Waltz: Sphärenklänge (Music of the Spheres), Op.235

Josef Strauss (1827-1870)

Waltz: Sphärenklänge (Music of the Spheres), Op.235

“He is the more gifted of us two,” said Johann II of his brother Josef, “I am merely the more popular.” Indeed, if Josef Strauss had not been plagued by illness, which resulted in his death at the age of forty-three, and if he had been as ambitious as his brothers, he might well have turned out a greater composer than either Eduard or Johann II. Sphärenklänge (Music of the Spheres) offers an inspired example of the musically rewarding art of setting a walz melody free from its triple time accompaniment. Melodies of this distinction - there are rarely more than one in each waltz - are usually anticipated in a slow introduction, as this one so appealingly is in an episode as atmospheric as any scena in a ballet. Like its counterparts in most other Viennese waltzes, it is then presented in its definitive form as the first main theme - gliding in on violins and floating with heavenly serenity above the persistent rhythm of even crotchets below it - and is recalled in glory at the end. The nine comparatively modest tunes that are heard in the meantime in this particular piece are chosen not so much for their spherical relevance as for their entertainment value and their potential as contrasting material.