It is held regularly every January 1st at the Golden Hall in Vienna. It is a concert to celebrate the New Year. The content mainly focuses on the works of Johann Strauss, the elder and the younger, and his brothers. Every year a famous conductor is invited to perform. CCTV began broadcasting the concert live in 2000.
"The Blue Danube Waltz" was written in 1867 by the famous Austrian composer and king of waltzes, Johann Strauss Jr. It is known as Austria's second national anthem. The music consists of a prelude and five waltzes. The music is clear, smooth, continuous and coherent, and is deeply loved by people all over the world. The music embodies the Viennese people’s deep love for their hometown and has become a must-play at the Vienna New Year’s Concert every year.
Prelude--The tremolo of the strings is like the waves of the Danube River, sparkling and rippling. The mist dissipated on the river, reflecting the brilliant light spots of the rising sun. The French horn penetrates the winter fog like a ray of sunshine, calling for spring. In the morning light, Vienna, which was sleeping deep on the Danube River, began to wake up. Soon, the calling tone resounded throughout the orchestra; under the morning light, the beautiful blue Danube River raised waves of joy.
The first waltz is like the God of Spring spreading its wings of fantasy, flying over the blue Danube River. The beautiful melody, like the melodious intonation, gently brings the beautiful words and phrases in the chorus to people's ears: "Spring is coming, the earth is laughing, bees are buzzing, and the wind is blowing the treetops... …"
The dance music in the second section is high and open. The light tune is like a spring girl waving to the Danube River from the high Alps. The passionate praise of spring in the lyrics of the melody: "Ah, wonderful! Lips like roses, smiling at us. Beautiful spring girl, covered with colorful coats, so beautiful, so wonderful!" When people sing the phrase "Dew" "It's Her Tears", the melody floats down gently, becoming melancholy and moving
The third section of the waltz is full of the characteristics of Austrian country dance music. In the light rhythm, people can see the happy dance of rural girls and young men on the banks of the Danube River. The ups and downs of the sound patterns in the tune are like their fluttering clothes; the strong accents in the rhythm are like their gentle dancing points. This dance music full of rustic flavor depicts the beautiful and intoxicating spring scenery by the Danube River; and the people living by this blue river are the people of beautiful spring?
The smooth melody of the waltz in the fourth section A winding blue waterway is drawn on the Austrian territory. In these living lines flows the boiling blood of the Austrian people. This urgent and unrestrained dance music tells people the ancient history of the heroic nation that thrived along the Danube River. We saw from the rough sound that the ancient cities on the cliff were born one by one in the smoke and dust of history, emitting awe-inspiring brilliance.
The fifth section of the waltz is the expansion and development of the first waltz. Although they are very different in tone, in terms of temperament they are both a passionate hymn to celebrate the arrival of spring on the Danube River. After a short introduction, the orchestra gently played melodious and colorful tones, and with gradually increasing intensity, it shouted loudly: "Spring is here, how beautiful it is!"
The ending of "The Blue Danube" has a huge structure and rich sound, and contains almost all the waltz themes in the music. However, there are still colorful variations in the order of performance, choice of themes, and instruments used. The third, fourth and first waltzes appear at the end, and then the beautiful echoes of the rippling waves of the Danube River in the prelude sound. In the clear colors, the trembling flute and the chirping of birds immerse people in an idyllic realm. Suddenly, a gust of sound surged like a sudden wind. The whole song ends in a fiery carnival climax. This coda shows Strauss's superb orchestral writing skills. When the work received a cold reception, the composer confidently said that he had no high hopes for the piece, but the ending was still successful.