The Skaters Waltz

About the composer:

Émile Waldteufel (1837-1915), often anglicized as Edwin, was a French composer renowned as the "waltz king of Paris" during the Second Empire and Belle Époque. Born into a musical family in Strasbourg, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire and later became court pianist to Empress Eugénie. His primary role, however, was conducting orchestras for the glittering state balls at the Tuileries Palace.

It was at one such event in 1874 that the Prince of Wales (future Edward VII) heard Waldteufel's Manolo waltz, leading to a publishing contract in London that launched his international fame. He composed nearly 300 dances, with his most enduring waltzes, The Skaters (Les Patineurs) and España, rivalling those of the Strauss family in Viennese charm and Parisian elegance. Waldteufel's music remains the quintessential sound of 19th-century Parisian high society.

Portrait of Waldteufel

Artistic Director's Notes

When one is considering the history of the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra, and especially the New Year's Eve concerts, we need to acknowledge the anti-semitism that was happening in Europe, and especially Austria at the time. The Vienna Philharmonic, during the late 1930s, was tied to the Nazi party, and after the Anschluss all the members of the orchestra who were Jewish were expelled. This anti-semitism had existed in Vienna for a long time, and most Jewish composers were banned from performance.

Unfortunately, it took until 2022 before the orchestra formally apologised for its' institutional behaviour (after a formal report was commissioned in 2013) and the orchestra is trying to fix this historical wrong. I thought it was important that the White Rock City Orchestra recognised this fact, and we decided to perform this work. It should be noted that the first time a female composer was included in the New Year's Eve concert was in 2025!