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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Maurice Ravel - Pavane pour une infante défunte


Maurice Ravel seems to have chosen this title - "Infante" means Spanish princess - only for the pleasant sonic tinge, since the princess is a completely fantastic person. The composer wrote the Pavana in 1899 while he was still a student at the Paris Conservatory. The immediate success of this work surprised Ravel, who considered the project morphologically impossible. However, when it was presented in 1902, the critics considered its form smooth and charming.

The solo violin, which plays in high tones accompanied by the pulsating sound of deep strings, produces the warm and rich tone of this form of Pavana. A short final section ends with the chords played by the soloist on the violin.

A second melody is repeated higher, again with chords of the violin, creating the impression of more than one instrument. Rich chords lead to a return to the original melody, now played on a higher scale of the violin.

A pizzicato appears as a third section begins. A rather sad, mournful passage leads to a final iteration of the original music. This time the melody is underlined by the use of violin harmonics - high sounds reminiscent of flute and produced by touching the string without pressure on the fret.


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