J. Strauss II: Ritter Pásmán, Op. 441 (Excerpts) [Live]

Featuring

Eberhard Waechter
Josef Hopferwieser
Sona Ghazarian
Trudeliese Schmidt
Artur Korn
Horst Witsche

Axelle Gall
Peter Drahosch
Heinz Wallberg
Alfred Walter
Chor des Österreichischen Rundfunks
ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra
Johann Strauss II (Jr.)

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Recording & Production

This album features a live recording from October 27, 1975, at the Musikverein in Vienna, with bonus tracks recorded in Košice in 1993.

Compositional Technique

The score of "Ritter Pásmán" exhibits "astonishing technical mastery" and even contains elements reminiscent of Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde", according to Marcel Prawy's biography.

Instruments

The premiere of the "Ritter Pásmán" ballet music marked the first time a cimbalom was heard in the orchestra of the Vienna Court Opera.

Composition History

Johann Strauss Jr. wrote "Ritter Pásmán" after Court Opera Director Wilhelm Jahn commissioned him to write a "genuine" opera, a wish that fell on fruitful ground for the composer.

Critical Reception

While the premiere of "Ritter Pásmán" was a major social event, its artistic success lagged, partly due to the conductor ignoring the composer's desired tempi.

Composer Biography

Johann Strauss Jr. himself regarded "Ritter Pásmán" as his only work in the opera genre, despite its operetta-like plot.

Critical Reception

Reviewers at the premiere of "Ritter Pásmán" unanimously praised the ballet music in Act III as an absolute masterpiece, particularly the thrilling Csárdás.