Discover the truth about Viennese balls, tragic love, and two geniuses with the surname Strauss—whom history forever intertwined into one myth. This book is a fascinating journey into a world where immortal waltzes were born, and reputations were built and shattered alongside intrigue.
When we hear the name Johann Strauss, in our minds immediately flashes “the King of Waltzes,” the conductor at Satan’s ball in the novel “The Master and Margarita,” the wonderful operetta “Die Fledermaus,” and the legend of the mad and unhappy love of the Viennese composer for a Russian beauty. All so… and yet not quite. For example, at first the operetta’s plot was completely different from what we know, and Mikhail Bulgakov somehow didn’t specify which of the Johann Strausses actually conducted Voland’s orchestra. After all, there were two of them… Not to mention the two other Strauss brothers, who also could have managed that unique ensemble of great musicians.
About Viennese balls, the life of the father and sons of the Strauss family, their rises and falls, friendship and rivalry, about how the beloved waltzes and marches were created, how politics reshaped musical culture, how the New World tried to outshine the Old in splendor and refinement, how Petersburg applauded the Viennese guest—how fortunes were made and reputations collapsed—Hanna Eggghardt’s remarkable book “Johann Strauss. The Story of Music” (original title: “Everyone Waltzes. The Strauss Dynasty”) tells it all.
�Design. LLC AST Publishing House, 2021