Austria celebrates 200 years of musical legacy of ‘waltz king’ Johann Strauss II

Celebrating the enduring legacy of Johann Strauss II, Austria's waltz king, through timeless music and special events in Vienna.

Even 200 years after the birth of Austria’s world-famous waltz king Johann Strauss II — widely revered like a modern-day pop star during his lifetime — his music has lost none of its magic.

Best known for his rousing waltz The Blue Danube, which became Austria’s unofficial national anthem, many of his 500 dance pieces live on in Vienna’s roaring ball season.

Strauss’s persistent popularity lies in the catchy tunes he composed to cheer up people, his great-grand-nephew Eduard Strauss said.

“He simply created music that touches everyone, regardless of their background,” he said.

But his fame was rooted in much more than his hits: just like today, selling music meant marketing the star’s image.

“One could say that he was actually the first pop star in the modern sense,” said Strauss museum guide Clara Kaufmann.

Vienna is marking the bicentenary with special events, concerts and exhibitions, and even an Austrian Airlines aeroplane emblazoned with a portrait of Strauss and his violin.