Conductor: Theodor Guschlbauer<br /><br />Garde Républicaine Band <br /><br />It has been said that Emile Waldteufel was the French answer to Strauss.<br /><br />The Waldteufel family moved from Strasbourg to Paris when Emile was nine so his brother could study violin at the Paris conservatoire. <br /><br />Emile would join the institution to specialize in piano.<br /><br />His waltzes and polkas were originally composed for piano and were orchestrated at a later stage.<br /><br />The Waldteufel family played at the Court balls at the Tuileries.<br /><br />One admirer was Napoleon III.<br /><br />At the age of 27, Emile became the court pianist of empress Eugenie. He was a success in Paris.<br /><br />It was around age 40 that Emile Waldteufel gained international recognition.
