For Halloween, I decided to alternate dark themes with the almost unbearable cheerfulness of Johann Strauss, so almost every piece gets juxtaposed with a loud and light waltz.
That is real life for you: No light without shadow…
The sequence of the Strauss pieces is mainly based on the original Neujahrskonzert in Vienna of 1939. Once that is done, later pieces follow.
Interspersed, however, you will find much more sombre pieces by Liszt, Ravel, Mussorgsky, Mahler, Berlioz, Stravinsky, Mozart, Wagner, and Verdi.