E. Strauss: A Centenary Celebration, Vol. 2

Eduward Strauss was overshadowed by his more famous elder siblings Johann II and Josef but his music from the 1870s and 1880s easily stands comparison with theirs, and in the dance genres of the quick polka and the gallop he was in a class of his own. These world premiere recordings of ‘handsome Edi’s’ music include the beguiling waltz Freie Gedanken or “Free Thoughts” written for the ‘Hesperus’ Artists’ Association, and the charming polka-mazurka Schmeichelkatzchen (‘Little Flatterer’), which was popular enough with Viennese audiences to be reprised throughout that season. Volume 1 of this edition was considered ‘energetic and beautiful’ by the American Record Guide.