Paroxysms (waltz)
Paroxysms is a waltz by Johann Strauss Sohn (op. 189). The work was performed for the first time on January 20, 1857 in the Sofienbad Hall in Vienna.
Remarks
The waltz was written for the medical students' ball (medicine ball ) in Mardi Gras in 1857 and was also dedicated to these students. The name comes appropriately from the medical field. Paroxysm means the severe crisis in the course of a disease which, in the best case scenario, precedes an incipient healing. That is exactly the theme of the waltz. Strauss records such a course of illness in his work. From a gloomy mood, as the healing begins and then also takes place, the music turns to a happy, lively waltz. There are also clear echoes of Richard Wagner , Hector Berlioz and Franz Liszt in the work . With this, the composer continued his series of waltzes, which were modern at the time, and which did not always meet with good criticism in Vienna. The waltz never really became popular. Nevertheless, he stayed in the concert programs for decades.
The playing time on the CD listed under individual records is 8 minutes and 20 seconds. Depending on the musical conception of the conductor, this time can change by up to a minute plus or minus.
Web links
literature
- Peter Kemp: The Strauss Family: History of a Musician Dynasty. Heyne Biographien, ISBN 3-453-04621-8 , p. 113.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Source: English version of the booklet (page 81) in the 52 CD complete edition of the orchestral works by Johann Strauss (son), publisher Naxos (label) . The work can be heard as the fourth track on the 30th CD.