‘Dear Sirs / Herewith I have the honour to submit to the esteemed committee the title “Shooting Star” for a composition – to be precise a quick polka – for the Hesperus Ball.’ This brief announcement was sent by Jetty Strauss to Hesperus, an association of actors and musicians, and the letter was signed ‘Yours faithfully’ by her husband Johann. The date for the Hesperus Ball had already been advertised as 16 February in the Wiener Zeitung, a Vienna daily, on 10 January 1868. Jetty’s letter is undated.
Hesperos – the evening star of Greek mythology – is the planet Venus, seen sometimes in the evening, sometimes in the early morning (Hesperus had a sister society named Aurora). So how did the polka get the title “Shooting Star”? On the evening of 30 January 1868 a meteor was observed in towns to the north of Vienna. It must have been an impressive event, as from 1 February it was reported in many newspapers, both in Austria and abroad, ‘The phenomenon, a ball of blue flame […] disappeared with a crash like thunder’ (Neue Freie Presse, 1 February); ‘The luminous phenomenon was one of splendour and magnificence […] a meteor moving slowly forward in an easterly direction […] The speed of the luminous body increased unusually rapidly and with it the phenomenon grew bigger […] almost the diameter of the sun […].’ (Neue Freie Presse, 3 February).
This means that Jetty’s letter was written at the beginning of February 1868, not earlier, but not later either, because from 6 February there were already announcements that Johann Strauss was preparing a quick polka with the title “Shooting Star” for the Hesperus Ball. He thus had ten days to complete a composition which is orchestrated so as illustrate in music dazzling flashes of light and thunder.
Johann Strauss II. Thunder and Lightning op. 324 © by WJSO-Archive
土曜日, 9月 03 202219.30 Uhr Gstaad ⁄ Festivalzelt
Viennese operetta gala at the 66th Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy
アルフレッド･ エシュヴェ 指揮者 Polina Pasztircsák ソプラノ Dovlet Nurgeldiyev テノール
Programm フランツ･ レハール : Overture to « Viennese Woman» カールマーン イムレ : «Grüß mir mein Wien» aus der Operette «Gräfin Mariza» ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : チック・タック・ポルカ op. 365 カールマーン イムレ : «Heia, in den Bergen» aus der Operette «Die Csardasfürstin» ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : エジプト行進曲 op. 335 : «Schenkt man sich Rosen in Tirol» from the operetta «Der Vogelhändler» ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : 南国のバラ ワルツ op. 388 Pause ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ワルツ「ウィーン気質」 op. 354 ルドルフ ジーツィンスキー : Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume / Lied フランツ･ レハール : Zwanzinetta based on motifs from the operetta «Eva» フランツ･ レハール : 『とヴィリアの歌』«メリー・ウィドウ» ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ポルカ「雷鳴と電光」 op. 324 フランツ･ レハール : 『唇は語らずとも』 «メリー・ウィドウ» フランツ･ レハール : 『金と銀』 op. 79
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