Hellenic polka
The Hellenic Polka is a polka by Johann Strauss Sohn (op. 203). The work was performed for the first time in January or February 1858 in the Palais Sina in Vienna.
Remarks
The polka was created in the carnival of 1858 and was premiered at a so-called Greek ball , which was not only accessible to the Greeks but also to the upper class of Vienna in general. The event took place in late January or early February in the palace of the millionaire Baron Simon Georg Sina (1810–1876). This in turn was located in the inner city of the Austrian capital. The title name results from the equation of the word Hellenes with the word Greeks . The polka was dedicated to a Marie Baroness von Sina, whose identity has not been clearly established. It is not the wife of the host of that ball, nor is it one of the daughters. Judging by the name, she must have been related to the aforementioned millionaire.
The polka was later somewhat forgotten and was rarely performed, if at all. This was also due to the fact that the composer's many compositions sometimes displaced each other from the concert schedule. There was simply an oversupply of such works. It was not until the 20th century that more attention was paid to the work again, by Oskar Stalla. He put together the operetta The Dancer Fanny Elßler from motifs by Johann Strauss (son) . In this stage work, which premiered on December 22nd, 1934 in Berlin, the Hellenic polka is also used .
The playing time on the CD listed under individual records is 2 minutes and 12 seconds. This time can vary somewhat depending on the conductor's musical conception.
Web links
Individual proof
- ↑ Source: English version of the booklet (page 79) in the 52 CD complete edition of the orchestral works by Johann Strauss (son), published by Naxos (label) . The work can be heard as the fifth track on the 29th CD.