John Strauss

Author: (German) Norbert Lunk
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Starting in June, Biller's band performed every afternoon and evening at the International Society concerts. Serious works by composers such as Weber, Schumann, Meyerbeer, and others were conducted by Biller, while Strauss performed his own compositions. On June 19, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico was suddenly assassinated, cooling all relations with Austria, as Maximilian was the brother of the Austrian Emperor and had been lured to Mexico to take a risky adventure by Napoleon III of France. At this time, Henry Duverney, editor-in-chief of the Paris newspaper Le Figaro, began to champion Strauss, hosting an artistic gathering at the editorial office, inviting composers such as Ambroise Thomas (of "Mireille"), as well as Alexandre Dumas, Gustave Flaubert, and Ivan S. Turgenev. At the thank-you banquet, Strauss presented a "Figaro" (Op. 320), which Duverney published in Le Figaro on June 28. The concerts organized by the International Society continued until August 9 and attracted an ever-growing audience. In addition to Strauss, Biller also became overnight famous. His "Biller Band" faced little competition in Berlin and quickly established itself. Moreover, the now-renowned "Berlin Philharmonic" was originally composed of members from his band. Strauss then traveled to London with his wife, conducting 63 gala concerts for the Royal Opera before October 26. Yetti sang arias, ballads, and songs—sometimes accompanied by her own Jean on the piano. Just as in Paris, Strauss had Giovanni Botossini, the local orchestra's conductor, perform serious works (he would later conduct the premiere of Verdi's "Aida" in Cairo four years later). From his own works, he selected the waltz "The Blue Danube," using the male chorus version with English lyrics. Publisher Spina now had work to do. To meet the orders, he had been printing the score of "The Blue Danube" for several weeks. "Every day, there were thousands of orders, and after a few weeks, we began shipping several large boxes filled with this waltz to the United States." In just a few years, Spina published 16 different versions and sold 1 million scores. Through concerts in Paris and London—exactly 30 years after his father's successful performances in the city—Johann Strauss laid the foundation for his future worldwide fame. The waltz "The Blue Danube" (German title) became a "waltz with over a million copies sold"—"The Blue Danube" (English title).