Ravel La valse
Maurice Ravel’s ingenious, dramatic and humorous La valse is a tribute to the waltz and to Johan Strauss II. In this concert video, we experience the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of French conductor Nathalie Stutzmann.
About the video
- Filmed in May 2017.
- The video is approximately 14 minutes.
The working title of this music was initially Vienne; the composer then changed from the French spelling to the German, Wien, before finally deciding instead that the piece would be entitled La valse.
Ravel was fascinated with the waltz as a form and in 1911, he had composed his Valses nobles et sentimentales; he continued his explorations in La valse. At that point, the idea had developed further into a “choreographed poem for orchestra” which had its world premiere in Paris in 1920. It was intended as music for a ballet by the notorious choreographer Diaghilev, but Diaghilev felt that La valse was not music for a ballet, but ‘only like a portrait of ballet’. Ravel disagreed entirely and ended his friendship with Diaghilev.
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The music
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Maurice Ravel La valse
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Participants
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Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
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Nathalie Stutzmann conductor
