The world will celebrate Strauss Year, for the bicentenary of the Viennese composer’s birth

Liverpool has The Beatles; Memphis, to Elvis; Vienna, to Johann Strauss. Such is one of the slogans with which the Austrian capital surrenders to one of its most emblematic musical figures of all time, and has prepared a vast program to celebrate the composer’s birth bicentennial throughout 2025, as will happen in many other points of the planet.

The anniversary of Johann Strauss Jr. (1825-1899), also known as Johann Strauss II or the Waltz King, It is one of the most important musical commemorations of the year to begin. So much so that not only in Austria, but in other parts of the world, it has been called the Strauss Year, which is why initiatives have been prepared to celebrate it.

With the motto King of Waltz, Queen of Music –in reference to the nickname with which the author was already famous in his lifetime and to Vienna as the world capital of music–, the celebrations will begin on the first day of 2025 with the traditional New Year’s concert of the Vienna Philharmonic.

In the world-famous Golden Hall of the Musikverein, the Italian Riccardo Muti will be in charge of directing for the seventh time this long-awaited annual musical event, which will be broadcast to more than 90 countries and is estimated to be followed by some 50 million viewers. The program includes repertoire by the Strauss family (eight pieces by the honoree) and his contemporaries, with the special attraction of including for the first time a work by a female composer: Ferdinand-Walzer, written when she was 12 years old by Constanze Geiger, a friend of Strauss II, in 1848.

The first pop star

Born on October 25, 1825 in Vienna, this creator marked the musical panorama of his time like no one else. His most famous works, such as The blue Danube y The bat, They not only revolutionized the Austrian musical tradition, but also gave it worldwide fame. The first, one of his waltzes, is the unofficial anthem of the capital of Austria, and the second, the most famous operetta on the international scene.

It is considered the first pop star in historyhighlights the city of Vienna on its official Internet page: “It was popular in its time like no other. He had charisma, talent, business acumen and international success, with tours in countries as far away as the United States, as well as an enormous base of fans. fans. His influence was immense and marked the entertainment culture of his time. Strauss was a cult figure, not unlike the pop stars of recent times, such as Elvis, Michael Jackson, Madonna or Taylor Swift.”

That European city will focus on the celebrations of this bicentennial with an extensive program dedicated to the life and work of the composer, which will include both traditional works of his authorship and innovative projects, from augmented reality to world premieres, as well as an extensive exhibition program , according to the aforementioned source.

Concert, theater and immersion music

The organization involves the great musical institutions of that capital, such as the Musikverein, the Wiener Konzderthaus, the Musik Theater an der Wirn, the Volksoper and the National Opera. The city’s main orchestras will participate, as well as artists of all genres. Every week there will be new releases, from concert music, theater and performance to digital and immersive art.

The official exhibition in memory of the Waltz King has as its title Celebrating Johann Strauss. It was inaugurated on April 4 and will run until June 23 at the Vienna Theater Museum. In it, according to that institution, Light is shed on the grueling lifestyle that the composer carried, his relationship with his parents and siblings, the call enterpriseas well as with his three wives and his lovers, in Russia.

Objects from the composer’s literary legacy, including the operetta’s original score, are on display for the first time The bat, along with original objects related to the representations of his works. In this way, depending on the venue, a fascinating combination of the artist’s musical work and its scenic translation is achieved.

Johann Strauss was a superstar of his time. He was the driving force behind the transformation of dance music into serious concert music. He drew his audiences into enthusiastic adoration as conductor and principal violinist. His extensive tours took him from Europe to Russia and the United States. He was also a businessman and an organizational talent who knew how to involve his brothers Josef and Eduard in the family business, while their wives took care of appointments and finances in the background. He hired artists such as the singer and first director of the Theater an der Wien, Marie Geistinger, as well as the theater star Alexander Girardi, who guaranteed the success of his operettas.adds the museum.