Johann Strauss II

Johann Strauss II (Vienna, 25 October 1825 – Vienna, 3 June 1899) was an Austrian composer, violinist and conductor, celebrated as the “Waltz King”. The son of Johann Strauss I, he developed an international career with his orchestra and helped make Viennese dance music familiar far beyond Austria. His waltzes, polkas and marches unite memorable melody with a finely developed sense of rhythm and orchestral colour.

His best-known works include The Blue Danube and the Emperor Waltz. He also became a leading figure in Viennese operetta, notably with Die Fledermaus (1874) and Der Zigeunerbaron (1885). The overture to Die Fledermaus, heard here in an arrangement for piano four hands, draws together the operetta’s sparkling dance rhythms and lyrical melodies. Strauss’s music remains central to concert life and to Vienna’s musical identity.