Historical Museum of the City of Vienna »Of all composers beloved of the gods, Johann Strauss has been for me the most endearing source of joy.« Richard Strauss »There is no loftier way to honour a great genius than to produce a flawless edition of his complete works.« Ludwig Ritter von Köchel

As Guido Adler aptly put it long ago, Johann Strauss (1825-1899) is »Austria's musical figurehead«. More than 600 works comprise his gigantic œuvre. Even during his lifetime he was extraordinarily popular with the public, and his inexhaustible powers of musical invention were appreciated by performers, composers and critics alike. Strauss's compositions continue as ever to be played all over the world. Many of his stage works ran for hundreds of performances after their première. One side effect, however, was a vast proliferation of arrangements. In the absence of reliable editions, every ensemble and every conductor created their own versions of his works, usually from piano reductions published for the purpose of household music-making. The number of performances of his works is entirely out of proportion to the reliability of the printed scores. The Strauss Edition Wien has taken upon itself the task of rectifying this situation.

Anniversary 100 Years Johann Strauss (German) The Editor