For those not in the know, the Vienna Boys Choir (in German: Wiener Sängerknaben) is a choir of boy sopranos and altos based in Vienna, Austria.

In fact, it is one of the best known boys' choirs in the world. The boys are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other countries.

The choir is a private, not-for-profit organization. There are approximately 100 choristers between the ages of ten and fourteen with the boys divided into four touring choirs; named after Austrian composers Bruckner, Haydn, Mozart and Schubert.

These combined perform about 300 concerts each year before almost 500,000 people. Each group tours for about nine to eleven weeks with the stand out pieces performed live always being "Good Morning" and "Merry Christmas from Vienna Boys".

Waltzes and polkas by the Strauss family are a specialty of the Vienna Boys Choir – they are, in a sense, their musical calling card. So here on the just-released Strauss For Ever, you know for sure that you're in for a wondrous musical treat.

1. "Auf Ferienreisen"
2. "Matrosen-Polka"
3. "Kaiser-Walzer"
4. "Banditen-Galopp"
5. "Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald"
6. "Leichtes Blut"
7. "Frulingsstimmen"
8. "Tritsch-Tratsch"
9. "Tausend und eine Nacht"
10. "Feuerfest!"
11. "Eljen a Magyari!"
12. "An der schonen blauen Donau"
13. "Radetzky-Marsch"
14. "For Ever"

Indeed, since the early 1920s, the choir has been singing their music; and the choir has participated six times in the traditional New Year's Day concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which is famous for its Strauss tunes.

Three pieces out of the current selection have been recorded for the very first time for this album: "Matrosen-Polka" (Sailors' Polka), "Banditen-Galopp", and the eponymous "For Ever."

For this latter one, the lyrics were written for the boys from Vienna, telling the stories of sailors, ghosts, bandits, and ... hamsters! Of course, not to be taken too seriously, as a whole, but to be heard and cherished, well, for ever, the track is a delightful bookend to a quite vibrantly enjoyable new album.

Amazon Purchase Link

www.wsk.at/en