HISTORY
2023: Foundation
For two decades the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna repeatedly cooperated with various Schrammel quartets, whenever there was no piano available for the accompaniment of the singers. When, in the early 2020ies, this kind of concerts became increasingly popular, Peter Widholz, the president of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna, decided to found the Society’s own Schrammel quartet, which he called Concert Schrammeln of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna. This step enabled the Society to choose each member of the quartet themseves and thus make sure that each musician had the necessary knowledge and qualifications to guarantee a faithful reproduction of this genre of music, which is the main focus of the Johanna Strauss Society of Vienna.
The very first performance of the newly founded quartet, which attracted a large audience, among them numerous celebrities, and generated impressive media interest, took place on October 23rd,2023. It provided the frame of the tenth awards ceremony, when the Golden Johann Strauss was presented to Eliette von Karajan.
Two weeks later, the Johann Strauss Concert Schrammeln performed their first major concert in the Great Hall of the Grand Hotel Vienna on November 11th together with Peter Widholz as vocal soloist and presenter. Again, TV reporters were present and the hall was completely sold out. The five musicians received long-lasting frenetic applause.
In order to gain an impression of this inaugural concert click on the following link:
2024 : First critique
The success of the quartet became known quickly and soon the following review of the performance, which took place in the Grand Hotel Vienna on 10th Nov. 2024, appeared in the Opera Magazine „ Der Neue Merker“:
2025: First performance of the Concert Schrammeln of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna together with the concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
In 2025, the participation of the long-standing first concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Univ.-Prof. Rainer Küchl, was secured for the first time. At the ceremonial presentation of the Golden Johann Strauss Award to Ks. Jonas Kaufmann, he performed together with the Johann Strauss Society’s Concert Schrammeln and interpreted as concertmaster the Blue Danube Waltz and the fast polka „Leichtes Blut“ by Johann Strauss.
2026: The next international star
About six months later, it once again became possible to secure the participation of a globally celebrated artist. Since her appearance at the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert in 2018, Barbara Laister-Ebner has been regarded as the most internationally renowned zither virtuoso. She was invited to perform the zither solo in the waltz „Tales from the Viennese Woods“ at the spring concert presented by the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna together with its Johann Strauss Concert Schrammeln, on 21st March 2026, at the Grand Hotel Vienna. The review in „Neuer Merker“ stated:
At the conclusion of this phenomenal spring festival, „Tales from the Viennese Woods“, Op.325 by Johann Strauss was performed. The outstanding Johann Strauss Concert Schrammeln Vienna were joined for the zither solo by the exceptional high-caliber musical support of the world-famous zither virtuoso Barbara Laister-Ebner, who had already performed this solo at the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert in 2018 under the musical direction of Riccardo Muti.
With profound empathy, dedication and focused musical mastery, the high-quality ensemble rendered „Tales from the Viennese Woods“ at the highest artistic level.
