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Johann Strauss and the Danube Waltz |
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JOHANN STRAUSS – THE DANUBE WALTZ
| Screenplay, director, narrator: | Prof. Gerhard Tötschinger | | Music: | Concilium musicum Wien / Naxos
Kammerensemble K.K.Hof- und Deutschmeister | | Piano: | Luca di Quarto | | Choreography: | Werner Hierzer | | Stage design: | Odilia Baldszun | | Costumes: | Prof. Marie Luise Walek / Christine Hierzer-Riedler | | Sculpture: | Gerold Kubitschek / Markus Maurer / Sepp Rems / Friedrich Wallner | | Sound: | Euroacoustics / Walter Till | | Stage techniques: | Karl Petz | | Marionette players: | Werner Hierzer / Christine Hierzer-Riedler / Saviz Foroughi / Isabell Francisci-Ragger / Lisa Pippan /Rudi Schwarzenberger |
We would like to thank Christoph and Paul Angerer and the Concilium musicum Vienna, Kammersänger Heinz Holecek and Prof. Gerhard Tötschinger for their generous support.
Duration: 1h 50 min, intermission after 60 min.
Synopsis
Scenes from the life of Johann Strauss son – the story of the blue danube maid – the danube walz
The composer Johann Strauss son was born in 1825 in Vienna. Here he got his first impression of music, here he studied and also started his world career. For his hometown Vienna he even became some kind of a symbol. The marionettes show scenes of this life.
The most famous memorial in Vienna, the Johann Strauss statue in the Stadtpark, comes to life. A man makes the audience familiar with the century of the famous composer. We see the six-year-old Johann playing his first waltz, hear about the conflicts with his very successful father Strauss and about the help of his mother. And we learn even more about his life from the various compositions of other family members.
His success in foreign countries and his love for the hungarian nation, which he expresses in the composition of „Csárdás“. In spite of some troubles with his brothers, he composes the “Pizzicato Polka“ together with his brother Josef. At last he achieves the honor of a "Hofballdirektor". And we hear about his happy marriage with his first wife Jetty and the bad marriage with his secound wife. The music of „The Timeless“ plays, while we see his third wife Adele.
The maid Adele appears in scenes of the opera „The Bat“ („Die Fledermaus“). Due to the fact that she dreams of a career at the theatre she plays different roles. First she plays a part as a wallflower, then as a Parisian lady and finally as a queen.
Because of his love for clocks Johann writes the „Uhrenduett“.
At the end of the first part bats dance a „Can Can“.
“At The Beautiful Blue Danube”, Opus 314, waltz by Johann Strauss son, 1867, orchestra solo.
“First Thought” – the first composition ever by Johann Strauss son, 1832.
“Radetzkymarsch” by Johann Strauss father, 1848.
Csárdás from the opera “Knight Pasmán” by Johann Strauss,1892.
“The Timeless” Polka Francaise, Opus 302.
“Pizzicato-Polka” by Johann and Josef Strauss, 1869.
“Tik-Tak Polka” Opus 365, from the “Fledermaus” (“The Bat”), 1874.
“Motor Quadrille”, Opus 129.
“Danube-Maid”, Opus 427, waltz from “Simplicius”, 1888.
“At The Beautiful Blue Danube”, Opus 314.
At the beginning of the second part we can see a landscape at the Danube and the house of the Holy Florian, where Strauss’ grandfather is the innkeeper. This is also the house where Strauss’ father grew up. The compositions of Johann Strauss junior have made this landscape and the river Danube famous all around the world.
Birds are buzzing arround, snowmen are dancing ballet and an ice-skater is making his rounds... The narrator brings Johann and Jetty to this place and starts to tell about the myth of the Danube Maid... Soon the Danube Maid appears and warns a fisherman and his son of a flood. The fisher´s son has never seen a more fascinating being before, so he follows the Danube Maid into the floods. While the music of the famous „Blue Danube Waltz“ is playing they celebrate their wedding in the splendid palace of the Prince of Danube.
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