Johann Strauss II - Kaiser-Walzer (Emperor Waltz), Op. 437

Strauss often played in the glittering Imperial balls, conducting the orchestra and playing the first violin at the same time.   The majestic launch of this fascinating waltz presents the backdrop of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the hegemony of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph in 1888. Johann Strauss II was Music Director of the Dance Hesperides of the Imperial Court from 1863 to 1872 and composed on occasion for the celebration of an imperial anniversary. The ingenuity of the melody of the Emperor Waltz, which was originally orchestrated for a full orchestra, is such that it was easily adapted for the four or five instruments of a chamber ensemble by the Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg in 1925. This waltz is a tender and somewhat melancholic work, which at times turns its gaze nostalgically to the old Vienna. The waltz praises the majesty and dignity of the old monarch, who was fully devoted to his people. It begins with a majestic, magnificent march, which soon re
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Franz Liszt - Valses Oublièes - No. 1

Franz Liszt composed four Valses Oublièes from 1881 to 1884, when he was seventy years old. Despite his age, his thinking was still very creative.

This work, like many of his later works, shows a significant advance in harmony and style compared to his early compositions.

Although it's written like a regular waltz, this pianistic work features a more vivid gait than Strauss's Viennese waltzes and is more closely related to Chopin's waltzes.

It combines bursts of technical intelligence with a keen interest in harmony - advanced and daring for their time.

The work ends with exceptional originality, letting the music hover in the atmosphere.


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