Strauss Ii, J.: Most Famous Waltzes, Polkas and Marches, Vol. 1

Featuring

Ondrej Lenárd
Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Johann Strauss II (Jr.)
Josef Strauss

Did you know?

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Composer Biography

Johann Strauss I, known as Johann Strauss the elder, was initially apprenticed to a book-binder after his father's death, despite his early interest in music.

Composition History

The 'Emperor Waltz' (Kaiser-Walzer) was not written for the Austrian Emperor Franz Josef, but to celebrate the state visit of Kaiser Wilhelm II to Germany.

Composer Biography

Johann Strauss I did not want his sons to become musicians; he intended his eldest son, Johann Strauss II, to be a banker, Josef to be a soldier, and Eduard to be a diplomat.

Composer Biography

Johann Strauss I directed his dance orchestra from the violin, a common practice that influenced the kind of music he and his successors wrote.

Composition History

The 'Voices of Spring' (Fruhlingsstimmen) waltz was written in 1883 for the German coloratura soprano Berta Schwarz, professionally known as Bianca Bianchi.

Composition History

Johann Strauss II's famous 'Blue Danube' waltz was originally a choral waltz commissioned by the Vienna Men's Chorus Association in 1867, with words added by poet Josef Weyl.

Composer Biography

The Strauss family's first recorded member, Johann Michael, was Jewish in origin but converted to Christianity and settled in Vienna as an upholsterer.