STRAUSS CONCERT AT THE SITE WHERE THE WALTZ KING CELEBRATED HIS SUCCESSFUL CAREER – APRIL 2022
First concert of the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna in the Grand Hotel Vienna
On 15th October 1844 Johann Strauss appeared in public for the first time, when he was only 18 years old. Exactly 50 years later he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his artistic career in the Grand Hotel Vienna, which is situated on the Ringstraße in the immediate vicinity of the Musikverein Building and the Vienna State Opera. That explains the close relationship between the hotel management and the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna, which – due to the initiative of its president Peter Widholz – has intensified since the beginning of 2022. On 9th April 2022 the Johann Strauss Society mounted a concert in the ballroom of the Grand Hotel Vienna for the first time. Under the title „Frühlingsstimmen“ (Voices of Spring) Peter Widholz presented a programme consisting almost exclusively of compositions of Johann Strauss, in which he appeared as presenter and singer. He was accompanied by the „Penzinger Konzertschrammeln“. Among the compositions were – apart from the eponymous waltz „ Frühlingsstimmen“ – the popular pieces „ Künstlerleben“, „Wein,Weib und Gesang“, “Annenpolka“ and „Tritsch-Tratsch“.
The audience – Strauss enthusiasts from all over Austria – expressed great appreciation for the performance with long-lasting applause and demanded encores. The successful performance as well as the increasing interest of the audience encouraged the Johann Strauss Society to organise three performances annually in the magnificent ambience of the Grand Hotel Vienna.
