How a waltz by Johann Strauss II became the soundtrack of zero gravity.

SPACE ANTHEM

Huge spaceships and rotating space stations floating through the galaxy to the three-four time of the Viennese waltz – this iconic scene was created by Stanley Kubrick in his movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. The harmony between the weightlessness of space and the lightness of Johann Strauss' waltz The Blue Danube made film history. What was once heard in the grand ballrooms of Vienna suddenly became the anthem of space.

Since then, The Blue Danube Waltz has regularly accompanied scenes aimed at depicting weightlessness. But it’s not just fictional characters like Homer Simpson that have been sent floating through the air in three four time; The Blue Danube Waltz has also found a place in real space travel. Astronauts on the International Space Station regularly enjoy the sounds of the Viennese Waltz during wake-up calls and docking maneuvers.

Space Anthem

8 experts from music, film and space travel explain how a Viennese waltz conquered outer space.

Space Anthem

8 experts from music, film and space travel explain how a Viennese waltz conquered outer space.

Brian W. Cook — Brian W. Cook is a British director, producer and former assistant director as well as a long-time friend of Stanley Kubrick, with whom he produced three movies. In 2004, he directed the film Colour Me Kubrick, a comedy about a man impersonating Stanley Kubrick. Over the course of his career, he has worked with some of the biggest names in the film industry, like Michael Cimino, Sean Penn, Charlize Theron and Tom Cruise – as well as on blockbusters such as The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut and Gladiator.

Marin Alsop — Marin Alsop is a trailblazing conductor who has had a profound impact on the classical music scene. She studied under the legendary conductor Leonard Bernstein, whom she considers one of her most important mentors. Alsop is a passionate advocate for music education and promoting diversity within the classical music world. She was appointed Chief Conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2019, becoming the first woman to hold this position.

Matthias Röder — Matthias Röder has been director of the Eliette and Herbert von Karajan Institute in Salzburg since 2012, where he focuses on preserving Karajan's musical legacy and promoting innovation in classical music. A pioneer in applying new technologies, including virtual reality, his goal is to make classical music more accessible to a wider audience. Röder earned his PhD at Harvard University, blending musicology with technology.

Eduard Strauss — Eduard Strauss is the great-grandnephew of Johann Strauss II as well as one of the world's leading Strauss experts. A retired judge, he is committed to ensuring that his family’s history and music receive the careful, kitsch-free treatment they so richly deserve. Since 1995, Eduard Strauss has been Chairman of the Vienna Institute for Strauss Research (WISF) association. Its central goal is the publication of the first scientifically compiled catalogues of the works of the Strauss family.

Kara Talve — American composer Kara Talve was appointed principal composer for the TV series The Simpsons in 2022. She is also part of the renowned Bleeding Fingers Music collective, which was co-founded by Hans Zimmer. Talve studied at Berklee College of Music, where she specialized in film scoring. Her compositions have already earned her three Emmy Award nominations.

Carmen Possnig — Carmen Possnig is a medical doctor and future astronaut. During a 13-month stay in Antarctica, she conducted research into the effects of isolation and low oxygen levels on the crew at the Concordia station on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). Afterwards, she began a PhD program at the University of Innsbruck, focusing on space medicine. In November 2022, she was introduced in Paris as a reserve astronaut for the European Astronaut Corps. If selected for a mission, she would be the first Austrian woman in space.

Walter Werzowa — Walter Werzowa is an Austrian composer and music producer. He founded production company Musikvergnügen in L.A. and has worked extensively in the film and advertising music industry. His work frequently brings together elements of classical compositions, innovative technologies, and artificial intelligence. He has been professor of media composition with an emphasis on film music at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna since 2022.

Markus Mooslechner — ESA Consultant Markus Mooslechner is an award-winning filmmaker and science communicator known for his innovative storytelling in projects like Collider Diaries for CERN. As the host of the Space Café Podcast, he breaks down complex space topics and makes them accessible to a wide audience. His work has won multiple awards, including at Cannes, and highlights the importance of sustainability in space. With Terra Mater Studios he recently unveiled the Planetary Defense Companion app – the first AI technology of its kind to allow users to directly interact and engage with NASA and the ESA’s joint HERA space mission.

2025 will see the 200th birthday of the Waltz King, Johann Strauss II.

People partying in front of the Johann Strauss Monument in Vienna