"Steeplechase". Racing was one of Josef Strauss’s passions. Although there is no record of his having been seen at a race course, in the list of his works we find a whole series of compositions, mostly described as Polka schnell or Gallop, which hint exactly at this passion. In Vienna races in the British style were held in the Freudenau and the Kriau, and therefore the name for this contest was adopted from the English. The steeplechase was originally a cross-country race with natural and artificial obstacles. The goal was the steeple of a church that could be seen in the distance. In the Kriau, a version of such obstacle races was performed which, although simplified, was nevertheless exciting, with bets being placed, of course, on which horse and rider would be the winner. It would not come as a surprise if Josef Strauss placed a bet on more than one occasion. In 1857 he chose the church festival at Hernals as the event for the premières of the waltzes Fünf Kleeblad’ln, Op.44, and the quick-paced Steeple chease Polka. The Theater Zeitung trade paper reports about the concert at Unger’s on 31 August 1857: “The last Polka found such resounding acceptance that it had to be repeated several times.” The number of times it has been played has increased steadily since 1857, as the work is still to be found on programmes of Strauss concerts all over the world.
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Painting: The Steeplechase
Artist: George Wright
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice
Michael Dittrich
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