Скачать или смотреть Johann Strauss II – O schöner Mai!, Walzer, Op. 375 (1877)

On 3 January 1877 the curtain of Vienna's Carl-Theater rose on the première of Johann Strauss's fifth operetta, Prinz Methusalem. Though greeting the new work with mixed reviews, the critics spoke most favourably of Strauss's music. As was so often the case, however, several of the separate orchestral numbers Johann fashioned from the score of his operetta went on to enjoy far greater success when freed from their parent stage work. A fine example is the waltz O schöner Mai! which Johann's brother, Eduard, introduced to the Viennese public at his Sunday concert in the Musikverein on 21 January 1877. The principal waltz theme of this work quotes from the Act 3 duet for Pulcinella and Methusalem ("O du, O du, me in Feldmarschall"), while the remaining melodies are culled from Acts 1 and 2, including the Act 1 Chorus and Ensemble, "O schoener Mai!", which also gives the waltz its title.

Wiener Philharmoniker chamber ensemble

Painting: Marcin Zaleski – Widok pałacu w Łazienkach latem