THE MOST EXTENSIVE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF ALL TIME
The year 2026 marked the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna (Johann Strauss-Gesellschaft Wien). Never before in its history had the Society celebrated a milestone anniversary on such a grand scale. To commemorate the occasion, three special gala performances were presented throughout the year in addition to the Society’s regular programme of events. Each of these celebrations highlighted the Society’s rich and eventful history, while paying particular tribute to the pioneering work it has accomplished over the past nine decades – often under the most challenging circumstances.
Our cover photo shows the full Executive Board of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna gathered before the Johann Strauss Monument in Vienna’s Stadtpark on 2nd July 2026, just a few days before the 90th anniversary of the Society’s founding.
From left to right: Komm.-Rat Christian Gerzabek, Oberst Bernhard Heher, Prof. Werner Resel, Mag.Peter Widholz, Univ.Prof. Rainer Küchl, and OStR Wilfrid Fleischmann.
The Opening Event
The celebrations opened on 1st March 2026 with a matinee in the Sträußel-Säle of Vienna’s historic Theater in der Josefstadt. For the first time in its ninety-year history, the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna presented an event in these distinguished surroundings, where both Johann Strauss the Elder and Johann Strauss the Younger had once performed with their respective orchestras.
The matinee traced the Society’s history from 1936 to 1950, placing particular emphasis on the life and legacy of one of its most eminent presidents, Edmund Eysler. Born in 1874 and deceased in 1949, Eysler was among the leading and most internationally acclaimed composers of the Silver Age of Viennese Operetta. As President of the Society from1947 until his death in 1949, he played a pivotal role in restoring its international reputation in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, enabling it to regain the prestige it had enjoyed before the war.
Tickets for the event had sold out weeks in advance. The programme was hosted by the Society’s President, Prof. Mag. Peter Widholz, who also delighted the audience as a vocalist, performing a selection of Eysler’s most popular operetta songs accompanied by the Johann Strauss JSG Konzert Schrammeln. The doyenne of the Theater in der Josefstadt, Kammerschauspielerin Marianne Nentwich, gave a reading from historical documents in her inimitable style. At the close of the matinee, amid enthusiastic applause from the audience, she was presented by Peter Widholz with the honorary membership of the Society in recognition of her decades of participation in its events. Also taking part in the matinee were Edmund Eysler’s great grandson, Univ. Prof. Dr. Paul Wagner and Mag. Martin Fabisch, the district mayor of Josefstadt, which had been Eysler’s home district.
The following day, Der Neue Merker published an extensive online review by Marisa Altmann-Althausen, which concluded with the following words:
“An exceptional matinee of the highest artistic quality and profound emotional impact, commemorating the events of 12th March 1938 and their consequences through the story of the great Austrian composer Edmund Eysler. A tribute to the victims of the Holocaust and to all those who are today suffering as a result of war, and a powerful plea for remembrance and peace.”
The Climax
On 2nd July 2026, just a few days before the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna – it had been established on 15th July 1936 – the Society’s official birthday celebrations continued with a second commemorative event: an open-air concert in front of the Johann Strauss Monument in Vienna’s Stadtpark. The Vienna Guards Band performed under the baton of its Chief Conductor, Oberst Prof. Mag. Bernhard Heher, Director of Music of the Austrian Armed Forces and Bandmaster of the Guards Band. Peter Widholz once again appeared as tenor soloist and, in his role as master of ceremonies, he guided the audience through the entire history of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna. The programme featured exclusively works by Johann Strauss II.
Following a week-long heatwave in eastern Austria, during which record temperatures exceeded 40°C, welcome rainfall on the previous day brought much-needed relief. As a result, guests from Austria and abroad were able to celebrate the Society’s anniversary outdoors in glorious sunshine and pleasantly mild temperatures, enjoying the occasion in a relaxed and festive atmosphere.
The highlight of this anniversary concert was the presentation of an honorary membership certificate to Colonel Bernhard Heher. In his laudatory speech, President Peter Widholz praised Heher’s authentic interpretation of classical Viennese music at events organized by the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna, in recognition of which he was appointed as an Honorary Member of the Society.
Shortly after the event, the online broadcaster TV21 reported on the celebration in a feature that can be viewed via the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RhEcRE7XvU
SEQUEL FOLLOWS!
