It is an almost-certifiably fact that anyone who has ever turned on a radio, watched a television advertisement, stepped into a hotel lobby, cruised the aisles of a swanky food store or has seen a movie at any point in their lives, will have heard the waltz An der schönen blauen Donau aka. The Blue Danube. From dance classes to wedding receptions, graduation balls to retirement parties, the dance-floor is never empty when the strains of the opening chords of this famous and most beloved piece of music are to be heard. It is the piece of music which inspires even non-dancers to glide like Fred Astaire across the boards, twirling and spinning all the way through the nearly ten-minute long composition (and potentially longer if you are with an ensemble with a penchant for repeats).
Arguably the most famous of all waltzes ever notated, it is interesting to note that when this piece was first written by Johann Strauss II, text was included as it had been requested as a commission and intended for a men’s choir, the Wiener Männergesangsverein. The debut of The Blue Danube on February 15th, 1867 was considered by Strauss to be a flop and he was greatly regretful of how the audience received it. It was not until 1867, when Strauss adapted the piece to be a purely orchestral composition for the World Fair in Paris that it was hailed as a wild success, the popularity of which has hardly waned since.
Having played the violin from an early age, I know the notes of the piece inside-out and have played it countless times with various orchestras and ensembles. However since the Danube doesn’t actually flow through the city centre, it was not until I recently undertook a cruise on the Donau that I first had a new insight into Strauss’ inspiration for the writing of his most famous composition. Travelling by bike west-east downstream from Regensburg to Vienna, the trip took three days, with the presence of the water like a constant friend guiding the way. Naturally there is also the opportunity to travel by boat along the river, with numerous pick-up points to be found dotted along the river’s course. The route is not at all strenuous and there is ample opportunity to go swimming, lay in the sun or chat with fellow travellers – truly a cruise indeed! Most surprising of all, was that the journey revealed the waters to truly be blue – so much so, that at times the banks appeared like those of a Mediterranean beach – a rather unexpected result given the amount of commercial traffic to be found on the river. In any case, either by bike or by boat, cruising down the Donau is to be recommended as a pleasant way to see a little bit of the Austrian countryside – either with or without Strauss’ soundtrack!
