Schatzwalzer (Treasure Waltz)

The name of Strauss is today synonymous with Viennese dance music. And though there are many such dances and also many such Strausses, the name usually refers to a waltz written by Johann Strauss, Jr., “The Waltz King.” This evening’s selection, however, comes from a larger work. Strauss was immensely popular as a dance band leader in Vienna, but he also achieved great success and fame for his stage works. By far his most popular opera is Die Fledermaus; only slightly less well known was Der Zigeunerbaron, “The Gypsy Baron” (1885). The libretto of this comic opera picks up on several plot strands and characterizations that appealed to Strauss’ contemporaries. A minor landowner returns from exile to marry a lovely but very poor gypsy girl (touching on the conflict between class affiliation and affairs of the heart). Unbeknownst to him, this girl is actually the daughter and heir to a Turkish pasha, and she is the rightful owner of the pasha’s immense treasure. Gradually her identity is revealed, along with the unexpected windfall, all filled out with a trove of subordinate but fetching characters (the fortune teller, the pompous local mayor, a troop of Hussars, etc.).
The “Treasure Waltz” features a selection of numbers pulled from the larger work. You may recall the performance of Strauss’ “Emperor Waltz” last season, and many of the same features are present here as well. The “Treasure Waltz” actually includes four different waltzes, each with a sectional structure, as well as a march introduction and coda. The coda, in particular, becomes a source of interest as it draws together many of the preceding waltz tunes before leading up to the final cadence, which nearly always—as here—sounds as whirling crescendo of excitement, leaving the dancers to catch their breath.

(c) Jason Stell