Performed by the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Giordano Bellincampi
Waltz at the Bal Mabille, Avenue Montaigne, Paris by Charles Vernier Photo: public domain
Johann Strauss II Photo: public domain
The 'King of the Waltz', Johann Strauss II was the middle of three generations who rode the wave as the waltz became the first international dance craze throughout the 1800s.
On the Beautiful Blue Danube was premiered as a choral work fitted with sarcastic lyrics about Vienna's recent military failures and political leadership. It received only one encore on premiere – in Strauss terms, a complete flop. Strauss quietly tucked it away in a drawer noting: "the waltz was probably not catchy enough".
Later that year, he was invited to take part in the International Exhibition in Paris. He dusted the work off, played it without choir and it took Paris by storm. It raced round the world in the 19th Century equivalent of a tiktok sensation.
Programme note: Kevin Keys
Recorded by RNZ Concert, Auckland Town Hall, 8 July 2021
Engineer: Adrian Hollay; Producer: Tim Dodd
