October 25th marks the bicentenary of one of the most influential composers of the 19th-century: Johann Strauss (the son), the most prominent member of a family whose irresistible music had all of Viennese high society dancing. Strauss, with his incomparable melodic flair and unrivalled sense of rhythm, brought light music to its highest point of refinement. No one excelled as much as he did in fashionable dances (polka, quadrille... and of course waltz) and comic opera (Die Fledermaus, Der Zigeunerbaron), but it would be unfair to reduce his work to pieces of pleasure or entertainment, only good enough to be dusted off for the New Year's concert! Johann Strauss is a major composer who has been a lasting inspiration to many composers, including the Viennese avant-garde of the following generation. Rediscover him in this collection of fifty pieces, conducted by such illustrious figures as Herbert von Karajan, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Rudolf Kempe and Willi Boskovsky.
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