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'''La Valse''' is an orchestral work written by Maurice Ravel from February 1919 until 1920, and premiered in Paris on 12 December 1920. The complete title is ''La valse, un poème choréographique'' (a choreographic poem). While the work has been described as a tribute to the waltz, it is in fact a less sentimental reflection of post-World War I Europe. The composer George Benjamin, in his analysis of ''La valse'', summarized the ethos of the work as follows:

"Whether or not it was intended as a metaphor for the predicament of European civilization in the aftermath of the Great War, its one-movement design plots the birth, decay and destruction of a musical genre: the waltz."^[1]

In his tribute to Ravel after the composer's death in 1937, Paul Landormy described the work as follows:

"....the most unexpected of the compositions of Ravel, revealing to us heretofore unexpected depths of Romanticism, power, vigor, and rapture in this musician whose expresssion is usually limited to the manifestations of an essentially classical genius".^[2]

Contents

Creation and Meaning

Orchestration

References

Media

Bibliography

External links

Creation and Meaning

The idea of ''La Valse'' began as ''Wien'' (German for "Vienna") as early as 1906, where Ravel intended to orchestrate a piece in tribute to the waltz form and to Johann Strauss. An earlier influence from another composer was the waltz from Emmanuel Chabrier's opera ''Le roi malgré lui''.^[3] In Ravel's own compositional output, a precursor to ''La valse'' was his 1911 ''Valses nobles et sentimentales'', which contains a motive that Ravel reused in the later work. After his service in the French Army, Ravel returned to his original idea of the symphonic poem ''Wien''. Ravel described his own attraction to waltz rhythm as follows, to Jean Marnold, whilst writing ''La valse'':

"You know my intense attraction to these wonderful rhythms and that I value the ''joie de vivre'' expressed in the dance much more deeply than Franckist puritanism."

Ravel completely revamped his idea of the graceful piece into '''La Valse, une poème choréographique''', but this time, with malice, transformed it to demonstrate the demise of Austrian and German culture that led up to the War because of the neglect of the noblemen and wealthy aristocrats for their countries and fellow citizens. This piece was intended to be choreographic, although it was first conceived as a symphonic poem. The ballet is rarely performed anymore, but its incredible texture and variety of moods makes it an important part of the orchestral repertoire. The work demonstrates Ravel's effective orchestration to convey a powerful, expressive message that continues to awe, move and puzzle modern-day audiences.
Ravel described the waltz with the following preface to the score:
:''"Through whirling clouds, waltzing couples may be faintly distinguished. The clouds gradually scatter: one sees at letter A an immense hall peopled with a whirling crowd. The scene is gradually illuminated. The light of the chandeliers bursts forth at the fortissimo letter B. Set in an imperial court, about 1855."''

Orchestration

The beginning starts quietly (the mist), with the ominous rumblings of the double basses. Silently and gradually, instruments play fragmented melodies, gradually building into a subdued, comprehensible tune, sung by the basoons and violas. Eventually, the harps signal the beginning culmination of instruments into the graceful melody. Led by the violins, the orchestra erupts into a raucous, enthusiastic waltz tune, which will reappear throughout the piece.
Hence begins the ''episodes'' of waltzes, each with their own character and enigma, alternating with loud and soft sequences.

★ The variations by oboe, violins and flutes, mild, slightly timid but nevertheless sweet and elegant.

★ The eruption of the heavy brass and timpani begins the next ebullient and pompous melody. The tune is sung by the violins as cymbals crash and the brass blare unashamedly.

★ Afterwards, the violas lead a tender tune, accompanied by luxuriant (almost sultry) humming in the cellos and clarinets. It disappears once again returns to the sweet variations and extravagant brass.

★ Enter a rather restless episodes with dramatic violins, accompanied with precocious (yet seemingly wayward) woodwinds. Castanets and pizzicato add to the character of a rather erratic piece. It ends meekly and clumsily in the bassoons.

★ The piece relapses into previous melodies, before a poignant and sweet tune begins in the violins. Glissando is a characteristic feature. The gentle violins are accompanied by ornate, chromatic swayings in the cellos and glissando in the harps. The tune is once again repeated by the woodwinds. As it ends, it begins to unleash some kind of climax, when it is suddenly cut off by a sweet flute.

★ The flute plays a rather playful (if not stereotypically saccharine), repetitious melody, accompanied by the glockenspiel and triangle. In between, the violins seem to yearn, whilst the harps play and (bizarrely) the horns trill. Once more, as it nears its conclusion, it tries to build up into a climax, but descends once more into the 'mist' of the beginning.
So begins the piece's infamous second half. It should be noted that every melody that was introduced in the first section is re-introduced, although differently, in the second half 'mish-mash'. Ravel cleverly alters each piece with bizarre modulations, illogical arrangements, odd orchestration (for example, where flutes would normally play, they are replaced by trumpets). As the Waltz begins to whirl and whirl unstoppably, Ravel intends us to see what is truly happening in this waltz rather symbolically.
Once more, Ravel agonizingly brakes the momentum. A macabre sequence begins, gradually building into a disconcerting repetition, the piece starting to collapse on itself as the incessant regurgitation continues to build with rage. Finally we see why Ravel described this as the fatal whirling.
The orchestra detonates into what many describe as a ''danse macabre'' coda. The violent, terrifying energy released is certainly unsettling, and both exciting and confusing to audiences. It ends as the mess which Ravel lays in front of us into shatters and crashes in what is a horrific catastrophe.
Later, a piano transcription was written which is said to be one of the most challenging pieces for piano ever written. It still retains the merry superficiality and violent turmoil of the orchestral version.
The work scores for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 french horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, triangle, tambourine, tam-tam, glockenspiel, strings, 2 harps

References

1. Benjamin, George (July 1994), "Last Dance". ''The Musical Times'', 135 (1817): 432-435.
2. Maurice Ravel, , Paul (translated by Willis Wager), Landormy, The Musical Quarterly,,
3. Ravel and Chabrier, , Roger (translated by Frayda Lindemann), Delage, The Musical Quarterly,,

Media

Bibliography

★ Orensten, Arbie; ''Ravel: Man and Musician'' (New York: Columbia University Press, 1968)

External links

★ Program notes from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

★ Regarding ''La Valse'' and his ''Valses Nobles et Sentimentales'' in context to World War I