Johann Strauss Gala - An Evening of Polka, Waltz, and Operetta
Not only did 1999 mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Johann  Strauss Sr., but the centenary of the passing of his son, Johann Strauss, "The  Waltz King." To commemorate, on the evening of May 29, 1999, in Vienna's grand  Heldenplatz, almost 8,000 people gathered for a gala concert. This Wiener  Philharmoniker performance was conducted by Zubin Mehta (who had previously  conducted the Three Tenors, one of whom, José Carreras, is here joined by  soprano Andrea Rost for two duets from Strauss operettas). At 103 minutes, this  DVD offers 19 selections, but either there was an interval after just six  pieces, or considering how rapidly it gets dark between "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka"  and the "Overture" fromDie Fledermaus, there has been some cutting.  Given such a great orchestra and the wonderful setting, it would have been nice  to see people dancing to what is, after all, real dance music. Despite the  static nature of the event, the music is still uplifting, moving even the staid  Vienna audience to clap along by the finale of the rousing "Radetzky March."Other than some useful booklet notes, the DVD has no special features, and the  sound is offered only in Dolby Digital 2.0 and PCM stereo. This is presumably  due to the difficulties associated with outdoor acoustics and live recording,  which nearly prevented the concert going ahead. The anamorphically enhanced  picture generally makes the most of the spectacular location, having such a  clarity in the close-ups that it is virtually possible to count the hairs on the  musicians' heads.--Gary S. Dalkin, Amazon.co.uk