Tam tam tam tam.....

June 26, 2008 8:13 AM

FirstDancefilter: Please recommend a Viennese waltz.

We decided that our first married couple dance will be a Viennese waltz. We are practicing. He's almost down with not stepping on my feet and I am practicing a graceful smile and not bursting out with curse words when he occasionally does. Now we just need to pick a perfect song - so please recommend your favorite Viennese waltz for our first dance.

posted by barrakuda to media & arts (7 comments total)

Is "The Blue Danube" too obvious?

You might want to just get a CD of Strauss Waltzes and try practicing with the various songs, listening to them, and pick a nice one.
posted by amtho at 8:21 AM on June 26, 2008

Really most songs in 3/4 will work. We used "You & Me" by Lifehouse and danced a Viennese waltz. I bet if you stopped by a local dance studio they could give you a good range of suggestions.
posted by rachelv at 9:26 AM on June 26, 2008

Rainbow Connection by Kermit the Frog. Kiss From a Rose by Seal. Daughters by John Mayer.
Dancing the Viennese can be extremely... athletic. It's typically much faster in pace than the regular waltz, so picking something more in the regular waltz tempo might be easier than the typical Viennese tempo.
posted by fiercekitten at 10:46 AM on June 26, 2008

My personal favourite is "Lippen Schweigen" from Johann Strauss's The Merry Widow. I think it's also referred to as "the Merry Widow waltz."

The hero has spent the entire opera insisting he'll never tell the heroine "I love you." This waltz is where he finally breaks down and tells her. She loves him too, of course. It's a beautiful, slow, mellow tune.

You'll probably just want the orchestral version, but all I could find on YouTube was a version with vocals. Enjoy!
posted by Pallas Athena at 12:50 PM on June 26, 2008

The Emperor's Waltz/Kaiserwaltz is a very traditional, recognizable number, a little romance, a little Sehnsucht.
posted by gimonca at 1:27 PM on June 26, 2008

My favorite Straussian waltz is Josef Strauss's "Delirien Waltz," but you might also look at something like "Flora's Secret" from Enya's Day Without Rain, which I use to teach students the basics of the waltz. It's a gentler feel and slower tempo (probably more appropriate for a wedding reception) but still a lovely tune.
posted by ancientgower at 2:27 PM on June 26, 2008

Here is "Lippen Schweigen", for your listening/viewing pleasure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APcNQimiRxM. The composer is Lehar.
posted by Lycaste at 7:38 PM on June 26, 2008