Children's games (polka)
Children's games is a polka française by Johann Strauss Sohn (op. 304). The work was first performed on August 22, 1865 in Pavlovsk , Russia.
Remarks
The polka was created in the summer of 1865 during the composer's annual trip to Russia. There it was premiered without causing a major stir. In Vienna she initially remained unknown, probably also because of the low success in Russia. On December 5, 1865, one day before St. Nicholas Day, the Emperor's mother, Archduchess Sophie , held a court ball, or rather a festival for her grandchildren , in her rooms in the Hofburg . Johann Strauss and his orchestra also played this work there. For the occasion he had specially equipped his orchestra with a children's trumpet. The name of the work is derived from this event in the Hofburg. The name under which the work was originally played in Russia is not known. The polka remained unsuccessful in Vienna and was soon forgotten. 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.
The playing time on the CD listed under individual records is 3 minutes and 22 seconds. This time can vary somewhat depending on the conductor's musical conception.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Source: English version of the booklet (page 44) in the 52 CD complete edition of the orchestral works by Johann Strauss (son), publisher Naxos (label) . The work can be heard as the sixth track on CD 14.