The QAH presents a program exploring the many facets of Strauss’s influence.
For the past 20 years, the Quatuor Anches Hantées has delved into the works of Johann Strauss through numerous transcriptions that regularly feature in its programs. We all know his waltzes, his polkas, his operettas—but beyond his body of work, what legacy of creativity has he left behind?
What did he transmit? Initiate? Many of his contemporaries and successors were fascinated by this exceptional melodist, admired him, and drew inspiration from him: Brahms, Wagner, but also Richard Strauss and Lehár. Let’s try to connect them to one another, and add composers like Ligeti and Hellmesberger to bring out, from these diverse aesthetics, the imprint of Strauss.
How does his influence still shimmer through the repertoire today? How did music—and perhaps dance—allow the waltz and the polka, originally popular genres, to spread through the courts of Europe and beyond, propelling Strauss to the status of a superstar? How does the shift happen from the street (popular / traditional / urban) to the concert hall (art music)? The QAH collaborates with its arrangers to uncover and adapt gems from a repertoire marked by the Strauss dynasty.
Young composer Charles-David Wajnberg joins them for a new work that raises this very question of influences, serving as a thread running through the program. His writing, which stands in stark contrast to Strauss’s rich melodic style, will allow each of the musical aesthetics to shine.
And on stage, the music comes to life through the body as well: hip-hop dancer Bryan Montarou moves with the musicians. He jumps, spins, slides, and improvises—as if drawing the music with his body. A playful and poetic danced concert offering a fresh perspective on Strauss.