Lesley Garrett

The Waltz King

like concert
Start Free Trial
Artist: Lesley Garrett
Vienna | 59 min | 2006 | TV-PG

The Waltz King

At the beginning of the 19th century, Europe was set alight by a shocking new dance craze: the waltz. The story of the waltz is inseparable from the story of the Strauss family. This docudrama, entertainingly presented by Lesley Garrett, tells their story. Composers Strauss Sr. and Strauss Jr., who both held the public title of "The Waltz King", were uneasy rivals in their private life. Strauss Sr., born in 1804, was a hugely popular composer, who transformed the waltz from a simple dance into a Viennese cultural phenomenon. Yet his reputation was entirely eclipsed by his eldest son, who took the waltz to a whole new musical level, writing The Blue Danube and several other pieces. However, in his own mind, Strauss Jr. never quite escaped the shadow of his father. Lesley Garrett explores the origins of the waltz - the music, the dance steps, the ballrooms, and the costumes, while narrating the bitter conflict between a father and a son. This rich and compelling story is lavishly illustrated with the music and dancing of the time, recreated at Vienna's sumptuous Hofburg Palace.

Because you like Lesley Garrett

Tchaikovsky - The NutcrackerOrchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, Valery Gergiev & Ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre
Ice Dance: Swan Lake (2015)The Imperial Ice Stars, Bogdan Berezenko, Alexandr Kazakov, Volodymyr Khodakivskyy & Fiona Kirk
Mozart - Così fan tutteAndreas Wolf, Paola Gardina, Chorus of the Teatro Real Madrid, Anett Fritsch, Juan Francisco Gatell, Orchestra of the Teatro Real Madrid, William Shimell, Sylvain Cambreling & Kerstin Avemo
Mozart - Le nozze di FigaroJesus Lopez Cobos, Chorus of the Teatro Real Madrid & Orchestra of the Teatro Real Madrid
Piano works by Chopin, Scriabin, Schumann & LisztChen Xue-Hong, Chen Yunjie, Chen Sa & Zhang Cheng
A Night in ViennaAlfred Eschwe, Wiener Akademie, David Charles Abell & Lesley Garrett