Classical conundrum: Why is the waltz so popular on New Year's Eve?

The lilting music of the waltz has been associated with ringing in the new year since the Vienna Philharmonic began staging New Year’s concerts during World War II. Dedicated to the Strauss family dynasty — particularly “Waltz King” Johann Strauss Jr. — these concerts were intended to embody the Austrian individuality that was under German threat. The repertoire and personnel for these highly popular productions have changed over the years, but Strauss the younger remains king.

A Strauss celebration

Here are some of his classics to start the party.

The Blue Danube: Composed in 1866, this watery tribute has become the unofficial anthem of Austria. The familiar strains usually appear as an encore in the Vienna concerts, introduced with a New Year’s greeting from the conductor. Heard everywhere from Merrie Melodies cartoons to 2001: A Space Odyssey, it is Strauss’ most well-known work.

Die Fledermaus: The overture to this 1874 operetta was the closing number in the first concert in 1939, having been a New Year’s Eve staple since 1900 (likely because the holiday figures into the storyline). Like its inspiration, the bat, it flits and darts and includes not just the familiar waltz (beginning at 3:19) but polkas and other themes heard later in the operetta.

Neue Pizzicato Polka: Switch it up with this 1892 piece played almost entirely on plucked strings, as its title implies. The exception is the entrance of the glockenspiel, which mimics the clock ticking toward midnight. This spritely work also was played as part of the original concert.

Champagne Polka: How better to toast the coming year than with this 1858 composition, subtitled “A Musical Joke”? The sprightly tempo is best not navigated while imbibing the title drink. Then again, the theme references the chorus of a popular Austrian drinking song that translates to “What do I care?”

And here’s one by Johann Strauss Sr., also included in that inaugural concert:

The Radetzky March: Dedicated to Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz upon his victory in an 1848 battle, it is more celebratory than martial. Its popularity is such that it’s been played everywhere from South American sporting events to marches by the Queen’s Dragoon Guards of the United Kingdom.  

More waltz classics

To keep the celebration going, try these other festive pieces.

Music for the Royal Fireworks (Georg Frideric Handel): Handel was commissioned by King George II to write music to accompany an aerial display commemorating, yes, a battle victory. Your New Year’s party can celebrate just getting through another year. Hey, that’s a victory, too. Here’s the allegro portion of the overture.

Masquerade Suite (Aram Khachaturian): Does your party have a costume theme? Let your masked guests sweep in to the strains of yet another waltz, from the suite that Khachaturian wrote to accompany a play by Mikhail Lermontov. Some have praised its carousel-like flavor; some have called it spooky. Listen for yourself to decide.

“Prelude to a Kiss” (Duke Ellington): Slow things down with this 1938 number, in which Ellington turned away from the Tin Pan Alley style and embraced classical harmonies. Here’s Ella Fitzgerald’s languid interpretation of the song, with lyrics by Irving Gordon and Irving Mills. Play it just before midnight, and get ready to pucker up.

Fantasia on Auld Lang Syne (Ernest Tomlinson): What would New Year’s be without a nod to this sentimental favorite? Tomlinson’s brassy opening will wake everyone up before the drive home. Then the guests will have fun picking out some of the more than 100 tunes, both classical and popular, woven into the main theme — including “Ode to Joy,” “Home on the Range” and “Danny Boy.” Turn it into a parlor game!

”We Toast the Days” (Linda Kachelmeier): Kachelmeier says she wrote this lovely tribute to the turn of the calendar as “a kind of new ‘Auld Lang Syne,’” and it fills the bill nicely with its bittersweet harmonies. Here’s Cantus’ sublime rendition, which YourClassical features at midnight each New Year’s Eve on the Choral Stream’s Facebook page.