THE FIRST TOUR OF THE JOHANN STRAUSS SOCIETY TO HUNGARY – JULY 2001
The First Major Event Abroad
In 1999, the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna had received its first-ever invitation to perform abroad, namely in Greece. While this was still a concert with a small ensemble, less than two years later the Society was able to present itself abroad with a full-scale production. This time, the destination was Hungary. The performance took place on the open-air stage on Budapest’s Margaret Island. Members of the Classical Operetta Ensemble Vienna (Martina Claussen, Teresa Gardner and Peter Widholz) together with popular Hungarian artists (Marika Oszwald and László Csere) presented a vibrant selection from both the Golden and the Silver Age of operetta. The star guest was Kammersängerin Sona Ghazarian. The singers were accompanied by the Strauss Capelle Vienna in their historical costumes of the Imperial and Royal Court Ball Musicians, under the direction of Michael Tomaschek. Orchestral works by Johann Strauss, such as the “Frühlingsstimmenwalzer” (Voices of Spring Waltz) and the “Ägyptischer Marsch” (Egyptian March) complemented the programme. Marika Oszwald and Peter Widholz guided the audience through the evening in both Hungarian and German.
The ballet of the Konservatorium der Stadt Wien (Music and arts University of the City of Vienna), choreographed by Evelyn Téri, delighted the audience with a series of dazzling costume changes. As special highlights, two soloists from the Vienna State Opera were also engaged: Sandra Mühlbauer and Eno Peci.
This gala concert, organized jointly by the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna and the Working Group for Austrian – Hungarian Cultural Cooperation, was held under the patronage of the mayors of Budapest and Vienna, Dr. Gábor Demeszky and Dr. Michael Häupl. The event was a success in every respect – not least thanks to the fine weather. More than 1500 visitors attended on that mild summer evening, enthusiastically applauding all performers and demanding encore after encore. The event marked yet another milestone in the series of artistic productions relaunched by the Johann Strauss Society of Vienna in 1996.
