Johann Strauss: Dance and Dream

This double-feature DVD from BBC Wales features A Night in Vienna, an hour-long concert showcasing pieces by the Viennese waltz masters of the 19th century—Joseph Lanner, Johann Strauss Sr., Johann Strauss Jr., and Josef Strauss—along with The Waltz King, a docudrama that looks at the rivalry between Johann Strauss and his son within the context of the wider cultural history of post-Napoleonic Europe. In both films the tunes are handsomely played by the Wiener Akademie under the leadership of Alfred Eschw( and David Charles Abell, and in A Night in Vienna—filmed in the beautiful ballroom of the Hofburg in Vienna—members of the Master's Wiener Walzer Tanz Ensemble complement the music by performing dances from the period in authentic costume. Soprano Lesley Garrett sings a couple of numbers in the concert and narrates—with occasional contributions by Abell—the second film, which chronicles (in none too subtle terms) Johann Sr.'s rise to fame and his troubled relationship with his wife and his eldest musician son, whose career he tried to sabotage. In its affectionate descriptions of the dances themselves, as well as reflections on their social impact, The Waltz King is on solid documentary ground, but while the domestic troubles may come as a surprise to those unfamiliar with the family squabbles that ran beneath the surface of the scores, the dramatic recreations are frankly second-rate, with stilted dialogue and strident acting. Still, Johann Strauss: Dance and Dream, which offers fine camerawork and excellent sound (with DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1, and PCM stereo options), provides a reasonably good introduction to waltz's first family, and the music itself is well nigh irresistible. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)