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Strauss Waltzes

“The King of the Viennese Waltz” sounds proud! This is how the great composer, whose name was Johann Strauss the Son, was majestically named. He inspired this genre new life, gave him a “poem interpretation.” Much interesting and surprising lies in Strauss's waltzes. So let's take a look at mysterious world Viennese music, the door to which was opened for us by the king himself!

Read the history of Waltzes by Johann Strauss, content and many interesting facts on our page.

The history of the creation of Strauss Waltzes

Few people know, but the composer Johann Strauss, the father, was categorically against his son continuing the work and becoming a musician. If it were not for the stubbornness and wild desire of the young man, we would never have been able to listen to waltzes Strauss , filled with lyrics and poetry.

Already at the age of nineteen, the aspiring composer taught a lesson to his own father. Together with the orchestra he performed own compositions, the main of which was the waltz. As sweet revenge for the ban on making music, at the end of the concert one of my father’s most famous waltzes was performed. Of course, society could not leave this kind of prank without comment, and all the newspapers in the morning wrote that it was time for the old generation of composers to step aside in front of young talents. The father was furious.

Meanwhile, the popularity of the young composer only increased. Not a single evening in the highest circle passed without the performance of Strauss waltzes. Thanks to his charm, the public adored Johann; his appearance at the conductor’s stand was accompanied by exquisite statements on behalf of the High Viennese Society. The maestro behaved at ease, forcing the orchestra to play at a glance. Every gesture evoked applause from the audience. When the last final chord sounded, the conductor slowly lowered his hand and, as if by magic, disappeared from the hall. He was a great master not only of music, but also of theatrical staging.

The mastery of composing waltz compositions was achieved already in 1860. This period in life can be considered the most fruitful. One after another, the composer composed hits of his time, such as:

• Songs of love;
• Farewell to St. Petersburg;
• On the beautiful blue Danube.

Thanks to waltz, they began to talk and write about the composer, his works were sold in millions of copies, both in the form of sheet music and on records. The entire biography of the composer resembles a graceful whirling in a three-beat rhythm. His waltzes are his life, his sorrows and joys, victories and failures. History has preserved each of them. Strauss's waltzes are diamonds that sparkle regardless of the conductor's skill. The author himself adored his own works, but among them there were those that Strauss especially liked. Let's take a closer look at these works and their history.

The work was written in 1882. In the same year, the composer met his future wife and creative muse Adele Deutsch. Subsequently, for her he will compose another composition bearing her name. It is worth noting that the composer originally intended to write this work with the inclusion of a coloratura soprano part.

The work was performed only a year later at one of the charity concerts that time. The event took place in the An der Wien theater building. The product was received with a bang. It sold millions of copies throughout Europe, and began to be considered one of the author’s most popular works.
The smoothness of the rhythm is outlined by the line of the double bass from the first note. The topic is filled big amount decorations They are visual means to fully display the pictures of nature awakened from a long hibernation. Everything is restored from winter sleep, a great time is coming. Of course, this work was to the taste of many: from amateurs to real connoisseurs of professional musical language.

"On the beautiful blue Danube"

The order for this dance came from the main and most famous manager of the choral society in the capital of Austria; he needed a choral waltz. At that time, the creator’s place of residence was located not far from the bank of this majestic river, so there was no need to think long about the name. The premiere in the Austrian capital was modest. Strauss, accustomed to fame and universal approval, only joked that he didn’t feel sorry for the waltz itself, but that she didn’t achieve success, that’s what really saddens him.

Then Strauss decided to orchestrate this work so that the coda would not be lost. It was first performed at the Paris World Exhibition. The audience rejoiced, and the waltz took place of honor on the list. Subsequently, music will become a symbol of Vienna.

The music enchants and captivates own world already from the first bars. Like a magical and changeable river flow is the melody of the composition. The mood is gentle, but timid, like small and exciting water ripples.

listen to “On the beautiful blue Danube”

"Tales of the Vienna Woods"

One of the most fabulous and magical works in the works of Johann Strauss the Son. It should be noted that the composition received the title of the longest waltz ever written by the composer.

Listening to the work, you will notice that the fabulous and mysterious atmosphere is conveyed using special musical techniques. These include the incredibly pleasant sound of the zither instrument, and inclusion in the melodic and thematic line folklore motifs. Yes, they are clearly visible character traits Landler. The work has won the hearts of many romantic people who believe in a real miracle.

listen to “Tales of the Vienna Woods”

One of the most famous operetta numbers. Infinitely fresh and graceful in character. It seems to be a vivid illustration of the concept theatrical production. It is noteworthy that one of the most famous newspapers of that time published a more than laudatory article regarding the success of this composition. In it, the author pointed out wealth musical themes composer, adding ironically that such musical imagination is enough for several young French composers.

The harmony of the waltz is quite mobile, and it creates a special mood. At the same time, the instrumentation creates the effect of melodiousness and melody. Incredible beauty lies behind the melodic line. It is impossible not to remember this work.

listen to a waltz from an operetta "Bat"

Interesting Facts

• Over the course of his entire creative career, the composer composed almost 170 musical works in this genre.
• Within two days, register for vinyl records“Blue Danube” sold 140 thousand copies. Music lovers stood in the store for hours to get the audio recording.
• Everyone knows that Wagner was a difficult person and had a bad attitude towards the work of other composers. Richard, picky to the point of madness, adored Strauss’s work, which was called “Wine, Women, Songs.” Sometimes, if an opera classic was in the hall, he would ask for a given composition to be repeated especially for him.
• "Spring Voices" is favorite piece Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. The writer loved listening to Strauss waltzes, but especially often played a record with this composition.
• The work “Farewell to St. Petersburg” is dedicated to Olga Smirnitskaya, with whom, while living in northern capital The composer had a long affair with Russia. Strauss wanted to marry the girl, but her mother was against such a marriage. They corresponded for a long time until Strauss learned that Olga was marrying composer Anton Rubinstein.
• A fragment of “Spring Voices” can be heard from the legendary Queen. In the album "A day at the Races".

• Banking education played its own role in organizing the composer’s concerts. In order not to miss out on lucrative offers, the genius of composition gathered several orchestral groups and practiced with them the most popular works. Then the orchestras performed the works at the same time, in different places, and as a result, the profits only increased. The composer himself only managed to conduct one piece, after which he left for the evening in another house.
• The waltz “The Life of an Artist” is a kind of autobiography of the composer; it reveals the rapture of life.
• In Boston, the waltz “On the Beautiful Blue Danube” was performed by an orchestra of two thousand people.
• In Europe, the “Voices of Spring” waltz is a symbol of celebration New Year .

Johann Strauss son gave the world a huge creative heritage. Each of his waltzes is a small one, but bright story What kind of ending it will have depends on the listener. The lightness, their carefreeness and incredible grace make you listen to the work again and again, endlessly. So don't deny yourself this pleasure.

Video: listen to Strauss's waltz

We are pleased to offer you Symphony Orchestra to perform Strauss Waltzes at your event.

Evgeniy Doga: the most popular wedding waltz
White, black, red: these colors are present in almost every scene of Emil Loteanu’s film “My affectionate and gentle beast" Against the background of lush greenery of the old noble estate the strict contrast of white and black perfectly outlines the picture of the frame, and the red color introduces tension and dynamics into it. Red appears in the frame either as a flying silhouette of a dress, or as a bright spot of a carnation flower, or as a gentle reflection of the rays of sunset, and in the finale it appears as scarlet blood on a snow-white bandage: the passions that played out in the shadow of a centuries-old park took the life of the young heroine of this drama.

The waltz was written by the composer specifically for the film “My Affectionate and Gentle Beast.” Members of the film crew later recalled that Evgeniy Doga’s music had a special, almost hypnotic effect on them. Sometimes there was even a feeling that it was she, this music, that suggested unexpected and subtle ideas to the director and actors. artistic solutions- after all, the shooting took place with a soundtrack.

The main theme of the waltz begins with smooth movement along the stable steps of the fret. However, its calm flow is interrupted by disturbing short motives - it seems as if the voices of migratory birds are heard from behind the clouds. With each new phrase the melody rises higher and higher. Gradually she loses her aristocratic restraint, speeds up the pace, gains power and involves dancing couples into its uncontrollable whirlwind movement. At the peak of the climax, the music tears away the veils from the secret thoughts of the characters, exposes feelings, intensifies conflicts, and suddenly - a chill down the spine - it becomes clear: tragedy is inevitable.

For four decades now, the melody from the film “My Affectionate and Gentle Beast” has been heard in wedding palaces throughout the country: young people are invited to their first life together waltz. Really, neither young couples in love, nor experienced registry office employees feel the tragedy of this beautiful music? Be that as it may, but with the waltz of Evgeniy Dogi began their family life already hundreds of thousands of newlyweds! May fate help them avoid sorrows and measure out happiness in abundance.

Russian romantic waltz of the 19th century
The founder of the Russian romantic waltz was, of course, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka. Today his brilliant “Waltz-Fantasy” is somewhat forgotten. Meanwhile, all other Russian and Soviet symphonic waltzes grew out of it. The combination of bright lyrics, romantic flight and tragic tension - these are the main features that unite them and find a lively response in the contradictory and eternally restless Russian soul.

Fate turned out to be more favorable to the work of another outstanding Russian composer of the 19th century, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Waltzes from the ballets “The Nutcracker” and “Sleeping Beauty” have been performed at all Christmas and New Year's concerts. All these years, the public warmly received “Sentimental Waltz”. Not long ago, this music inspired our famous figure skaters Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze to create a lyrical dance program.

Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze received many awards for this work, but still they were not the first to use the romantic waltz as musical basis for sports and choreographic composition. Lovers figure skating“with experience” probably remember the stunning dance of Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexander Gorshkov to the music of Aram Ilyich Khachaturian’s waltz “Masquerade”.

Waltz by Aram Khachaturian “Masquerade”
Everyone is accustomed to calling this waltz briefly: “Masquerade.” This is actually one of the parts musical suite, composed by A. I. Khachaturyan for M. Yu. Lermontov’s drama “Masquerade” back in 1941. The plot of the drama is closely intertwined with love and jealousy, deceit and despair.

Of course, this whole tangle of passions is reflected in the waltz music, but even at the climaxes, in moments of the highest intensity of emotions, Khachaturian’s orchestra sounds romantic and invariably noble.

In 1976, world champions and Olympic Games in ice dancing, L. Pakhomova and A. Gorshkov performed the “Masquerade” waltz at demonstration performances. The whole world applauded the “golden” Soviet couple! No one has ever been able to achieve such a combination of technique and artistry. In addition, many viewers discovered Khachaturian’s unusually beautiful and expressive music for the first time. Yes, that year hundreds of thousands of music lovers around the world added gramophone records with a recording of the “Masquerade” waltz to their personal music libraries.

The video materials of those years are imperfect - let's forgive them this shortcoming, let's enjoy the music and dance.

Ancient Russian waltzes (early 20th century)
An old city garden, a dance floor, a “shell” stage - and certainly a brass band playing ancient Russian waltzes... Surprisingly: many of us feel a sense of nostalgia at the sounds of a brass band, even if we were born decades after the war and have never seen a real “shell” stage! “Amur Waves”, “Birch Tree”, “On the Hills of Manchuria”, “Autumn Dream”...

Oh no, “Autumn Dream” is, unfortunately, not ours. At the beginning of the 20th century, the waltz “Autumn Dream” was composed by the British composer Archibald Joyce. However, the Russian public loved him so much that they got used to considering him one of their own.

What about the rest of the old Russian waltzes? Maybe they are of foreign origin too? No, the rest are real Russians. Waltz “Birch” was written by the Russian military musician E. M. Dreyzin, “On the Hills of Manchuria” - by I. A. Shatrov.

Frontline lyrical waltz songs
During the Great Patriotic War along with the stern marches there was also lyrical music. Chanted melodies and simple, sincere words at the front were even more important than marching rhythms and warlike calls.

In the soulful intonations of waltz songs, such as “In the forest near the front” (authors: composer Matvey Blanter and poet Mikhail Isakovsky), one could hear greetings from peaceful life, and the order to fight until victory.

It's hard to believe, but there was a time when a number of the best Soviet songs wartime was semi-officially “covered up”. They were not allowed to be broadcast on the radio, they were forbidden to sing from the stage. The argument was absolutely absurd - but we understand this today, decades later. And then, in the 70s, about the front-line song “Random Waltz” by Mikhail Fradkin and Evgeny Dolmatovsky, it was written in a textbook for music schools that it was immoral, because “it glorifies the dubious poetry of chance meetings.”

Today no one remembers the names of the figures who cared so reverently about moral purity Soviet people. And we, listening to the song “Random Waltz”, seem to be transported back to those war years - and our hearts clench.

Waltzes in our cinema
Cinema is completely unthinkable without music, and romantic cinema is completely unthinkable without waltz. In a movie about a school, we will most likely hear a lyrically excited, saddened waltz of the graduates (as in the film “The Prank”); in a lyrical comedy, a waltz with a humorous tinge will probably sound (“The Irony of Fate, or C light steam"), and New Year's picture can’t do without a festive waltz (“ Carnival Night"). IN philosophical tale a waltz may flash a hint, a chorus, an insertion - but it will definitely be there (“An Ordinary Miracle”, “That Same Munchausen”).

Sometimes music transforms a seemingly ingenuous plot, and “finishes” what cannot be conveyed with the help of a video sequence: this is exactly the role played in the film “Beware of the Car” by Andrei Petrov’s wonderful waltz. Its delicate and transparent musical fabric is a mirror in which the bright, slightly “out of this world” soul of the modern Robin Hood is reflected.

Waltz by Georgy Sviridov “Blizzard”
Regulars philharmonic concerts they know and love this exquisite and at the same time luxurious waltz. However, recently, excerpts from it began to appear in television advertisements. A rare case: advertising did a good deed and literally made all TV viewers huge country learn beautiful music from memory, but not everyone knows what kind of music it is and who its author is. It's time to meet!

Back in 1964, Georgy Vasilyevich Sviridov wrote an orchestral suite for the film “Blizzard,” based on the story by A. S. Pushkin. Waltz is the second movement of this suite. A few years later, the film was practically forgotten, but the music continued to be heard: in concert halls, in recordings, and in home amateur performance. Georgy Vasilyevich slightly modified the suite and renamed it “Musical illustrations for Pushkin’s story “The Snowstorm”.

The composer literally paints with sounds like paints, using the rich capabilities of a large symphony orchestra. The extreme parts of the waltz are, of course, a blizzard, starting with a light drifting snow and growing into a furious snowstorm; the middle part is a picture of a brilliant ball.

The music of the illustrations for “The Blizzard” is not only visual, it is also psychological: after all, the plot, as always, is based on love and separation. However, unlike many others, this romantic plot ends quite happily. Only memories remain from past hardships.
There is a whole life ahead! I want to believe, a happy life.
Let's smile, gentlemen!

Waltz is the embodiment of plasticity in music, an image of a circle, eternity, captivating listeners with its unique grace. June 7 at Great hall At the Moscow Conservatory we will trace the history of the waltz in the works of great classical composers. State Academic symphonic chapel Russia, under the leadership of V. Polyansky, will present the program “ The best waltzes peace." At the conductor's stand is Philipp Chizhevsky, one of the most promising Russian maestros of the younger generation.

Austria is traditionally considered the birthplace of the waltz, although some of its features can be seen in the ancient folk dances of Germany and France. The waltz gained the greatest popularity in the capital of Austria - Vienna. And it is no coincidence that the most outstanding representative musical family Strauss, Johann Strauss son, went down in history as the “King of Waltzes”. The concert will feature his famous waltz “Farewell to St. Petersburg.”

Becoming popular in late XVIII - early XIX century, the waltz became an obligatory dance in classical ballet, often becoming the apotheosis of the entire performance. The concert program includes the famous Waltz of the Flowers from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” and the Waltz from Leo Delibes’ ballet “Coppelia”.

In the era of romanticism, the waltz began to turn from an ingenuous lyrical dance into a detailed dramatic canvas. One of the first examples of dramatization of a waltz is the second movement from Hector Berlioz’s “Symphony Fantastique,” ​​where the unattainable image of a beloved appears through the elements and whirlwind of the dance, surrounded by the sorrowful feelings of the hero of the symphony. In the works of romantic composers, the waltz often turns into a large-scale symphonic poem. The choreographic poem “Waltz” becomes a kind of culmination. French composer Maurice Ravel. Written in 1920, it absorbed not only the brilliance of the waltz at the Viennese royal court, but also the dark echoes of the just ended First World War.

The State Academic Symphony Chapel of Russia was created in 1991 by merging two famous Soviet groups - Symphony Orchestra Ministry of Culture under the direction of Gennady Rozhdestvensky and the State Chamber Choir of the USSR, which was headed by Valery Polyansky. Under his leadership, the chapel has been operating successfully for 27 years. The ensemble's repertoire includes vocal and symphonic works from different eras (mass, oratorio, requiems), as well as orchestral programs of classical and modern music. Including monographic series, dedicated to creativity Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Mahler.

Philip Chizhevsky - graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, founder and director ensemble Questa musica. Since 2011 - conductor of the State Academic Symphony Chapel of Russia, since 2014 - conductor Bolshoi Theater. Twice nominated for the " Golden mask" behind better job conductor in musical theater. He collaborates with leading Russian and foreign orchestras, including the State Symphony Orchestra named after. E.F. Svetlanov, NPR under the direction of V. Spivakov, Musica Viva under the direction of A. Rudin, Tokio New Sity Orchestra, Brandenburgische Staatsorchester, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, etc. Musical director first Baroque Festival at the Bolshoi Theater.

Instructions

“Waltz” is a German word based on the verb “to whirl.” People began to dance with whirling for a long time. It is believed that it is known to many Viennese Waltz originated from the Austrian dance "Ländler", which seemed rougher, lacking lightness and smoothness. Many composers paid attention to new dance and composed music for him.

Austrian composer Johann Strauss (the elder) dedicated his life to dance music, especially waltzes. After him, the attitude towards creating melodies for the now popular dance radically changed. From short, light works intended for entertainment, they have turned into deep, soulful music that moves the souls of listeners. 152 works of this genre were created talented musician, “Waltz of the Bayaderes”, “Danube Songs”, “Lorelei”, “Taglioni”, “Gabriela” are especially famous. Strauss's sons were also musically gifted people. Joseph died early, and the name of his eldest son Johann acquired world fame.

Johann Strauss (the younger) became interested in music against the will of his father, who wanted his son to become a lawyer or businessman. The younger Strauss had enormous musical abilities; he wrote his first dance tunes at the age of six. At the age of 19, he created his own ensemble from friends, which later grew into an orchestra. The author himself played the violin or acted as conductor. Having surpassed his famous ancestor, the son perfected the Viennese waltz created by his father, wrote more than three hundred melodies of this genre, for which he was generally recognized as the “king of the waltz.” “Tales of the Vienna Woods” and “The Blue Danube”, representing the unity of different national melodies, are considered real masterpieces.

The solemn procession of the new dance across Europe continued. Famous M.I. Glinka, inspired by his love for Catherine Kern, composed the beautiful “Waltz-Fantasy,” overflowing with flights of love and imagination. For a long time Glinka carefully polished his work, removing everything unnecessary from the orchestral performance. The first poetic sketch grew into a serious play-poem. The newly-sounding “Waltz-Fantasy” was first presented to the public in Pavlovsk, and Strauss himself was the conductor of the orchestra. Russian symphonic waltzes originate from this piece of music M.I. Glinka.

For a century, the famous waltzes from P.I. Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker". The waltz is part of the musical suite “Masquerade” by Aram Khachaturian, composed for dramatic work M.Yu. Lermontov. Khachaturian’s romantic noble music reflected human passions: love and jealousy, despair and deceit.

Russian musical life Until recently, it had a wonderful tradition: in the summer they played brass bands. Ancient Russian waltzes were a decoration concert programs. Authored by many musical compositions there were Russian military conductors. I. A. Shatrov, the author of the famous waltz “On the Hills of Manchuria,” gained sufficient fame. His “Country Dreams”, created under the impression of falling in love, were also popular.

Soviet composers This genre was not ignored during the difficult period of the Great Patriotic War. M. Blanter set M. Isakovsky’s poem “In the Forest at the Front” to music - one of the favorite wartime waltzes appeared. In the works of K. Listov “In the Dugout”, M. Fradkin “Random Waltz” and others, a similar sound is also heard.

Honored Master song creativity Jan Frenkel said that he preferred the waltz because of the special trust in this musical form and a wide range of images that fit into it. The simple song by Ya. Frenkel “Waltz of Parting”, which became famous after its release on the screen, has a special impact on the listener feature film"Women".

I. Dunaevsky composed the music of the “School Waltz” to the words of the poet M. Matusovsky. The lyrical melody, imbued with kind sadness, awakens in the soul pleasant memories of the years of youth and school. The song became an amazing success. And now it certainly excites human hearts and is a musical attribute of school graduation ceremonies.

The beautiful waltz melody from the movie “My Affectionate and Gentle Beast” has become a favorite of many people. Constituting the “living nerve” of the film, music without words seems to convey someone’s emotional drama, calls you to the world of dreams and returns you to earth again. The popularity of Evgeniy Doga's touching melody exceeded the author's expectations. Now it invariably sounds in wedding palaces, calling the newlyweds to the first dance.

There are people who consider waltzes to be exclusively dance music, and therefore not worthy of being taken seriously. And this can only mean one thing: such people are not familiar enough with this genre!

What is a waltz

Well, in fact, by and large these people are right: the word “waltz” itself does not give room for different interpretations. This truly and unambiguously means a type of ballroom and folk dance a certain size and canon in execution.

But this is a dance. And here music, accompanying this dance is a separate story. Although the main outline of the melody must correspond to the rhythm dance moves, but this does not mean that she is squeezed by strict restrictions in the expression of feelings and emotions!

Waltz King

Of course, a conversation about composers working in this direction must begin with the name of Johann Strauss. After all, it was he who created a musical miracle: he raised dance music (and in addition to waltzes, the composer wrote many polkas, quadrilles, mazurkas) to symphonic heights!

Strauss had a lucky fate that few creative people: He became famous and in demand during his lifetime. At the peak of his creative career, he was called the king of waltzes. His works were loved by many authoritative colleagues: Tchaikovsky, Offenbach, Wagner.

But you may be surprised when you find out that the composer also had an obvious envious and ill-wisher who, as best he could, tried to interfere with him musical career. And you will be even more surprised to learn that this “ evil genius"was his own father - Johann Strauss Sr.

The younger Johann showed amazing generosity: despite all the machinations of his father (including depriving his children of inheritance), he dedicated his waltz “Aeolian Harp” to his memory. Not to mention the fact that he publishes at his own expense full meeting father's writings.

First Russian waltz

According to all information that has survived to this day, the first Russian waltz is considered to be the creation of A.S. Griboedova - waltz in E minor. Many of us know Alexander Sergeevich as the author of the textbook literary work"Woe from Wit."

But literature was not his main activity. Griboedov is a real Russian intellectual and nobleman, served as a diplomat, owned several foreign languages, was an excellent pianist and had real artistry and good taste.

Listen to his work, which is often called the Griboyedov Waltz.

And now it will just be intrigue. The story is completely life-like. It's about a young, up-and-coming musician. I don’t know the fate of his other works, in general I don’t even know: were they other works? But for sure it was a waltz.

For some reason unknown to me, fate changed; the young man did not become a composer, but became a world-famous film actor. The waltz remained unreleased and unperformed for the general public, and remained so for 50 years!

And only recently in beautiful concert hall, this luxurious melody was performed by a wonderful orchestra. Who is this composer? As soon as you turn on this video, you will recognize it immediately!

Other beautiful waltzes

There are waltzes by different composers that are a pleasure to listen to.