Johann Strauss II - Introduction

The works made up by members of the Strauss family are a wondrous as well as valuable bridge between folk and scholarly expressions of music.

Spearheaded by the numerous waltzes prepared by Johann Strauss II - in the catalogue of his works there are about four hundred - the most famous Viennese musical dynasty of the 19th century, was the only catalyst thanks to which a dance of rather humble origin was transformed into the all-light object of the desire for entertainment of the entire Austro-Hungarian, aristocracy initially, and ultimately, regardless of discrimination and stratifications, the whole civilized world.

Johan Strauss, the son, transformed the waltz into a great expression of the art of music, with a symphonic character, capable of captivating both the concert halls and the dance halls. He was rightly called the King of Waltz. The waltz dominated the thought and heart of the younger Strauss, but he did not fail to endow with his inspirations and other short works of musical or dance magnificence such as marches, polkas, cantrilies.

But the operettas he signed are not of minor value.

His elegant, witty music was challenged and considered light and naive. But what greater vindication than the well-confessed admiration of Brahms, Wagner, Shenberg, Berg and Webern?

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Johann Strauss II - Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka, Op. 214 in A major

Johann Strauss II composed "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka" in 1858 after a successful tour of Russia where he performed in the summer concert season at Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg. It was first performed in a concert in Vienna on 24 November 1858. The German word "trarch" means gossip, while the word "tritsch" has no meaning. The title is a sample of Johann Strauss II's habit of creating puns. In this case he wanted to imitate sonically the English expression "chit-chat" (drizzle, gossip). The music is lively and Strauss hypothesized that many dancers could wait while chatting until a waltz is played. The composer wrote in his diary that at the time he was conducting a series of concerts in London, the audience asked for this polka 38 times! It is a lively, rhythmic work, in A major, which uses brilliant brass and percussion instruments and is widely decorated with trills and a multitude of musical ornaments. Interpretively it is a demanding work, ...

Robert Schumann - "Träumerei" or "Dreaming" (from the album Kinderszenen or "Scenes from Childhood"), Op. 15, No. 7

'The Woodman's Child' painting of Arthur Hughes, expresses wonderfully the dreamy quality of "Dreaming" from Schumann's "Scenes from Childhood". For Robert Schumann , music was almost always a personal expression of contemplation, feelings and poetic contemplation and that is exactly what makes him one of the most important romantic composers. The piano was Schumann's first love and his compositions for this instrument are among the most resistant through the passage of time. Schumann composed "Scenes from Childhood" album, the best-known of all his pianistic circles, in 1838. It consists of 13 "peculiarly small works", as described by the composer, each with its own title, which expresses a specific childhood memory. These works are all simple and charming, but Dreaming ( Träumerei) is the most popular and best known of all. It is often included in musical collections for solo piano and often the virtuoso performers includ...

Johann Straus II - Vergnügungszug (Pleasure Train), op. 281

Johann Strauss II , celebrated for his waltzes and lively dance music, followed a distinctive creative approach. He consistently sought contemporary and recognizable themes as the inspiration for his compositions, ensuring that his music remained fresh and closely connected to the everyday experiences of his audiences. A characteristic example of this approach can be found in Vergnügungszug (Pleasure Train), a fast polka ( Polka schnell ) composed in 1864. The work was written for one of the famous summer concerts Strauss conducted in Pavlovsk, near St. Petersburg, where he spent several seasons presenting new compositions. For this particular piece, Strauss drew inspiration from a symbol of modern progress at the time: the steam locomotive. The composition vividly captures the energy and motion of a train in full operation. Its driving rhythm evokes the steady chugging of a steam engine, while short, repeated figures suggest the mechanical movement of the wheels along the tracks. Str...

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