Spinning into space: how Johann Strauss hypnotised Vienna

Johann Strauss II (1825–1899)

Silhouettes of Johann Strauss II conducting the Blue Danube

Anders Zorn: The Waltz (1891)

By Eleanor Knight, 27 June 2025

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“bar by bar it is a perfectly hypnotic cycle of delay and gratification”

Chanda VanderHart, 6th March

Chanda VanderHart talks to the American tenor about his Tristan debut at the Met, his love for Vienna and Otto Schenk, and the incredible scope of his repertoire.

Bachtrack top ten: Johann Strauss II

Mark Pullinger & Elisabeth Schwarz, 25th October

Music ran through the veins of Johann Strauss II and – despite his father’s opposition – he went on to compose many of the greatest waltzes ever.

Bachtrack top ten: Johann Strauss II in Vienna

Mark Pullinger & Elisabeth Schwarz, 17th October

Take a guided tour in 3/4 time through Vienna as Mark and Elisabeth visit some of the key Strauss locations in the city.

Years of pilgrimage: Byron’s musical afterlives

Roy Westbrook, 22nd January

Lord Byron’s influence on musicians was immense – with Rossini, Verdi, Berlioz, Liszt, Tchaikovsky and Schoenberg among the many composers to create works inspired by his writings.

Journeys with Tonerl: Bruckner’s Austria

Hugo Shirley, 22nd October

Anton Bruckner, nicknamed “Tonerl”, spent his childhood in rural Ansfelden, Upper Austria. Tracking his life from there to Sankt Florian and Vienna, Bruckner would leave a lasting impression on musicians and listeners alike.

Opera Europa: a Viennese perspective

Elisabeth Schwarz, 15th May

Despite a comparably small population of two million, the seats of the three big opera houses in Vienna are filled to capacity. How? We find out at the Opera Europa Spring Conference taking place in Vienna.

Eleanor Knight

Eleanor is a writer and librettist. Her work has appeared in all kinds of places from the Royal Opera House to the foot tunnels beneath the Elephant and Castle roundabout, and she has written arts reviews and features for British papers and magazines. Having begun her working life in theatre, she switched to publishing and later taught creative writing at the University of Brighton and Birkbeck. Currently based in the Netherlands, she teaches at the University of Utrecht. Eleanor plays violin and sings, though not usually at the same time, and has recently taken up speed-skating.

Spinning into space: how Johann Strauss II hypnotised Vienna