When the king of waltzes accepted in 1856 the offer from the Tsarskoye Selo Railway management to conduct summer concerts at the Pavlovsk station, he did not yet know that this decision would make him the happiest of men. And it would also break his heart. Fans of the famous waltz composer came from Pavlovsk, Tsarskoye Selo, and St. Petersburg to listen to him. The hall couldn't even accommodate all the eager listeners. And once, Strauss was called for an encore so many times that the audience completely lost track of time and did not notice when the last train left. Everyone had to stay at the station until morning. Strauss played not only his compositions but also works by other composers, including Russian ones. And he managed to write new pieces – the polkas "In the Pavlovsk Forest" and "Neva," the quadrille "St. Petersburg." One day, he received a bouquet of white roses with a note from an unknown admirer backstage. And after some time, in the salon of Count Lev Sollogub, he met the mysterious admirer. She turned out to be Olga Smirnitskaya – beautifully educated, from a noble family, she was one of the first female composers in Russia. Strauss lost his head. He happily included her works in concert programs, dedicated waltzes and polkas to her, and hoped they would soon become husband and wife. But the parents of his beloved were against it. A composer, even a famous one, was not a match for their daughter, they believed. Strauss asked for Olga's hand several times, but was repeatedly refused. And after some time, he learned of his beloved's engagement to another. Strauss kept Olga Smirnitskaya's portrait all his life. And in memory of the seasons in Pavlovsk and his love, he wrote the waltz "Farewell to St. Petersburg."