Emperor Waltz op. 437

Berlin can call itself the Johann Strauss city with almost the same right as Vienna. The composer was just as well known and respected on the river Spree as on the Danube, and in Berlin he experienced successes of triumphant proportions. There is therefore a clear Berlin connection in many of his works, the most striking example being the famous Emperor's Waltz, which was composed for the opening of the Berlin "Königsbau" (1889). If the critics of the time thought they heard "Prussian" marching melodies in the introduction to the waltz, then that was pure wishful thinking.

The composition is Viennese through and through, even if it cannot be clearly related to the Danube monarchy. With such works, which are burdened by many clichés, it is quite good to recall the motives behind their creation.