Émile Waldteufel: Valse Les Fleurs, Op.190

Beautiful piano arrangement of this waltz, but I prefer the orcherstral version even more: (piano version is very dry at parts)    • Emile Waldteufel - Les Fleurs,Valse Op.190   Waldteufel (1837-1915) was a French pianist, conductor and composer known for his numerous popular salon pieces. His mother Flora Neubauer, originally from Bavaria, had been a student of Hummel and had met Haydn; she was also a keen singer and dancer. After his arrival in Paris he was able to take classes from Laurent at the Conservatoire de Paris, followed by advanced studies under Marmontel. Among his fellow pupils was Jules Massenet. At the age of 27, Waldteufel became the court pianist of Empress Eugénie. He also led the orchestra at state balls. His appointment by Napoléon III to the musical direction of the balls led him to participation in the events in Biarritz and Compiègne; at the latter he met many other musicians and artists and also accompanied the emperor playing the violin. In October 1874, Waldteufel played at an event that was attended by the then Prince of Wales, future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. The Prince was enthralled by Waldteufel's Manolo waltz, and was prepared to make Waldteufel's music known in Britain. A long-term contract with the London-based publisher Hopwood & Crew followed. Part of the company belonged to Charles Coote, director of the Coote & Tinney's Band, the first dance orchestra in London. Through these means, Waldteufel's music was played at Buckingham Palace in front of Queen Victoria. Waldteufel was a major force in the music scene of London and became world-famous. During this period he composed his best known works, many of which are still heard today around the world. He became best known for the waltz "Les Patineurs" (The Ice Skaters), composed in 1882. Waldteufel composed at and for the piano (often for performance at court) before orchestrating many of the works. Waldteufel's music can be distinguished from Johann Strauss II's waltzes and polkas in that he used subtle harmonies and gentle phrases, unlike Strauss's more robust approach. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A method to find scores:    • Where I get most of the scores for the cha...   My donation link to keep the channel growing: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/gamma... Thanks for listening :-)