Arthur Fiedler - Strauss: Tales from Vienna (1967) 24-Bit/96-kHz Vinyl Rip

Through his music, Strauss tells the story of his city - not in literal events but in its essential moods. 'Tales from the Vienna Woods', for example, evokes the charm of Vienna's surrounding hillsides in the same way 'The Blue Danube' glorifies the city's river.
Johann Strauss and his brother Josef often wrote pieces on commission for specific events taking place in Vienna. 'The Excursion Train Polka', for example, might have celebrated a new Sunday run on the Austrian railroads, and we hearthe old-fashioned conductor's whistle tooting away in the score. 'The Fireproof Polka' might have added zest to a convention of manufacturers of fireproof safes. Hammer and anvil clank away in the orchestra to evoke an image of factories where heavy metal is forged into flame-resistant boxes.
Most of the specific events for which these perky polkas were written have escaped documentation, and one can only guess what may have prompted the 'Champagne Polka'. While these ephemeral events have long since passed into oblivion, the tunes they occasioned remain as fresh today as they were a century ago. They still tell stories of a magic city.
( Hans Fantel )

Track Listing:

A1. Johann Strauss, Jr. - Tales from the Vienna Woods, Op.325
A2. Johann Strauss, Jr. - Artists' Quadrille, Op.201
A3. Johann Strauss, Jr. - Egyptian March, Op.335
A4. Josef Strauss - Fireproof Polka, Op. 269
B1. Johann Strauss, Jr. - The Gypsy Baron: Overture
B2. Johann Strauss, Jr. - Champagne Polka, Op.211
B3. Johann Strauss, Jr. - Wine, Woman and Song, Op.333
B4. Johann Strauss, Jr. - Excursion Train Polka, Op.281