I confess it, here and now, that I am a sucker for a Strauss waltz. There's nothing that can be quite as romantic as the strains of Strauss, and the music makes you long to fall into the arms of someone tall dark and handsome and be romanced. At least until the waltz is over.

The King of the Waltz was of course, Johann Strauss, and he wrote literally hundreds of dance tunes that helped him to make a fortune for himself and his family. And his music is still popular today, with On the Beautiful Blue Danube, and Tales from the Vienna Woods being the two most famous.

But what makes this collection of tunes stand out is that these aren't the usual assortment of waltzes. Here Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra go the extra mile and add in the actual sounds. Now, with some of them, it's not too bad, but there are gunshots and a rather piercing train whistle in a couple of these selections. If you think this is a bit over the top, well, it is -- but during concerts in Strauss' time, it was also expected and anticipated for. So there's an additional little plus to this.

Non Stop Fast Polka -- Ohne Aufenthalt Polka Schnell Op. 112 Starting off with that train-whistle, we hear the wheels of a mighty locomotive starting up and then we're off with what's called a fast polka -- a dance in 7/8 time. Think of a waltz with half-steps and you've got the idea. Written by Eduard Strauss for a railway worker's ball in 1874.

Chinese Galop -- Chineser Galopp Op. 20 This has as much to do with Chinese music as the next one, but labeling a dance with the name of an exotic place was the way of giving it novelty. The Galop was a dance in 2/4 time, danced by couples in a circle with a fast, run-skip-run beat. Written by the Strauss' brother's father, Johann Strauss Sr. in 1828.

Egyptian March -- Egyptischer Marsch Op. 335 Premiered in Russia in 1869, this was an instant hit, and honor of the opening of the Suez Canal. A march is a dance that is just that - a march or processional, often used to open or close a ball along with another dance called a quadrille.

Artist's Quadrille -- Kunstler Quadrille Op. 201 The quadrille was a very sedate dance by two couples dancing in a square - the origin for some of the square dancing of today - with six sets of figures. Here, Strauss has lifted some popular pieces of music from other composers to mark the set changes - among them Mendelssohn, Mozart, Chopin, Schubert and others. Think of it as an early form of 'Name that Tune!' This is the second Artist's quadrille that Johann Jr. wrote.

Emperor's Waltzes -- Kaiser Waltzer Op. 437 This is one of Strauss' most beautiful and well known waltzes, written in 1889. Partway through, the 4/4 march time moves to a 3/4 time more common with the waltz. It's sumptuous and sweeping, and evokes the style of a court ball.

Magic Bullets Fast Polka -- Freikugeln Polka Schnell Op. 326 There's gun fire in this one, so turn your volume down a touch. In a nod to an operetta titled the "Freeshooter," Strauss composed this one for a shooting competition in 1868.

Chatterbox Polka -- Plappermaulchen Polka Op. 245 Subtitled 'A Musical Joke,' this is a dance named for Josef Strauss's daughter, who evidently was a little chatterbox. It's a quick, lively tune, and races happily along.

Jubilee Festival March -- Jubelfest Marsch Op. 396 Written as a choral piece, it was later transferred to an orchestral work, and it was in honor of a Hapsburg marriage.

Chit-Chat Fast Polka -- Tritsch-Tratsch Polka Schnell Op. 214 Here the music is hinting at a pair of women gossiping, and there was a gossipy Viennese newspaper called Der Tritsch-Tratsch, proving that there's really nothing old about the tabloids.

Music of the Spheres Waltzes -- Spharenklange Waltzer Op. 235 Written by Josef Strauss, I have to admit that this is my favorite piece on this CD. Perfect music to get romanced to.

Whiplash Polka -- Geisselhiebe Polka Op. 60 Yes, that's really a typewriter you hear in this, at least as mimiced by the percussionist. Stung by his critics hinting that he was a revolutionary, Johann Jr. tucked in bits of several anthems, such as the Marsaillaise, and several worker's songs into this one as well. Take that!

Jockey Fast Polka -- Jockei Polka Schnell Op. 278 Composed by Josef Strauss a few months before his death in 1870, this one starts off with a horse whinny and is just the length of the time it takes a horse to run the course at Churchill Downs.

Click-Clack Galop -- Klipp-Klapp Galopp Op. 466 Another dance, this is from Johann Jr's operetta, Waldmeister. The beat is to evoke the sound of a water wheel turning and running a mill.

Wine, Woman and Song Waltzes -- Wein, Welb und Gesang Waltzer Op. 333 Another famous waltz by Johann jr. the title is from a poem written by Martin Luther that goes "Who does not love wine, woman and song/Remains a fool his whole life long." Hmmm.

Perpetual Motion -- Perpetuum Mobile Op. 257 This one really is a musical joke, as one by one the instruments fall away, and you hear Maestro Kunzel saying at the very end, "…and so forth."


Recommended: Yes