On the Beautiful Blue Danube (An der schönen blauen Donau) is one of the most famous waltzes composed by Johann Strauss II in 1866. It premiered in Vienna in 1867 and quickly became an iconic piece of Austrian music, often associated with the Vienna New Year's Concert and Austrian national identity.
The waltz begins with a gentle, shimmering introduction, followed by a series of graceful, flowing melodies that evoke the movement of the Danube River. Over time, it has been widely performed and adapted, including in films like 2001: A Space Odyssey.
This work is arranged by Anthony Galla-Rini for symphonic accordion ensemble/orchestra with the instruments labelled as for the symphony orchestra (violin, viola, horn etc.) but arranged for accordion plus bass accordion, timpani and percussion.
