Artist life

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Piano score, Published by Vienna CASpina
Artist life (duration 2:53)

Künstlerleben is a waltz by Johann Strauss Sohn (op. 316). The work was premiered on February 18, 1867 in the Dianabad Hall.

Remarks

The waltz was written by the composer for the Viennese artists' association Hesperus , to which all three Strauss brothers belonged. The brothers wrote a total of 25 works for Mardi Gras in 1867, including this one. In doing so, the Strauss family contributed to improving the then bad mood in Vienna. The background was the defeat of the Austrian army in the battle of Königgrätz , which was synonymous with the defeat in the war against Prussia. As a result of these events, many events such as concerts and balls were canceled in 1866. This, together with the defeat in the war, worsened the mood of the Viennese population. Waltz and artist life came at just the right time to lighten the mood again. The world premiere took place just a few days after the premiere of the waltz On the beautiful blue Danube . Both waltzes soon became very popular. Although the artistic life could not quite keep up with the worldwide success of the Danube Waltz, the waltz has remained a popular repertoire piece at various concerts to this day. The playing time is about 9 to 11 minutes depending on the musical understanding of the respective conductor.

New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic

The waltz is part of the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert at irregular intervals .

literature

  • Peter Kemp: The Strauss Family: History of a Musician Dynasty. Heyne Biographien, ISBN 3-453-04621-8 , pp. 114, 137 and 186.

Web links

Individual proof

  1. Source: English version of the booklet (page 72) of the 52 CD complete edition of the orchestral works by Johann Strauss (son), publisher Naxos (label) . The work can be heard as the eighth track on the 26th CD.