Best Strauss
Die Fledermaus is a comedic operetta by Johann Strauss II, composed in 1874. It’s notable for its lively melodies, intricate ballroom scenes, and witty storyline set in Vienna during the 1870s. The work remains a cornerstone of Viennese operetta tradition and is frequently performed by opera compani...
Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, premiered at the Dresden Hofoper on January 26, 1911. Set in Vienna during the reign of Maria Theresa in the 1740s, the opera centers on the Marschallin, her young l...
Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs is a set of four vocal cycles for soprano and orchestra composed between 1904 and 1908. Notable for its intensely emotional and evocative melodies alongside a lush orchestral accompaniment, it represents the pinnacle of late-Romantic music. The work explores themes...
Johann Strauss II’s *Der Zigeunerbaron* is a Hungarian operetta composed in 1885. Based on Mór Jókai's novel *Saffi*, it features a darker narrative compared to many of Strauss’ earlier works and achieved significant popularity. The opera tells the story of a Romani baron and his love for a young wo...
Richard Strauss composed Also sprach Zarathustra in 1896 as a symphonic poem based on Nietzsche’s philosophical novel. The work is notable for its dramatic orchestral writing and soaring melodies, particularly its immediately recognizable opening fanfare. It's primarily intended for professional orc...
Rudolf Kempe was a German conductor who lived from 1910 to 1976 and worked extensively in opera and the symphonic repertoire. He held leadership positions with ensembles including the Dresden Staatskapelle, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, and the Munich Philharmonic....
Vienna Waltzes is a full-length ballet choreographed by Jiří Kylián. It utilizes music from Johann Strauss II to portray the refined social customs of Viennese ball culture in the late nineteenth century. The work, notable for its neoclassical style and influence of George Balanchine’s approach, is...
Wiener Blut, meaning “Viennese Blood,” is an operetta based on compositions by Johann Strauss II. It was assembled posthumously in 1899 by Adolf Müller Jr. The work features a romantic storyline and prominent waltzes characteristic of the Viennese operetta tradition from the 1890s. It’s primarily en...
Johann Strauss II composed Eine Nacht in Venedig, an operetta from 1883. It’s notable as his only work staged outside Vienna and remains a popular Viennese operetta showcasing comedic elements. The piece is particularly relevant for audiences interested in late 19th-century music, specifically Strau...
Richard Strauss’s Violin Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 18, represents a significant work in the composer's development. Written in 1887, it showcases his evolving style from classical forms towards a more expressive and romantic approach. The sonata is notable for its virtuosic demands on the violin p...
Clemens Krauss was an Austrian conductor and opera administrator who lived from 1893 to 1954. He held senior posts at institutions including the Vienna State Opera, the Frankfurt Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, and the Vienna Philharmonic’s concert organization. Closely associated with Richard Stra...
'Whipped Cream' is a two-act ballet choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky to the music of Richard Strauss Jr., with its premiere performance by American Ballet Theatre in 2017. The production features sets and costumes designed by pop artist Mark Ryden and tells the story of a young boy who becomes ill...
Richard Strauss's Violin Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 18 (1888) is a youthful, Brahmsian work of high virtuosity that remains one of the most technically demanding in the Romantic violin-piano repertoire.
Richard Strauss's Violin Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 18 was composed in 1887-1888 and is his only work in the violin sonata genre, representing one of his last significant pieces of chamber music. The three-movement sonata dates from a period when Strauss's style reflected the influences of Johannes...
Cagliostro in Wien is a three-act operetta composed by Johann Strauss II, featuring a libretto by F. Zell and Richard Genée. It premiered in 1875 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna. The plot is a comedic fictionalization of the 18th-century occultist Alessandro Cagliostro, weaving together histori...
Der lustige Krieg, translated as The Merry War, is a three-act operetta by Johann Strauss II with a German libretto by F. Zell and Richard Genee. It premiered at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna in 1881 and received 69 performances during its initial run. The work uses a comic military setting, rom...
Waldmeister is a German-language operetta in three acts by Johann Strauss II, with a libretto by Gustav Davis. It premiered in Vienna in 1895 and uses a comic plot involving botany, mistaken identities, romantic complications, and a drink flavored with sweet woodruff, the plant called Waldmeister in...
Le Beau Danube (Massine), composed in 1894, is a lavish and technically demanding Russian ballet notable for its elaborate staging depicting a medieval romance set along the Danube River, featuring intricate choreography and impressive orchestral coloratura.
Prinz Methusalem is a three-act operetta by Johann Strauss II, premiered at Vienna's Carltheater in 1877. Its first run reached roughly 80 performances, an unusually strong record for a Viennese operetta of the period, though the work later received fewer revivals than Strauss's Die Fledermaus or De...
Das Spitzentuch der Königin is Johann Strauss II's 1880 operetta about Cervantes, source of the famous Rosen aus dem Süden waltz.
Simplicius is Johann Strauss II's 1887 operetta after Grimmelshausen, remembered partly through the Donauweibchen waltz drawn from it.
Fürstin Ninetta is Johann Strauss II's 1893 late operetta, premiered at the Theater an der Wien with a libretto by Wittmann and Bauer.
Die Göttin der Vernunft is Johann Strauss II's last completed operetta, premiered in Vienna in 1897 with a French Revolution setting.
