Born on October 25, 1825 in Vienna, Austria; Died on June 3, 1899 in Vienna, Austria.
Kaiser-Walzer (Emperor Waltzes)
Composed: 1889
Estimated length: 11 minutes
Just as Mary Lou Williams broadened the dimensions of her jazz composition—or like Astor Piazzolla reimagining the tango—Johann Strauss II expanded the artistic scope of the popular waltz through his imaginative orchestral treatment of the idiom. His father had laid the foundation for the family’s association with the Viennese waltz with works that transformed a seemingly rustic dance into a something more refined. Johann Strauss II continued to mine the waltz to create sophisticated art, introducing greater harmonic richness and grander structures while using the resources of the modern orchestra.
Johann, Jr. eclipsed Papa Strauss as well as his two brothers (Josef and Eduard, also composers) in popularity and influence. His prolific oeuvre encompasses not only around 150 waltzes plus other dance forms, but operettas that also brim with unforgettable waltz melodies.
The political background to Kaiser Walzer involves the meeting in 1889 between the long-reigning Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph and the newly installed German Emperor Wilhelm II (who was fated to be the last German emperor when he abdicated just before Germany’s defeat in World War
One in 1918). Strauss composed a work to mark their “toast of friendship” in August, originally calling it Hand in Hand. But he published it under the intentionally ambiguous title Kaiser-Walzer, which may be translated using the singular or plural—as “Emperors’ Waltzes” or “Emperor Waltz.”
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
The piece begins not with an actual waltz but a stately slow introduction in march time, setting a ceremonial tone and gracefully hinting at the main waltz tune. A cello solo bridges the transition into the familiar triple-meter lilt of the waltz. Strauss enriches the structure by modulating through different keys and introducing a series of interconnected waltz melodies, creating a seamless and dynamic flow throughout the piece.
Scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons,
4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, bass drum, snare drum, harp, and strings.
− Thomas May is the Nashville Symphony's program annotator.
Featured on Schubert's Unfinished and the Zodiac Suite — March 14 & 15, 2024
Nashville Symphony
David Danzmayr, conductor
Aaron Diehl, piano
Aaron Kimmel, percussion
David Wong, bass
Back