In the summer of 1856 when Josef Strauss first had to step in for his brother Johann, who had left for Pavlovsk, near St Petersburg, and uphold the position of the Strauss orchestra in the music world of Vienna, the 29-year-old director took advantage of the occasion to pamper the public with many new compositions. One of the first novelties of the season was the "Policinello-Quadrille", which he presented to the guests at his concert in Ungers Casino in Hernals on 6th July 1856. Strauss took the title of the composition from a character of the italian "Commedia dell'arte", which originated towards the end od the sixteenth century and since that time had taken the stages of many European countries by storm. In these works, Policinello was a witty, comic stage figure in the costume of the harlequin, outfitted with black half-mask and pointed hat. The quadrille of the composer Josef Strauss is a happy, sparkling work which can hold up very well alongside the classic "Commedia dell'arte".
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Painting: Commedia dell'arte
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra (Košice)
Ernst Märzendorfer
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