Description
Johann Strauß Vater (Johann Strauss Sr.) was a Viennese composer, conductor, and violinist. The Radetzky Marsch, Op. 228, was first performed in Vienna in 1848. Strauss was commissioned to write the piece to be premiered at a “Victory Festival’ to commemorate the exploits of Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz and the Austrian Army, and to raise funds for wounded soldiers. It soon became a favorite of the Austrian people. In 1978, the score of Radetzky Marsch was discovered at its original printing works in Vienna. On Easter Sunday 1979, Julius Rudel conducted members of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in performance. To this day, Radetzky Marsch remains a signature encore at the Vienna Symphony Orchestra Annual “New Year’s Eve Concert”. Listen for the characteristic sounds of Alphorns (transcribed in the Brass Section) during the Trio of this new presentation of Radetzky Marsch.