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| Johann Strauss Sr (1804 - 1849) |
Johann Strauss Sr. never said to his eponymous son "I hope you will go further than I do" or anything like that. There was no need. Naturally, the son's talent would soon surpass the father's. Thus, the relations within the Strauss Orchestra, founded by Strauss Sr in 1825, would be complicated. To the point that Strauss Jr later decided to create his own orchestra, vying with his father in the battle to gain the favour of the audience, the nascent Viennese bourgeoisie, who in those years was in need of dancing.
The invention of the "Viennese waltz"
Over the years, the son's fame overshadowed that of the father. This reality, however, is petty with Strauss Sr. Although it was his son who in his time earned the title of "the king of the waltz" in Europe, Johann Strauss Sr. was the author of the idea. From the elaboration of simple peasant dances, it was he who managed to introduce a danceable piece in triple time into the halls of Vienna, which until today is known as the "Viennese waltz" and which, of course, the son upscaled. And it was the father who, for the first time, decided to designate the pieces composed with a descriptive title and not simply with a number, so that the son did not need a focus group to decide between The Blue Danube and Vals N ° 7, or 15, or 31.
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| Joseph Wenzel Radetzky (1766 - 1858) |
In the exaltation of the waltz, the son performed brilliantly, by the way, but it resulted. unexpectedly. in that only one piece by the creator of the Viennese waltz is heard on today's stages. This is the extraordinarily famous Radetzky March, composed in honor of the Austrian Field Marshal, Joseph Wenzel, Count Radeztky, whose glory at the time would consist in safeguarding Austria's military might during the clashes of 1848-49, in the framework of the Italian independence wars.
The "New Year" March
The father was far from the brilliance of the son, but his ingenuity was enough for his rightfully famous march to be heard every morning of the first day of January in the Musikverein Hall of Vienna. The Radetzky March is the jubilant piece destined to proudly close the proverbial New Year's Concert in that city.
During the performance of the piece, tradition prescribes that the conductor turns to the audience and invites them to clap out the rhythm. This is what we see the young and remarkable Venezuelan conductor, Gustavo Dudamel, doing on the occasion of a tour of Europe, leading the no less outstanding Venezuelan group, the Simon Bolívar Youth Symphony Orchestra.
