Heldenplatz in Vienna, 29. May 1999
Johann Strauss II (October 25, 1825 – June 3, 1899), also known as Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, the Son (German: Sohn), Johann Baptist Strauss, was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. In his lifetime, he was known as "The Waltz King", and was largely then responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century.
Some of Johann Strauss' most famous works include "The Blue Danube", "Kaiser-Walzer", "Tales from the Vienna Woods", and the "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka". Among his operettas, Die Fledermaus and Der Zigeunerbaron are the best known.
Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra)
Zubin Mehta - Conductor
Andrea Rost - Soprano
José Carreras - Tenor
Not only did 1999 mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Johann Strauss Sr., but the centenary of the passing of his son, Johann Strauss, "The Waltz King".
To commemorate, on the evening of May 29, 1999, in Vienna's grand Heldenplatz, almost 8,000 people gathered for a gala concert.
This Wiener Philharmoniker performance was conducted by Zubin Mehta (who had previously conducted the Three Tenors, one of whom, José Carreras, is here joined by soprano Andrea Rost for two duets from Strauss operettas).
At 103 minutes, this DVD offers 19 selections, but either there was an interval after just six pieces, or considering how rapidly it gets dark between "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka" and the "Overture" from Die Fledermaus, there has been some cutting.
Given such a great orchestra and the wonderful setting, it would have been nice to see people dancing to what is, after all, real dance music.
Despite the static nature of the event, the music is still uplifting, moving even the staid Vienna audience to clap along by the finale of the rousing "Radetzky March" .
Other than some useful booklet notes, the DVD has no special features, and the sound is offered only in Dolby Digital 2.0 and PCM stereo.
This is presumably due to the difficulties associated with outdoor acoustics and live recording, which nearly prevented the concert going ahead.
The anamorphically enhanced picture generally makes the most of the spectacular location, having such a clarity in the close-ups that it is virtually possible to count the hairs on the musicians' heads. -- Gary S. Dalkin
Open air concerts were only a short chapter in the history of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
A program consisting solely of Strauss works in an open air event intended for a large audience is something new, and initial skepticism about the technical and acoustic realization was accordingly great.
But the view prevailed that, in the Strauss year 1999, something new should be dared.
Fortune smiled on the musicians in regard to the decisive factor for every open air event - the weather: May 29, 1999 was an ideal evening in Vienna.
Almost eight thousand visitors reveled in the magic of a mild late spring evening and the magnificent ambiance of Heldenplatz (Hero Square).
Two of the Viennese opera audience's absolute favorites, the Spanish tenor Jose Carreras and the Hungarian soprano Andrea Rost, had agreed to sing arias and duets from Johann Strauss' imperishable masterpieces.
Zubin Mehta, who has conducted several open air concerts with "The Three Tenors", is a regular open air "pro".
The enthusiasm of the listeners inspired him to the unplanned "classical" conclusion of every Strauss concert, a performance of the Radetzky-Marsch.
But perhaps part of the inspiration was the euphoria that seized the orchestra that played Johann Strauss' immortal melodies in the Danubian metropolis, Vienna, on the 100th anniversary of the Waltz King's death and that recalled a few compositions by Johann Strauss father.
Father and son had spread Vienna's fame as the city of the waltz throughout the world.