Youth dreams
Jugend-Träume is a waltz by Johann Strauss Sohn (op. 12).
prehistory
After Johann Strauss Sohn had only performed in the Casino Dommayer in Hietzing and in the Strüßl halls in Josephstadt in the first few months , in the summer of 1845 he was given the opportunity to perform in his father's local pub, the Sperl in Leopoldstadt , for a practical test "Old Sperlians", the regular guests of the restaurant.
performance
In the style of his father, he arranged an extraordinary summer night festival soiree on July 5, 1845 , the decoration showed the imposing view from Naples to Vesuvius. The waltz composed especially for this event was the dreams of the youth .
Reactions
Three days after the event, the hiker reported : “The day before yesterday the party took place at Sperl. Music by Strauss-Sohn and for the first time completely new waltzes by Strauss-Sohn! What more does it take for the Viennese to be a call to gather in large numbers? And the Viennese came, heard and applauded, applauded from piece to piece, applauded from number to number. And only with the new 'youth dreams'! That is no longer applause, that is already jubilation, that is to be called delight. The waltzes had to be played six times and the audience hadn't gotten enough of them. Strauss-Sohn's earlier compositions are already excellent, but this part surpasses all. These compositions bear the stamp of genius. Strauss and Lanner were always the heterogeneous elements of the dance compositions, ravishing embers and fire in one, cosiness, humor and softness in the other. Strauss-Sohn, the third in the group, stands in the middle and reconciles and unites the two elements. If it surprises us at first with a fiery bubbling melody that gets our feet moving, then a gently flattering melody comes to our hearts again, and soon we hear a jubilation and now another really cozy song, just like the Austrian is like it determines its nature. "
You could tell from the euphoric report that this waltz is “one of the most beautiful in this genre”.
Later time
Almost 50 years later, Eduard Strauss arranged the fantasy "Blüthenkranz Johann Strauss'scher Walzer" in honor of his brother Johann and there the first bars of the waltz Jugend-Träume also found their place.
The original version of the work is considered lost, only a later version for a reduced orchestra, which has definitely been changed, has been preserved.