Johann Strauss II - Voices of Spring Waltz

In the winter of 1882/83 Johann Strauss was invited to compose a vocal waltz for the Heidelberg-born coloratura soprano, Bianca Bianchi (1855-1947) - real name, Bertha Schwarz - who was at that time an acclaimed member of the Wiener Hofoperntheater (Vienna Court Opera Theatre). The waltz was to be given its first performance on 1 March 1883 at a grand matinée charity performance at the Theater an der Wien in aid of the ’[Emperor] Franz Joseph and [Empress] Elisabeth Foundation for Indigent Austro-Hungarian Subjects in Leipzig’. Strauss, after his success with choral waltzes, was excited by the challenge of writing a waltz for solo voice. The librettist, Richard Genée, with whom the composer was at that time collaborating on the operetta Eine Nacht in Venedig (1883), signified his willingness to provide the text to the waltz. In the event he was responsible also for the vocal setting of the new work. Late autumn 1882 saw Johann Strauss in Budapest, Vienna’s sister city on the Ri