The music of Johann
Strauss has for many years been played
almost incessantly by light music ensembles
of various types and sizes including
Palm Court orchestras and radio ensembles.
Most people have found the music very
attractive on first hearing and many
people have developed a love of classical
music from a love of the works of Strauss.
Some have found that familiarity leads
to contempt, an attitude often found
amongst some professional musicians
and common amongst musical snobs. Those
of an older generation probably have
not noticed that, with the almost universal
victory of modern pop music over light
music, performances of Strauss’s music
have become fairly rare (even on Classic
FM you are much more likely to hear
Grieg, Mozart and Gershwin than Strauss).
Die Fledermaus as an opera remains popular
but in the main, Strauss waltzes and
polkas are almost only heard at the
New Year ... especially at the famous
Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s day concert
which appears on both radio and TV in
many countries.
This state of affairs
coincides with the completion of part
of the Johann Strauss critical edition
by a team headed by Michael Rot. The
final complete version will comprise
about seventy volumes. The time is now
ripe for the re-appraisal of Strauss’s
music. I hope that this CD will spearhead
that process.
The Anima Eterna is
an original instrument orchestra that
has specialised in playing the music
of Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven. Jos
van Immerseel in his notes describes
his initial rather sceptical reaction
when approached with the new Edition.
However he discovered more and more
good music, nay - great music, and brilliant
orchestration. The musician’s initial
reaction had been similar to his, but
this disappeared when they began to
play the music.
It was decided to use
small string sections to avoid smothering
the wind instruments and to allow the
strings to participate like partners
in chamber music. During the first rehearsal
of the programme, realisation grew that
Strauss' music was only a small step
away from Mozart and Schubert, whose
Menuets, Ländler and Polka finales
they had already played. During the
rehearsals the orchestra expected that
some changes would be needed but they
quickly realised that was not necessary.
Strauss's scores, like those of Mozart,
Beethoven and Schubert, were perfect
scripts. Dancers helped in research
on the relationship between this type
of music and dance; their opinions on
tempi were particularly edifying.
The Vienna Philharmonic
is famous for its performances of Strauss
waltzes that are said to be based upon
a long tradition. Their style is associated
with a lengthening of the second beat
in the bar. Research on old recordings
indicated that in fact such resulting
emphasis was of comparatively recent
origin. When "restoring" Strauss’s
music it was agreed that the beat linked
with the music of Schubert and Brahms
should be adopted. When the second beat
no longer needed special attention,
the impulse now comes from the first
beat.
Compared to the sound
that we are used to, what we hear on
this CD is a revelation. The music is
very attractive, very clear and transparent.
Every strand can be identified with
the individual timbre of each instrument
heard in a musically attractive way.
The timpani in particular make a real
contribution to the music. Most of the
pieces presented here are available
in admired versions conducted by musicians
such as Clemens Kraus, Bruno Walter
and Herbert von Karajan but comparisons
tend to favour the new version. This
is not only due to the excellence of
the recording but especially because
the clarity of the original scoring
makes the music sound so much more interesting.
As you might expect, the difference
is least apparent in Perpetual Motion
(RV 257-2) which has always been considered
an orchestral showpiece in its own right,
not as dance music.
To many the most attractive
items are the three relatively unknown
works. At the Double (RV 348)
was originally a number in the 1871
Operetta Indigo and the Forty Thieves.
Strauss was trying to outdo Offenbach
by writing a wild can-can. The version
here was written for the ballroom and
holds its own in comparison to Offenbach’s
works. The CD ends with a bang: Furioso
(RV 260) although described as a Polka
is in essence a wild and exciting Galopp.
However the memorable new work is North
Sea Pictures (RV 390). This was
inspired by a holiday Strauss had in
the Isle of Föhr in the North sea
with his second wife. The orchestral
writing is outstanding and the piece
is like an orchestral suite – the storm
at sea in the coda creates a truly remarkable
effect.
This is an altogether
remarkable CD, which using the original
scores excellently played in original
instrumentation presents a view of the
music of Strauss that most would find
revelatory. The recording is first rate
and the production values high including
copious fascinating notes written by
the conductor.
Arthur Baker
Orchestra Anima Eterna/Jos van Immerseel 
