The Orchestra

Vienna, the city of music and home to great composers, has been celebrated for centuries as the cultural heart of Europe. In the nineteenth century it was the Strauss dynasty whose unmistakable melodies shaped the identity of the city and conquered hearts around the world with joy, elegance and charm.

The father, Johann Strauss, already turned simple folk dances into a sensation that crossed social boundaries as far as the imperial court. His son Johann II became a cultural icon as the Waltz King, developed the form further and, with his brothers Josef and Eduard, carried the sound of an entire era into the world.

All of them were trained, inventive composers who led their orchestras with the violin in hand. The classical tradition of the violin-playing conductor facing the audience — once known as the Stehgeiger — is scarcely cultivated today in genuine historical practice.

The Viennese violinist Daniel Auner has taken up this challenge, bringing to it long experience as both conductor and violinist. Encouraged repeatedly by his older colleague, the Strauss specialist Peter Guth, to continue caring for classical Viennese music, he founded his own orchestra on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Johann Strauss’s birth.

It brings together some of the finest young musicians in Vienna, many of them active as soloists and chamber musicians, guaranteeing the highest artistic and instrumental quality. Profound skill, professional commitment and lively interaction between players and audience have already brought the orchestra considerable success. Beyond the anniversary year, the SJO intends to carry the cultural heritage of Viennese music into the world with every note.

The wide-ranging programmes include not only the familiar highlights of the repertoire but also rarely performed works and forgotten treasures, presented in stylistically faithful readings. Short spoken introductions and a deliberate address to younger audiences ensure that the magic of Strauss’s music remains alive for generations to come.