Johann Strauss II - Klug Gretelein - Walzer für Gesang und Orchester, Op. 462

On 18 April 1895 Vienna's influential Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Society of the Friends of Music) organised a festive evening to mark the 25th anniversary of the opening of its new building - the Musikverein - on the picturesque bank of the River Wien, which had not yet been covered over. The splendid red and yellow edifice, which today dominates the Karlsplatz, was designed by the Danish architect Theophil Hansen (1813-91), who was responsible also for the Vienna Parliament and Stock Exchange buildings. The Musikverein, which was soon to become the focus of musical life in the capital of the Habsburg Empire, had been dedicated to its purpose at the beginning of 1870. All three Strauss brothers had played for dancing at the inaugural ball in the Musikverein on 15 January 1870 and, moreover, performed in person their dedication pieces for the august Society - Johann, his waltz Freuet euch des Lebens (Enjoy your life) op. 340; Josef, the polka française Künstler-Gruss (Artist's Greeting) op. 274; and Eduard, the polka-mazurka Eisblume (Frost-flower) op. 55.

For the silver jubilee celebrations of the Musikverein building on Thursday 18 April 1895 a truly festive evening was promised in its 'Golden Hall' (since 1939 the venue of the annual New Year's Day Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic), commencing with a "Festival Concert" followed by a "Festival Ball". The Strauss Orchestra was engaged, under Eduard Strauss. Sharing the programme with several soloists, they presented first a varied selection of classical and romantic music by Schubert, Weber, Verdi, Haydn, Jensen, Rückauf and Schumann. The concert closed with the première of a vocal waltz which Johann Strauss had composed for the occasion, with a text in the nature of a (somewhat risqué!) fairy tale provided by the librettist A.M. Willner (with whom Strauss later wrote the rather unsuccessful operetta Die Göttin der Vernunft, 1897). At the very last moment the 25-year-old soprano Paula Mark (1869-1956), a soloist with the Vienna Court Opera, was taken ill and the Viennese concert singer Olga von Türk-Rohn (1874-1940) instead offered her services as soloist.

The following day, Vienna's press reported in detail on the festival concert and ball in the Musikverein. The critic for the Fremden-Blatt (19.04.1895) drew particular attention to "the Pièce de résistance of the evening: Johann Strauss's latest waltz 'Klug Gretelein', which the maestro has dedicated to the Gesellschaft der Musikfrelmde". He continued: "The waltz is based on the text by A.M. Willner, which tells of Clever Little Gretel's lonely walk through the forest and of the robber there; however, the story turn out well".

Conductor: Jack Rothstein
Orchestra: Johann Strauss Orchestra
Soprano: Marilyn Hill Smith

Category:

Music

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• Johann
• Strauss
• II
• Klug
• Gretelein
• Walzer
• für
• Gesang
• und
• Orchester
• Op.
• 462
• Waltz
• Vals
• classical music
• Music
• classical
• concerto
• orchestra

[Beelzebubblensqueak]

This recording features two incomparable performers - the singer is English soprano Marilyn Hill Smith, the conductor is Viennese-born Professor Christian Pollack.