Schwärmereien op. 253 - Johann Strauss II

Schwärmereien, Concert-Walzer op. 253 (Daydreams, Concert Waltz). Author: Johann Strauss II (1825 - 1899).
Picture: "The Route a Vetheuil" by Claude Monet.
On 15 June 1858Johann Strauss's younger brother, Josef, presented to the public the first performance of a concert waltz he had written entitled Ideale. Noting its "tumultuous reception", the critic of the Theaterzeitung called the work a "chef d'oeuvre" and remarked that it "departs from the usual waltz form in that it moves in perfectly pure rhythms, that the melodies are most carefully constructed and are embellished with rich instrumentation". Posterity has regrettably been robbed of making its own assessment, for the piece was never published and the manuscript may have perished in 1907 when Eduard Strauss condemned the Strauss Orchestra's musical archive to the flames of a furnace. Without doubt, Josef Strauss's Ideale prompted Johann to try his hand too at composing concert waltzes, but the results - Gedankenflug (op. 215) and Schwärmereien - were commercially unsuccessful, and the brothers were dissuaded by their publisher from further such experimentation. Yet, commercial considerations aside, Schwärmereien is particularly deserving of a wider appreciation, the more so because of its dedication to Johann's friend, the Russian piano virtuoso, composer, teacher and conductor Anton Rubinstein (1829-94). Strauss conceived this exacting and difficult work during his summer 1860 concert season at Pavlovsk, and conducted its first performance in Vienna's Dianabad-Saal ballroom on 1 April 1861. Schwärmereien tends to be more through-composed than the typical dance waltz, and Rubinstein - who, with the exception of Liszt, was the most celebrated pianist of the 19th century - delighted in performing the work several times arranged for pianoforte solo: indeed, Rubinstein and his brother, Nikolai, frequently played Johann's waltzes and polkas in their concerts. The pianist once even sketched an amusing caricature of Strauss wielding violin and bow, signing it ‘Toni’, and inscribed his name on one of the fans belonging to Strauss's wife, Adèle.

[@megumiw.1571]

Very beautifull and classical music. It's typical style of J.Strauss II.

[@KaziaSSawa]

~~**~~Lubię muzykę klasyczną- piękny walc.~~**~~

[@Adamov1]

Great forgotten concert waltz, love the introduction, Whole piece is really good but 3:35 is my favourite.

[@elicajakimova1627]

🌸🎶❤️