Johann Strauss

Few artist families dominated the light music scene of the 19th century in the same way as the Strauss dynasty. And even 150 years after the death of the "Waltz King" Johann Strauss senior and over 100 years after the passing of his son Johann Strauss junior, their dance compositions still pack concert halls around the world with throngs of eager spectators. In 1999, the Strauss anniversary year, the Vienna Philharmonic came up with a very special approach to honouring the musical father and son: An open-air concert in the heart of Vienna featuring works by Johann Strauss senior who, together with his son, cemented the reputation of this beautiful city on the Danube as the world capital of waltz. An audience of almost 8000 people was treated to the captivating sounds of their immortal melodies in the imposing atmosphere of the Heldenplatz (Heroes' Square) in the Austrian capital. Spanish tenor José Carreras and the Hungarian soprano Andrea Rost, long-time favourites with Vienna opera fans, were both invited to sing arias and duets at the „Johann Strauss Gala“ under the baton of open-air veteran Zubin Mehta. Inspired by the enthusiasm of the crowd, Mehta was moved to play the "Radetzky March" as an encore – the traditional closing piece at every Strauss concert.

Few artist families dominated the light music scene of the 19th century in the same way as the Strauss dynasty. And even 150 years after the death of the "Waltz King" Johann Strauss senior and over 100 years after the passing of his son Johann Strauss junior, their dance compositions still pack concert halls around the world with throngs of eager spectators. In 1999, the Strauss anniversary year, the Vienna Philharmonic came up with a very special approach to honouring the musical father and son: An open-air concert in the heart of Vienna featuring works by Johann Strauss senior who, together with his son, cemented the reputation of this beautiful city on the Danube as the world capital of waltz.

The most famous and enduringly successful composer of nineteenth-century light music, Johann Strauss II captivated not only Vienna but the whole of Europe and America with his abundantly tuneful waltzes, polkas, quadrilles and marches. This unique collection brings together for the first time ever his entire orchestral output.

Johann Baptist Strauss II, also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (German: Johann Strauß Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas as well as a violinist. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. In his lifetime, he was known as "The Waltz King", and was largely responsible for the popularity of the waltz in the 19th century. Some of Johann Strauss's most famous works include "The Blue Danube", "Kaiser-Walzer" (Emperor Waltz), "Tales from the Vienna Woods", "Frühlingsstimmen", and the "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka". Among his operettas, Die Fledermaus and Der Zigeunerbaron are the best known.