Maurice Ravel - La Valse
for Piano Duet (one piano, four hands)

​Ravel composed La Valse as a tribute to Johann Strauss II, and it was intended to be a ballet for Diaghilev's 'Ballet Russes'. Consisting of a sequence of contrasting waltzes in a Straussian vein, the atmosphere is often dark, opening with sinister rumblings and ending in violent tragedy. Vienna is depicted through the waltz as a city in decay, a golden era ending in catastrophe. This arrangement for piano duet follows Ravel's orchestral version closely, capturing the power and brilliance of the original work.

Available to purchase from Aria Editions here

Listen to a complete performance of the arrangement here:

​Ravel - La Valse (11'46)