Josef Hellmesberger jnr., Nelly, Walzer, Arr. CPE Strauss

From www.cpestrauss.com
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My orchestration of this waltz by Hellmesberger from two piano scores, neither of which was complete! It’s based on themes from the operetta Rikiki of 1887 and brought to mind memories of my late grandmother, Eleanor “Nelly” Sowerby, who is pictured.
It’s a very good waltz of the period with lots of nice tunes but it doesn’t do a lot for me. I am much happier fifty years earlier but styles change over the years. I think by this period the waltz is getting a bit middle aged and tired. I was going to witter on about the lack of cross rhythms, the tunes that are relentlessly on the beat, the themes based on minims and crotchets rather than crotchets and quavers, the tum ti tum ti tum ti tum tunes and the general feeling of heaviness but then I decided that what I was trying to say is that it’s not much fun.
Johann Strauss II’s Kaiserwalzer Op. 437 dates from this period. It’s a superb piece of music and arguably the best he ever wrote. It doesn’t get in my top ten favourite Johann Strauss II waltzes though, because it doesn’t sparkle in the way some of his earlier pieces do. I transcribed Johann Strauss I’s Ball Racketen, Op. 96 recently (Here - • Johann Strauss I, Ball... ). This is the other end of the scale. It’s not Strauss’s greatest work. It looks hurriedly put together and some of the joins show, but it’s a joy. Everything sparkles. The orchestration is delicate, the rhythms are bouncy, there are little musical jokes and firework impressions and the stretto at the end positively fizzes despite the small orchestra. It is obvious to me that Kaiserwalzer is by far the better piece of music but I know which I’d choose to whiz round a dance floor to, preferably at 2 am after a modicum of fizzy wine and with an attractive partner. (We all have our dreams!)

[@Adamov1]

Great arrangement of an interesting waltz, 3:42 is probably my favorite tune from the piece but there are so many great ones in those 10 minutes. Hellmesberger II was a very good composer, I love his waltzes like "Für die ganze Welt!" and various symphonic dances and miniatures. Conductors conducting New Year's Concerts in Vienna also surely appreciate him because his works have been performed annually in Musikverein. One day I would like to hear recordings of all his waltzes and the entire ballet "Die Perlen von Iberien" - as far as I know, only a recording of a short suite from it is available.

[@cpestrauss8740]

Re 3:42 cf Waltz 2 of Johann Strauss II’s Morgenblätter

[@antares7880]

I like particularly the introduction, which is very interesting musically and sounds beautiful in your arrangement. My other favourite parts are the waltzes 1A and 1B as well as the transition to coda. The melody at 3:42 remains me of some Ziehrer's characteristic motifs.

[@cpestrauss8740]

Introductions are hard. Once I get to the waltz sections I am more confident of doing something reasonable as they are written to a structure, but the composer has a free hand with the introduction and I'm never sure of what I am doing, especially if it's a composer or an era I don't know that well. Here the piano score just has the tune and the accompaniment figures that I put in the wind parts. I wouldn't bet too much that what I have done is similar to Hellmesberger but I don't think the score survives. All I can hope that it is not too anachronistic as the waltz is worth hearing.

[@cpestrauss8740]

Re 3:42 cf Waltz 2 of Johann Strauss II’s Morgenblätter

[@Adamov1]

I'm also really curious what would your list of top 10 Strauss II would look like?

[@cpestrauss8740]

Hah! It probably changes on a daily basis and there are lots I haven’t heard. Most of them are predictable -
Künstlerleben
An der schönen blauen Donau
Wiener Blut
Rosen aus dem Süden
I like the ones where he’s not trying to be too symphonic (Not trying to compete with Josef?) so usually ones from the early 1860s -
Feuilleton, Motoren (prefer the Marco Polo recording), Accelerationen, Concurrenzen.
I’d add Freuet Euch des Lebens to those although it’s later
Liebeslieder (first masterpiece, I like the Andre Rieu version … much to my surprise)

[@Adamov1]

@@cpestrauss8740 Great list. I have very good rare recordings of Op. 293 and Op. 267, extremely inspired and danceable, which I will soon post on my channel. I thought that I will see Frühlingsstimmen, Wiener Bonbons or Morgenblätter on your list. Its very hard for me to pick my top 10 by Johann II, more like top 50, he composed so many dozens of masterpieces. This task is surely much easier for Johann I, Josef, Ziehrer or Eduard (my top 10 by Pepi: Mai-Rosen, Perlen der Liebe, Wiener Kinder, Hesperusbahnen, Aquarellen, Mein Lebenslauf ist Lieb' und Lust, Sphärenklänge, Herbstrosen, Delirien, Transactionen, Dorfschwalben aus Österreich, top 15 for Edi: Fesche Geister, Doctrinen, Ball-Promessen, Myrthen-Sträusschen, Manuscripte, Interpretationen, Studentenball-Tanze, Stimmen aus dem Publikum, Theorien, Aus dem Rechtsleben, Schleier und Kröne, Myrthenzauber, Glockensignale, Lustfahrten and Das Leben ist doch schön.