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

Claude Debussy - "Jardins sous la pluie" (Estampes)

Debussy was influenced by Western and Eastern art. His work "Pagodes" from the series Estampes for piano, expresses his admiration for the East.


This work comes from a wider group of pianistic compositions and is one of the three pianistic works of the series "Estampes". It was written in 1903 and presented in Paris in 1904. Once again the theme of water appears in a work by Claude Debussy.

The fast motivo of tones and harmony that submit a view seen through a veil of rain, is typical in Debusy's compositions. 

The central part of the work mentions the melody of an old French children's song. 

Towards the end, the music brightens, submitting the appearance of the sun.



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