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

Felix Mendelssohn - Famous works

A painting of Oberon and Titania, characters from William Shakespeare's "Α Midsummer Night's Dream", from which Mendelssohn inspired the famous "Wedding March".


Symphonies:

  • No. 1 in C minor, Op. 11
  • No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 52, "Lobgesang"
  • No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, "The Scottish"
  • No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 "Italian" 
  • No. 5 in D major/minor, Op. 107 "Reformation"

Overtures:

  • A Midsummer Night's Dream, in E major for orchestra, Op. 21
  • The Hebrides or Fingal's Cave, in B minor for orchestra, Op. 26
  • The Beautiful Melusine), in F major for orchestra, Op. 32

Concertos:

  • Violin Concerto No. 1 in D minor, for violin and strings
  • Violin Concerto No. 2 in E minor, Op. 64 
  • Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25
  • Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 40 

Chamber music:

  • String Octet in E-flat major, Op. 20 
  • Cello Sonata No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 45
  • Cello Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 58
  • String Quartet No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 12
  • String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13
  • String Quintet No. 1 in A major, Op. 18
  • String Quintet No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 87

Piano compositions:

  • Lieder ohne Worte (Songs Without Words), Books 1-8
  • Capriccio in F sharp minor, Op. 5
  • Fantasia in F-sharp minor for piano, Op. 28 ("Sonate écossaise")
  • Pièces caractéristiques for piano, Op. 7 
  • Six Preludes and Fugues, Op. 35
  • Album-leaf (Albumblatt) in E minor for piano, Op. 117

Voice and Piano:

  • 69 songs
  • 2 Sacred songs, Op. 112

Oratorios:

  • St. Paul (Paulus), Op. 36
  • Elijah (Elias), Op. 70

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