Wo die Zitronen blühen
"Wo die Zitronen blühen" (German pronunciation: [ˈvoː diː tsiˈtʁoːnən ˈblyːən]; "Where the Lemons Blossom", or "Where the Citrons Bloom"), Op. 364, is a waltz by Johann Strauss II written in 1874. The waltz was composed during a tour of the composer in Italy where he travelled with the Langenbach Orchestra of Germany and performed the work at the Teatro Regio in Turin on 9 May 1874.
The waltz came after a successful premiere of his famous
Strauss's waltz (as most of his waltzes dating from around this time) follows the structure of an introduction followed by three two-part waltz sections and a coda, instead of his earlier format of five two-part sections. This structure was to feature in most of his later waltzes although he did not set it as a definite and permanent structure.
Waltz 1
The work begins in a tranquil fashion in G major, with a reflective solo violin melody in the introduction. A series of loud chords precedes the gentle first waltz section. The second section is more animated with a second part in D major. The wistful nature of the waltz is further expanded in the third section. A lively coda recalls earlier melodies and the first waltz section makes another entry. Near the end of the work, the introduction's solo violin melody returns before the waltz rises to a forte and climaxes with a timpani drumroll.
Vienna New Year's Concert
The waltz was part of the Vienna New Year's Concert programmes as follows.
- 1951 – Clemens Krauss
- 1960 – Willi Boskovsky
- 1965 – Willi Boskovsky
- 1972 – Willi Boskovsky
- 1983 – Lorin Maazel
- 1988 – Claudio Abbado
- 1993 – Riccardo Muti
- 2007 – Zubin Mehta
- 2013 – Franz Welser-Möst
- 2020 – Andris Nelsons
References
- Wo die Citronen blüh'n!: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
Based on original text by Peter Kemp, The Johann Strauss Society of Great Britain. Used with permission.