The resplendent, magnificent sun blazing high overhead; the gentle, bracing breeze stirring the heart; the ancient, melodious bells ringing on without end; the vast, boundless night sky steeped in utter silence; the dazzling, radiant stars... together adorned the splendor and variety of early summer.
A concert was being held at Vienna Palace. It was one of the few forms of entertainment available in this era, as well as Austria's foremost musical gala.
Franz had originally intended to organize an awards ceremony as well, but after considering his own level of appreciation, he decisively abandoned the idea.
Judging music was far too troublesome. Everyone had different tastes, and if it was handled poorly, it could easily become a laughingstock.
Having gone through the Great Revolution, Austria was now in a golden age of musical creation, with many classics coming into being.
Franz was unfamiliar with the European and American music scenes. He could not tell which works had existed in the original timeline and which had emerged due to the butterfly effect.
All he had to do was listen. Being qualified to perform at Vienna Palace was itself a form of recognition. In this regard, the late Marshal Radetzky had to be mentioned—every concert's signature piece was the Radetzky March.
It was a work composed by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss Sr. in 1848. Its background was Austria's great victory in the Austro-Sardinian War, and it had been created to celebrate that triumph.
The march itself carried an element of flaunting the House of Habsburg's military might, and coupled with the old marshal's name, it naturally earned political points as well.
With the Vienna Government's promotion, the Radetzky March had now spread across more than half the world and become a representative work of Austrian music.
Franz also liked the march