Freuet euch des Lebens explained

Freuet euch des Lebens (Enjoy Life), Op. 340, is a Viennese waltz composed by Johann Strauss II. It was written for the Vienna Musikverein, and premiered at the new Musikverein building in Vienna in 1870.^[1]

Waltz 1

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Influence

In the opening movement of his Ninth Symphony, Gustav Mahler quotes from this waltz.^[2]

Vienna New Year's Concert

The waltz was played at these Vienna New Year's Concerts:

1947 – Josef Krips
1962 – Willi Boskovsky
1974 – Willi Boskovsky
1988 – Claudio Abbado
1997 – Riccardo Muti
2008 – Georges Prêtre
2012 – Mariss Jansons
2020 – Andris Nelsons

Notes and References

Web site: Strauss II, J.:Waltzes, Polkas, Marches and Overtures . 2008-10-05 . NaxosDirect . 2012-02-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120217041835/http://www.naxosdirect.ca/STRAUSS-II-J-Waltzes-Polkas-Marches-and-Overtures-Vol-5/title/8550340/ . dead .
Barford, Philip (1971) Mahler Symphonies and Songs, London: BBC Publications, ISBN 9780563092742, p. 55.