In the mid-1800s, a new transport enterprise called the "Phoenix" appeared in Vienna, promising fast, cheap travel; it was laughed out of existence in a matter of days. This brisk waltz, the Phönix-Schwingen, was partly a humorous reference to this short-lived enterprise. However, the title was also a comment upon the young composer's own recent experiences with regard to his health. He felt himself to have risen, phoenix-like, from the ashes of his recent illness.

In 1849, upon the death of his father, Johann II had merged his own ensemble with his father's and had become the unquestioned "Waltz King" of Vienna. The stresses of his new position were not enviable. He organized engagements; he spent time composing and arranging works; he conducted rehearsals; and, of course, he conducted performances, often more than one in a single day. In addition to the physical strains of his position, there were mental stressors to be considered: the "Waltz King" was secretly referred to by his musicians as "the Tyrant of the Waltz" because of his strictness and his insistence upon perfection playing, which was not considered particularly important among most ensembles of the time (a slight sloppiness was considered Gemütlichkeit, or tradition, among musicians in Vienna). Due to his physical exertions and his unrelenting perfectionism, Johann II's health began to suffer greatly, and he fell seriously ill in December 1852 after a strenuous concert tour in Germany. It was more than a month before he emerged again, giving his new waltz, the Phönix-Schwingen, its premiere at a benefit concert in the Sofienbad-Saal.

The work is light, stylish, and humorous, commencing with a great upward swoop, a rising motif in the strings that hints at a (phoenix-like!) sense of renewal before the hearty, elegant waltz begins in earnest.

The waltz was dedicated to Johann II's friend, the pianist and composer Hans von Bülow.

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