100 Best Waltzes & Polkas

This 6 CD set contains a collection of 100 waltzes and polkas performed by some of the world's leading orchestras including the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Wiener Johann Strauss-Orchester, under conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, Mariss Jansons, Riccardo Muti, André Previn and Willi Boskovsky.

CD 1 begins with a group of the most popular and best-loved waltzes by the 'Waltz King' of Vienna, Johann Strauss II. Titles heard here include 'An der schönen, blauen Donau (Blue Danube)' 'Künstlerleben (Artist's Life)', 'G'schichten aus dem Wienerwald (Tales from the Vienna Woods)' 'Wiener Blut (Vienna Blood)' and 'Kaiser-Walzer (Emperor Waltz). The disc also includes two sensuous waltzes by Offenbach from La vie Parisienne and La Périchole and the waltz from Act I of the ballet Coppélia by Delibes.

CD 2 is also devoted to the waltz, opening with 'Les Patineurs (The Skaters)' by Waldteufel. Other familiar pieces heard here include 'Over the Waves' by Rosas, the Waltz from Tchaikovsky's ballet Sleeping Beauty and the magnificent 'Gold und Silber (Gold and Silver)' by Lehár. The CD ends with the characteristic 'Danube Waves' by Ivanovici.

CD 3 introduces us to the polka, with delightful examples by three members of the Strauss family: Johann Strauss II, Josef Strauss and Eduard Strauss. Many of these pieces will be familiar from the famous Vienna Philharmonic New Year's Day concerts regularly broadcast on television around the world, including 'Leichtes Blut (Light as a Feather)', 'Unter Donner und Blitz (Thunder and Lightning)' and 'Im Krapfenwald'l (In Krapfen's Woods)'.

CD 4 is a mixture of waltzes and polkas by Josef Strauss and Johann Strauss II, as well as the evocative waltz from Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, and the delicate Waltz in G flat by Chopin that features in the classic ballet Les Sylphides.

In CD 5 we hear another group of compositions by Johann Strauss II, including the waltzes 'Carnevalsbilder (Carnival Pictures)', 'Du und Du (You and You)' and 'Donauweibchen (Danube Maidens)', as well as the lively polkas 'Explosions' and 'Champagne'.

The final CD presents a wide selection of waltzes and polkas by a range of composers including members of the Strauss family, Waldteufel, Lehár, Tchaikovsky, Delibes, Walton and Shostakovich. The programme ends with the famous 'Circus Polka' by Stravinsky, written to be danced by elephants in a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine.