Der Karneval in Paris, Galopp, Op. 100

Program notes

About the Work

Der Karneval in Paris is a brilliant galop by Johann Strauss I, the founding father of the dynasty, and it carries the round number Op. 100, a milestone in his prolific output. The galop, a fast and furious duple-time dance, was one of the elder Strauss’s specialities, and this one wears its French inspiration openly, evoking the giddy whirl of a Parisian carnival. Strauss I had taken his orchestra to France in 1837 and absorbed its theatrical brilliance into his own style. Pieces like this, written for the dance floor, were meant to send couples spinning at headlong speed, and their irresistible momentum has kept them alive in the concert hall long after the ballrooms fell silent. As one of the rarer appearances of the dynasty’s founder at the New Year’s Concert, it offers a glimpse of the energetic style on which the whole Strauss empire was built.

What to Listen For

This is fast, bright, and unrelenting. Listen for the driving galop rhythm, the festive brass and percussion that conjure carnival revelry, and the contrasting trio that briefly relaxes the pace before the headlong rush returns. The orchestration is more robust and direct than the silkier style of the elder Strauss’s sons: this is the sound of the waltz tradition in its vigorous early days.