Vienna, the waltz and the Strauss family are inseparable entities. The waltzes of Johann Strauss, Sr. (1804 - 1849) evoked the air of the Viennese countryside, beer gardens and Heurigen. Those of his eldest son, Johann, Jr., at first had the same rhythmic vitality and brief melodies. After 1860, however, this would change. The younger Strauss infused the traditional waltz format and sound with a new vitality and sophistication that reflected the glittery, hedonistic spirit of nineteenth-century imperial Vienna. He melded the rhythmic drive of his father's works with the lyricism of Joseph Lanner (1801 -1843), and changed the rhythmic emphasis from the beat to the measure. Strauss' seemingly unlimited melodic invention prompted him to compose melodies that did not fall into the traditional four-, eight-, or sixteen-measure patterns of earlier waltz tunes. He maintained the basic outline employed by Lanner and his father: a slow introduction, (typically) five pairs of waltzes and a coda, but increased the length of each section and the organic unity of the whole. Strauss' orchestration is often picturesque, especially in his introductions, while that of the waltzes themselves approaches a Mozartian clarity.
Vienna is not a good place for a diet. In addition to the ubiquitous meat and fried food available in all restaurants, there is a limitless supply of cakes and candy that will satisfy any sweet tooth. Beethoven often had on hand bonbons, generally a chocolate-covered candies with sugary centers. By the middle of Strauss' life, Vienna had become internationally known for both its bakeries and confectioneries.
Like the earlier Morgenblätter, Op. 279, very little bridge material appears in Wiener Bonbons. Unlike Morgenblätter, the first of each waltz pair here does not return after every waltz -- this happens only after the first waltz pair. Each dance moves directly to the next, and each features an internal repeat of both waltzes of the pair. In Wiener Bonbons we find Strauss thinking in terms of large-scale unity, creating an organic whole as well as a series of dances. The introduction is based on the second half of Waltz No. 1 at a slow tempo. The two melodies of the first waltz pair could not be more different from one another: the first centers on one pitch in a high register and is broken up by rests, while the second is a rolling tune in the lower strings that constantly descends. The second waltz also features the contrast of a static melody with one that generally moves downward. A great variety in rhythm and orchestration characterizes the third and fourth waltzes, while the fifth again contrasts a melody with a narrow range with one that is more angular. Strauss closes Wiener Bonbons with what could be described as a partial review of the entire piece. What seems like a new waltz is really a variation of the second part of Waltz No. 1, which is followed by literal returns of the first part of Waltz No. 4 and the second part of Waltz No. 1. A new, descending line connects the previous material to a brief return of the opening waltz melody before the piece rapidly closes. ~ John Palmer, Rovi
