Monday, August 25, 2014

DRIVE TIME POLKA PARTY
Wednesday 8/27/14 from 6-7 PM 
WCBN 88.3 FM www.wcbn.org 8.27.14

Selection of Polkas by Johann Strauss II

Electromagnetic Polka
Op 110
1852

Explosions Polka
{aka Exploding Cotton Wool Polka}
Op 43
1847

Whiplash Polka
Op 60
1848-49

Magic Bullets Polka
{aka Free Balls Polka}
Op 326
1868

Demolition Men Polka
Op 269
1862

Amazons Polka
{may refer to female equestrians}
Op 9
1845

Lawsuit Polka
Op 294
1865

Spleen Polka-Mazurka
Op 197
1857

Singer’s Joy
{for male chorus}
Op 328
1843

Satanella
{adapted from the Satanella ballet}
Op 124
1853

Lucifer Polka
Op 266
1862

Devil of a Fellow Polka
Op 244
1860

Electrophorus Polka
Op 297
1865

Over the Telephone Polka
Op 439
1890

The Dot on the “I” Polka
Op 377
1877

Procession of Masks Polka
Op 240
1860

Hardly ever get to do this show, especially as a 60 minute swath, which only seems to happen in the summertime when students are scarce. Perhaps you recall my infatuation with the waltzes of Johann Strauss II. The same approach was used here, i.e. exercising a preference for the quirkier, funnier and more unusual titles. I worked up somewhat of a Polkabild schematic, and rendered the ramifications down to an hour's worth of mid-to-late 19th century Viennese strata. 

This fellow had a weird sense of humor, and seems to have enjoyed teasing the public with titles that hinted at the "diabolic" nature of dance music. The example that first caught my attention was the "Satanella" polka, apparently based upon a similarly named ballet which dealt with a devilish female who was more worrisomely complicated than Cinderella or Thumbelina, to be sure. I'm also tempted to refer to the Magic Bullets number as the "Lee Harvey Oswald Polka".

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