Freuet euch des Lebens

Johann Strauss II

Freuet euch des Lebens (Enjoy Life): Waltz Op.340

Freuet euch des Lebens has the singular distinction among Strauss waltzes of being quoted in a Mahler symphony – the Ninth, where it has an important expressive function in the first movement. It was actually written for the inaugural ball celebrating the opening of Vienna’s incomparable concert hall, the Musikverein, in 1870. That auspicious occasion no doubt explains the ceremonial beginning with drum roll and fanfare before the entry of the floating melody of the first of five tuneful waltzes, each with its own short counter-subject, that make up this masterful example of the form.