Strauss Family

Strauss (Family) Waltzes, Polkas and Marches, performed by Wiener Philharmoniker, Willi Boskovsky ★★★★
I love the Viennese music of the Strauss family. These pieces are very uplifting, and all have a strong march or dance beat. Willi Boskovsky and the Wiener Philharmoniker do a superlative job of recreating these pieces, and the recordings are flawless.
That having been said, I listened to these pieces straight through, a full 6 CDs, 7 hours, and 24 minutes. I became convinced that it would be torture worse than anything the Chinese ever had invented to lock somebody in a room and play them this music continuously. In 24 hours, they would be totally insane. Three-quarters time music endlessly heard with the same stylistic phrase and piece endings drive one crazy. The Strausses thankfully had the ability to invent wonderful tunes. Who could not become addicted to An der Schönen Blauen Donau, Frühlingsstimmen, Wiener Bonbons, etc., etc. Yet, creativity has its bad side, with orchestral imitations that are cheap, such as bird songs, explosions, thunder and lightning, and the like, which are more annoying than beautiful. Viennese Strauss music is best heard with lots of champagne or beer on board and works as well with the accordion polka band as with the full orchestra. We will leave the Strauss family to the occasional listening circuit.
This set is a beautiful compendium of the Viennese Strauss family music. There are larger sets, but I fear listening to such a set would drive the insanity to much deeper levels. Stick with this set and you won’t go wrong.