‘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
火曜日, 12月 31 202400.00 Uhr Shanghai ⁄ Cadillac Concert Hall (凯迪拉克上海音乐厅)
Concert in Shanghai
ヨハネス･ ヴィルトナー 指揮者
Programm ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : 序曲／喜歌劇「ジプシー男爵」 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ポルカ『急行列車』/ ポルカ・シュネル op. 311 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ポルカ『新しい人生』 op. 278 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ワルツ「春の声」 op. 410 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : アンネン・ポルカ op. 117 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ワルツ『ウィーンの森の物語』 op. 325 Pause ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ワルツ「皇帝円舞曲」 op. 437 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : チック・タック・ポルカ op. 365 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : こうもりカドリーユ op. 363 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ポルカ「雷鳴と電光」 op. 324 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ポルカ「クラップフェンの森で」 op. 336 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ワルツ「美しく青きドナウ op. 314
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Shanghai ⁄ Cadillac Concert Hall (凯迪拉克上海音乐厅) 延安东路523号 邮政编码 Huangpu 200085 上海 中国 Website About the concert hall Travel Directions Show Map
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