La Valse

Ravel's "La Valse" was created in 1920 as a grandiose apotheosis and simultaneous danse macabre of the Viennese waltz tradition. The work combines the refined orchestral artistry of French Impressionism with an increasingly expressionistic drama that goes far beyond mere stylistic imitation. In its visionary musical language, Ravel transforms the elegant triple meter into a fascinating tension between nostalgic transfiguration and apocalyptic destruction.

The score reveals Ravel's mastery of orchestral writing: from delicate, misty beginnings develops an increasingly intoxicating whirl that ultimately culminates in orgiastic masses of sound. Characteristic of the composer are the iridescent harmonies and virtuosic treatment of the large orchestral apparatus, which make "La Valse" one of the most spectacular concert works of the early 20th century.

The "Poème chorégraphique" was originally intended as a ballet for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, but the work's dark turn made it problematic as a dance piece. Thus "La Valse" established itself as a pure orchestral poem that musically seals the end of an epoch.