einer geradezu rührenden Geste, als Mistislav Rostropovich, der berühmte Cellist und Chefdirigent des National Orchesters Washington zu Wöss in die Garderobe kam und ihm kniend für dieses Konzert dankte. Nun mag man dieses Geschehen mit einem Hang des Russen zum Theatralischen und zum Pompösen relativieren, übrig bleibt auf jeden Fall ein tief empfundener Dank für eine großartige Leistung des Orchesters unter der begeisternden Leitung von Kurt Wöss. Unter den Besuchern dieses Konzertes befand sich auch Rudolf Bing, der ehemalige Direktor der Metropolitan Oper. Deutlich gezeichnet von seiner schweren Krankheit kam er zu Wöss in die Garderobe und schenkte ihm ein Päckchen Kaffee auf dem vermerkt war "Wiener Röstung".

You can find more anecdotes in our collection.

For an overall view of all concerts of this tour, please click HERE

Kurt Woess
© by WJSO-Archive

Kurt Woess
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