Johann Strauss II (1864-1949) An der schönen, blauen Donau "On the Beautiful Blue Danube", Op. 314

At the time of composing On the Beautiful Blue Danube, the Austrian composer Strauss was inspired by a poem by Karl Isidor Beck, where each stanza was punctuated with: ‘By the Danube, beautiful blue Danube’. The waltz was initially written as a choral work; it was commissioned by a choirmaster from the Vienna Men’s Choral Society in 1865. However, Strauss only started composing this work one year after the initial commission, as an effort to lift Vienna’s spirits from a recent lost war (Austria was defeated by Prussia). The premiere of that choral version did not amount to much success, as much of the lyrics were satirical, ridiculing the lost war, which were frowned upon by the Austrian audience. Strauss later revised the piece, removing the lyrics entirely and instead adapting it into an orchestral version, and the premiere of the work received much praise; so much so that Austria made it their unofficial national anthem, which is still performed annually in the Vienna New Year's Concert.

The Blue Danube, as it has become known, has quickly risen to be one of the most well-known Strauss waltzes, especially after the popular Netflix series ‘Squid Game’ premiered in September 2021, where the familiar tune was played just before the games commenced. The piece opens with a warm call from the horns and cello, slowly layered by the rest of the orchestra, forming an introduction waltz which resembles a sunrise. The piece is beautifully written to then link five distinctly different waltzes together in succession, each with distinctively different tunes and character. Strauss convincingly rounds up the waltz to a beautiful closure by reintroducing some of the waltzes one last time with a spin.