La Valse: poème chorégraphique
by Maurice Ravel, tr. by Joseph Kreines
In a letter written in 1906, Ravel spoke of plans to compose a waltz that would pay tribute to Johan Strauss and be “an apotheosis of the Viennese waltz.” He titled his rough sketch Wien: Poème Symphonique (Vienna: Symphonic Poem). By 1920, the work had evolved to its finished form and its final title: La Valse: poème chorégraphique. This is no typical waltz; it is a surreal parody, an apocalyptic view of wartime Vienna, familiar to Ravel through his service as an ambulance driver during World War I.
In Ravel’s version we are meant to see, as through a mist, an imperial palace of the mid-19th century, a grand ballroom filled with dancers, a scene alive with light and colour, an “impression of a fantastic and fatal whirling.” It is a waltz with one foot planted solidly in classical waltz traditions, with the other balanced uncertainly on the shaky ground of the new, the avant-garde, the modern. Rarely performed as a ballet, it is often programmed as a concert work, the absence of visual “busyness” helping to free the palette of the mind’s eye to imagine the surrealism of Ravel’s vision. Ravel dedicated his waltz to his long-time friend Misia Sert, a woman who was held in high esteem by many influential personalities of the day. It was in her home that Ravel first performed a piano reduction of the work for Sergei Diaghilev, Igor Stravinsky, and Francis Poulenc.
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was born in Ciboure, France to a Swiss father and a Basque mother, and had his formal music schooling at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied with Gabriel Faure, Emmanuel Chabrier, and Erik Satie. Along with Claude Debussy, Ravel was one of the defining composers of the impressionist movement. His students included Ralph Vaughan Williams and Maurice Delage. A virtuoso pianist as well as a gifted composer, Ravel toured the United States in 1928, giving several premieres and receiving high praise. While in the United States he was introduced to George Gershwin. When Gershwin mentioned that he would love to study with him, Ravel famously retorted “Why should you be a second-rate Ravel when you can be a first-rate Gershwin?” In 1932 Ravel was involved in an automobile accident that severely affected his productivity. He had a neuro-operation that he hoped would restore his health, but the operation was not successful, and he died in 1937. He was buried in Levallois Perret, in Paris.
For a brief audio sample, please click 
Details
Catalog#: NN05-008
Duration: 13:00
Difficulty: Advanced
Instrumentation:
Piccolo
Flute I-II-III-IV
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II-III-IV
Solo Clarinet I-II (in A or B-flat)
Clarinet I-II-III-IV
Alto Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
Contra-alto Clarinet
Contrabass Clarinet
Alto Sax I-II
Tenor Sax I-II
Baritone Sax
Trumpet I-II-III-IV
French Horn I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III-IV
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass I-II
Timpani
Percussion I-II
Glockenspiel
Harp
FULL SET: $70.00 (includes shipping)
SCORE ONLY: $50.00 (includes shipping)
For school purchases, purchase orders, or other forms of payment, please use the order form (in Adobe Type-and-Print Format) and mail the form in along with your payment or purchase order number. You may also scan and send via email.