Wo die Zitronen blühn

Johann Strauss II

Wo die Zitronen blühn (Where the Lemon Trees Bloom) Waltz, Op.364

As its title suggests, Wo die Zitronen blühn – taken from the first line “Kennst du das Land wo die Zitronen blühn?”of Goethe’s famous Mignon song – was written for Italy. It was, in fact, first performed (as Bella Italia) under the composer’s direction at the Teatro Regio in Turin in 1875. Introduced by a miniature tone poem evocative of the Italian countryside, it presents three main sections, each with two well contrasted waltz tunes, and recapitulates them in reverse order before briefly returning to the countryside. While it is not the most ambitious of Johann II’s concert waltzes, it is certainly one of the most lyrical.