Austrian composer Johann Strauss the Elder (1804-1849) had hoped his eldest son and namesake would follow a nonmusical career. As it turned out, it couldn’t be helped. Johann Strauss the Younger (1825-1899) studied violin without his father’s knowledge and went on to become the “Waltz King.”
Last week, I cataloged a few CDs with compositions by both father and son. Expect to see them on the shelves soon:
- Strauss am Opernball / Johann Strauss I & II ; Wiener Opernball Orchestr ; conducted by Uwe Theimer.
- Edition (Volume 1) / Johann Strauss I ; Camerata Cassovia ; conducted by Christian Pollack.
- Edition (Volume 2) / Johann Strauss I ; Slovak Sinfonietta Zilina ; conducted by Christian Pollack.
- Die Fledermaus / Johann Strauss II ; The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and State Opera Chorus ; conducted by Herbert von Karajan.
- Classical Romance. Track 8: “An der schonen blauen Donau” / Johann Strauss II
In the meantime, see (and hear) how director Stanley Kubrick used Strauss the Younger’s most famous waltz–“An der schönen blauen Donau” (1867; “The Blue Danube”)–in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968):
Find 2001: A Space Odyssey in the Library’s collection here.