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".