In 1966, a group of musicians in Vienna from the small ensemble of the Austrian Radio Orchestra founded the Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra. It consists of forty-two musicians, the same number as that preferred by the Strauss family.
In the first year, it toured America and Canada under the conductorship of Eduard Strauss II, the great-nephew of Johann Strauss II. In doing so, it was following in the tracks of the famous Strauss Orchestra, with which Eduard Strauss I had made two tours of the USA and Canada.
Recording the Strauss repertoire
After the death of the last professional musician of the Strauss dynasty, Eduard II, in 1969, the post of conductor was taken over by Willi Boskovsky. The orchestra then toured and recorded extensively. After his death, three conductors worked with the orchestra for most of its tours and concerts: Kurt Wöss, Walter Goldschmidt and Alfred Eschwé.
Since 1983, Alfred Eschwé has appeared regularly with the orchestra and has thus made a significant contribution to the development of its sound and the typically Viennese way of playing music.
The orchestra has also worked with conductors such as Vladimir Fedoseyev, Franz Bauer-Theussl, Martin Sieghart and Ola Rudner. Since 2008, it has been working intensively with Johannes Wildner and since 2010 Wildner and Eschwé have exclusively conducted the ensemble.
The Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra has regularly given concerts in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna since 1981, and since 1999 this has also been the venue for its own cycle of concerts.
More info at the Vienna Johann Strauss Orchestra website.
