Diana, Polka française, Op 95 Josef Strauss

From very modest beginnings, the Dianabad, founded in 1804 on one of the tributaries of the Danube (today known as the Danube Canal), developed into the largest spa in the imperial city: starting in 1842, it offered an indoor pool which, by 1860, could be turned into a ballroom during the winter. In the fall of 1860, its operator, a Mr. Hassa, opened first a winter garden and in the following carnival season the ballroom and various side rooms. For the first concert in the winter garden of the Dianabad, the Strauss Orchestra was hired, and on 12 November 1860 it delighted a large crowd with a varied programme under the direction of Josef Strauss. He had composed the Diana-Polka especially for this opening concert. The work, with its initial horn call, was meant to remind the audience that the spa had been named after Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt. A rather liberal picture of Diana (complete with bow, arrow, and hunting dog) decorated the cover of the first edition of the polka, which was available in music stores in time for the opening of the spa. Newspaper reports on the concert commemorating the spa's opening emphasize that the Diana-Polka was performed to warm applause and that several encores were requested.

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Painting: Bellona with Romulus and Remus
Artist: Alessandro Turchi

K & K Philharmoniker
Matthias Georg Kendlinger