Exhibition #3

Items on display will include documents pertaining to the gala concert celebrating Johann Strauss' 50th conducting anniversary on October 14, 1894, as well as photographs and dedications by Johann Strauss to the orchestra members Jakob Grün und Willibald Hengg. In addition, two performances at which Johann Strauss conducted the Court Opera Orchestra will be highlighted, as well as the Vienna Philharmonic gala concert commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss in 1925.

Johann Strauss Jr. made his first appearance as a conductor on October 15, 1844, at Dommayer's Casino. The festivities surrounding the 50th anniversary of this momentous event were numerous, with the gala concert in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein representing the highpoint. The Court Opera Orchestra performed five compositions of Johann Strauss, among them the waltz Wine, Woman and Song, op. 333, and the Blue Danube Waltz, op. 314, with the participation of the Vienna Men's Chorus. Three conductors - Johann Nepomuk Fuchs, Wilhelm Jahn, and Eduard Kremser - alternated at the helm of the orchestra. 

Johann Strauss followed the concert with family members from a main floor box. Johannes Brahms and numerous other artists were also in attendance. 

The newspapers responded with enthusiastic reviews: "Under the baton of Fuchs, the Philharmonic gave an admirable performance of the Fledermaus Overture, which had never before created such an enthralling impression." "The audience listened breathlessly to the wonderful sounds emanating from the orchestra; but when the violins led by Rosé and Professor Grün intoned the well-known waltz theme, the effect of their masterful performance was electrifying, and a cheer went up through the hall, overwhelming the music with waves of applause.

The festival committee in charge of the preparations for Strauss' 50th conducting anniversary celebrations invited the Vienna Philharmonic to perform a gala concert on October 14 in a letter signed by committee president, Count Johann Nepomuk Wilczek, and the secretary. The letter was mailed to the orchestra only three weeks before the planned concert, yet the media had reported as early as April on plans for a Strauss concert with the Philharmonic.

"Honored Committee!

The undersigned hereby kindly invite the honorable gentlemen of the Philharmonic Orchestra to participate, for appropriate remuneration, in a gala concert commemorating the 50th conducting anniversary of the master Johann Strauss, which is to take place at 12:30 PM on October 14 of this year in the large hall of the Musikverein under the artistic direction of the assistant court conductor J. N. Fuchs, the choir master Eduard Kremser and possibly director Wilhelm Jahn.

Orchestral and choral works by the aforementioned composer will be performed.

In view of the urgency of the matter, we kindly request a response at your earliest convenience."

Five days after the concert, Johann Strauss conveyed his gratitude to the orchestra in a telegram:

"In the interim, I would like to express in writing my warmest thanks to the great artists of the famous Philharmonic Orchestra, not only for your masterly performance but also for the demonstration of your favor, which has given me the greatest pleasure.

Johann Strauss"

"To the brilliant and incomparable artist, concertmaster Prof. Grün, with veneration, Johann Strauss, Oct. 28, [18]94“

Jakob Grün (1837-1916) was concertmaster of the Vienna Court Opera Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic from 1868-1897.

"To Mr. Willibald Hengg, with fond memories

Johann Strauss Oc[t].14, [18]94“

Willibald Hengg (1838-1919) was a member of the second violin section of the Vienna Court Opera Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic from 1864-1898.

Johann Strauss conducted the last three compositions on the program of a concert presented by the Chinese World Exposition Commission on November 4, 1873, in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein. These included Joseph Lanner's waltz Die Romantiker, the Spanischer Nobelgardemarsch by Johann Strauss Sr., and Strauss' own Blue Danube Waltz. Because the concert, which was performed by the Court Opera Orchestra, did not begin until 10:00 PM, Strauss did not appear until after midnight.

The soirée at the court opera on December 11, 1877, represented the de facto first court opera ball. The second soirée, which took place only five weeks later, was already billed as a ball. The concert program at the beginning of the evening closed with the "Reminiscenzen aus Alt- und Neu-Wien", which was made up of works by Johann Strauss Sr. and Jr. Johann Strauss conducted the Court Opera Orchestra with violin bow in hand, as can be seen in the illustration. The Allgemeine Illustrirte Zeitung wrote, "High up in the gallery, a women's choir with solos by the ladies Wilt and Materna sang delightfully, while below, nestled into the arms of the magnificent staircase, sat the Court Opera Orchestra, the famous Philharmonic musicians, playing, among other things, waltzes under the baton of Johann Strauss. What more could the ear and the eye desire?"

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Johann Strauss, the Vienna Philharmonic performed a gala concert under the baton of Felix Weingartner on October 25, 1925, in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein. The Vienna Philharmonic performed eight compositions by Johann Strauss, three of them together with the Vienna Men's Chorus. Lili Marberg recited a poem written for the occasion.