Maurice Ravel La Valse

[@randykern1842]

An absolute nightmare for the Orchestra. This piece is insanely difficult and what a monster it is! Absolutely sublime music

[@SeunghoonPark-c1r]

Agree

[@alejandrom.4680]

Hapedise Divide19 You don’t even need to play it, just look at the score

[@Wickerman1989]

Maybe a nightmare for the orchestra, but heaven for the listeners. If so, then the orchestra musicians are our heroes!

[@bilbobaggins7017]

I played violin 1 many years ago, there are a few parts that are a bitch to play, but it's alright

[@Pookie1-q2w]

Randy Kern the timings are incredible and the rubato are so organic

[@aliciaparker201]

Love that it sounds like the orchestra is warming up for the first 2 minutes and then it just casually swirls into a waltz. Amazing.

[@marcinkrol8375]

indeed the amazing waltz start 2:41

[@BaronVonPenguin]

John Williams is definitely a fan. Spielberg to bits

[@ajcohen100]

@@BaronVonPenguin And Coltrain must have listened this before he wrote Giant Steps.

[@gian_piano]

@@BaronVonPenguin 1ㄴ ㅈㅁ

[@nicolasantony310]

It feels exactly like the beginning of Beethoven's 9th 4th mov

[@diegobuitragocamargo.7525]

The fact this piece can be so romantic but impressionist at the same time is just mind blowing

[@lopkobor6916]

Lol your pfp perfectly matches with our reaction to this piece

[@paolo6219]

Welcome to ravel

[@qalaphyll]

@@paolo6219 bk

[@Liberty-TalkPodcast]

​@bacn2semiofficiald

[@mrjun9969]

Legit the only piece of music that can lift me up when I am feeling depressed. Not because it made me happy or anything near it. its more like having a friend that acknowledge the absurdity that is life itself; A friend that gently nods and understands you.

[@sefika9825]

I have never thought of it this way, but I now realize how accurately your comment puts my feelings into words. Thank you.

[@mrjun9969]

@@sefika9825 :)

[@wingflanagan]

So very well put. I always had mental images of ghosts dancing in a ballroom - who did not realize they are ghosts. They just waltz away, not a care in the world, not knowing they are dead. And then I realize they are us.

[@andrewpetersen5272]

Please try Jansons vision of The Bartered Bride Overture. I guarantee it will lift you. Or, any Wolf-Ferarri overture .

[@JackBresler]

Definitely. I understand that the piece was written just after WW1, and as a result of it.

[@israelkastoriano]

For me Myung-Whun Chung is a a great conductor,musician and artist.The simplicity,minimalist yet very expressive body language allows the orchestra players ample space for expression in a a clear and most assertive frame.Also and again,in my view his approach to music making is of the highest artistry.

[@davidalbrecht6507]

He's really fun to watch - early on in the quieter parts, it's almost like he's conducting with his eyebrows.

[@PeterLunowPL]

totally agree

[@edvinnahlin8167]

There’s definitely some Jedi force involved here...!

[@paulopie1541]

For those who thought the Prom with Rotterdam and Shani was good. Get a load of this!

[@jeanszulc]

Ravel is the shadow that looks over my shoulder judging me whenever I'm composing something

[@andrewfortmusic]

I came here for compositional inspiration (as I often do with Ravel) and I ended up depressed (as I also often do with Ravel).

[@sebastianboeddinghaus3505]

deadass

[@Ealsante]

If it helps, remember what he told Gershwin.

[@sebastianboeddinghaus3505]

@@Ealsante yeah but then again Gershwin is the shadow looking over my other shoulder

[@sebastianboeddinghaus3505]

Imagine Ravel had lived in the era of filmscoring. Hollywood would be truly blessed

[@richardhoulton4016]

Absolutely!

[@musical_lolu4811]

There was Korngold, at least. But yeah, if only...

[@Sedyon]

And Stravinsky!

[@gayjay6323]

I love how this piece is basically a chronicle of the death of “the waltz” with the final twisting of the knife being a four count bar in a 3/4 time signature.

[@paolo6219]

How the fuck does that happen

[@charlie7531]

@@paolo6219 yeah what? Then it wouldn’t be 3:4 anymore

[@paolo6219]

@@charlie7531 I just checked the sheets and theres not even a time signature change, theres just 4 beats in the second last bar

[@randomchannel-px6ho]

Polyrhythms are everywhere. You can find 4 against 3 very often in modern pop, and whole styles are based around 3 against 2 (or vice versa). It's really not all that radical that Ravel put 4 equally spaced notes in a bar of 3/4, though it's teleologically perfect for the ending of La Valse.

[@dunkleosteus430]

Ravel himself refuted this idea and said there wasn't a symbolic meaning behind the piece.

[@felictychoi1868]

The music reminds me of the fond memories that i don't even have.

[@NeilRaouf]

it sounds like straight out of a nightmare or feverdream. i mean that in a good way. it‘s mindblowing!

[@johnshark999]

"The only love affair I have ever had was with music." M. Ravel

[@dunkleosteus430]

Sigma incel mindset

[@IrenedeRaadt]

Ravel was a genius, every piece feels like a dream that you want to last forever ❤️

[@windmaze8735]

I understand what you mean, but I don't know if I want to stay in this dream. That poor waltz sounds like it's fighting for it's life at the end!

[@thomasthompson6378]

@@windmaze8735 Yes, it's as if Ravel was trying very hard to write something that -- ironically -- is not a "real" waltz at all. Something, indeed, rather frightening.

[@thomasdonio2129]

​@@windmaze8735Perhaps that's what Ravel intended: a way of life symbolized by the waltz that came crashing down. It was written between 1919 and 1920, the aftermath of WWI, which changed everything.

[@windmaze8735]

@@thomasdonio2129 Ravel actually denied this interpretation, stating that it was more of an emotion pushed to its extreme. Personally, I think it's quite apt!

[@MichaelSeltenreich]

This was one of the greatest performances I have ever heard! it was so alive. you can really see the soloists are really into the music. This orchestra played la valse well over a hundred times and to see them so excited about a little passage or a little solo... just incredible!!

[@SCRIABINIST]

7:02 the way the violinists look at each other just makes me smile for some reason

[@debralevine1098]

What a great catch. thank you.

[@Mr-Prasguerman]

É uma música romântica....

[@HieronymousLex]

Musicians in an orchestra often look at each other to communicate and harmonize emotion

[@brunoantony3218]

They were flirting.

[@musical_lolu4811]

Of course they were playing the score to their romance movie, live.

[@benjibean8431]

Ravel's pieces always end in such a unique way.

[@peteradaniel]

Bravo Chung! No matter how much I love Bernstein, this is absolutely one of the best interpretations of this piece I've ever heard. He plays with extreme speeds so much more than any other conductor, but maintains an almost Viennese style rubato. He concentrates on minutiae phrasing while never breaking the overall structure. He takes so many risks and succeeds. He exemplifies the true nature of the piece, which is about the trust between the players and the conductor. Bravo!

[@megabugginout]

Chung is a phenomenon is a conductor!!!

[@tomokojaponesinha]

I love the indescribable atmosphere of this piece, with its mixture of beauty and eeriness. I feel Ravel's genius in the way he maintains harmony at the end of the piece, just before it collapses. I have listened to several performances, but I think that Myung-Whun's conducting brings out the best the characteristics of this piece. And when this piece was written, Ravel was cold-shouldered by Diaghilev along with "Daphnis et Chloe", and I can't help but imagine his concern for Nijinsky.

[@jakebruner2719]

Diaghilev even challenged him to a dual! Like a real, actual dual with weapons! Luckily it never took place….

[@TheAndrewc5120]

What a wonderfully "composed" conductor. If I had been up there I imagine myself tearing my shirt off and finishing the song on my hands and knees haha. Forever and ever my favorite classical piece.

[@LePredator1]

Omg, lol!

[@J-dg8wj]

Hi! I agree with you! I can understand your feeling, it is amazing!

[@waterkingdavid]

Though composed I sense every bone in his being immersed in the music. Everything piece he conducts he turns golden. A musical giant to be sure.

[@quicksite]

He's most certainly in a trance, for real, as one would need to be to conduct this most complicated piece that relies on exquisite pacing and timing,

[@bbcsbiggestfan]

wonderfully vivid image, same

[@mbvglider]

I like how he's conducting the hell out of the ending but then just lets the last downbeat drop casually because he's like, "good job, orchestra, y'all nailed it, I know this ain't easy."

[@martijnkeisers5900]

This is when classical music enters into the modern era. Thrilling, exciting, threatening and overwhelming. Every time i listen to it i am as impressed as the first time.

[@aprilyu1514]

oh my god what did i just hear oh my god!!!!!

[@Dougystyle11]

lol I can't get over how cute this comment is

[@kellymaeshiro]

You just heard the waltz that sounds when the Apocalypse comes! ❤️

[@thelittlemoonling]

Sameeeeee

[@NeilRaouf]

i know right?!

[@otacs2]

Probably one of the best performances of La Valse in my opinion! Extremely clever done by Myung-Whun Chung.

[@cu3677]

What a great them was stohlen at Strauss Sohn. Valzer "Künstlerleben" vom "Fledermaus" . Today i was on this Concert.

[@DunkingDurant35]

The more I listen, the more I love it. One of my favorite pieces ever. So elegant and intense.

[@jackcohen7778]

Khendra... It is a great tune... love it all the way... 😊😁🤗 [e-mail]

[@wickedpawn5437]

I used to listen to this piece every morning before starting my work. Ravel's La Valse has more caffeine than 5 expressos. The best of all: sitting at the third row watching Zubin Mehta conducting it at the Maggio Fiorentino (Florence, 2015).

[@pianist0527]

와 .. 이런연주를 집에서 들을수있는 시대에 감사합니다

[@abaco62]

The best interpretation on KZbin!!! Ravel was a fantastic crazy-genius!!!

[@joachimwinter9316]

Best performance of La Valse I know. Fantastic

[@levanneb]

why have I never heard of this wonderful maestro? he really is one of the best conductors I've ever listened to. Bravo!

[@waterkingdavid]

+sandro nebieridze Yes indeed. He's from a very Korean musical family with his sister the brilliant violinist par excel-lance KyungHwa Chung . Their genes are apparently dripping with musical genius. He has an air of mastery seldom seen.

[@tadeuandrade9134]

listen to his conduction of messian's turangalîla ....

[@advaithkaruna6199]

You guys who see this guys coment do u know who this guy is ??

[@advaithkaruna6199]

@Mahadevan Seetharaman thanks:-)

[@paolo6219]

Yeah this conductor is really good, I remember seeing him conduct rachmaninoff piano concerto no.2 with kissin

[@takaharrue]

what a beautiful piece of music after hearing gaspard de la nuit and then hearing this i'm really starting to knock myself in the head for not having gotten into Ravel before now.

[@jeffsmith5787]

Welcome. :-)

[@The_Guy_Who_Asked_06]

5:50 - 6:40 is so beautiful, why is no one talking about this section?

[@annediss8706]

One of the most rhythmically compelling renditions I've ever heard. Bravo! Thank you for posting this!

[@McCainnn]

Very good maestro and, for me, the best french orchestra (with french bassoons !). Written in 1919, it's like a nice austrian Valse beginning at july 1914 and increasingly darkest and finally destroyed by war 1914-18.

[@salvorizzo8671]

My same impression!!! I couldn't use other words to describe this masterpiece!

[@ericarmstrong6540]

This is my vision when I hear La Valse, too.

[@MaestroTJS]

Ravel claims that was never his intention, and the setting of the ballet was in 1855 anyway. To me it sounds like the aural equivalent of, say, one of Monet's paintings, but here the "subject" is a Johann Strauss Jr. waltz.

[@catchoupiote]

I would say the Orchestre de Paris is the best french orchestra (the winds and brass soloists are virtuosos) but surely the "Philhar'" comes second.

[@MS-715-7Y]

Suspense. Drama. Fascination. Danger. Mystery, and finally, Overcoming.

[@KogumaMischa]

Wonderful conductor and wonderful orchestra! Bravo!!!!!

[@BravoComminSeoul]

Great composer, music, conductor, superb interpretation !!!

[@charlesbosselman]

one of the most beautiful piece of music from one of the world's greatest composer. In the brilliant ending just rocks. brabo

[@aqua753951]

excellent chef, excellent orchestre, du très grand Ravel.

[@visveee6678]

lol i guess chef means something else in french

[@Sedyon]

@@visveee6678 yes, in French we use "chef d'orchestre" to designate a conductor

[@musiclady49]

Ravel never lets me down! Always exciting, passionate and sometimes even vulgar! I ♥♥♥ this piece and the performance is superb!

[@oogieobanyon]

No finer orchestrator than Maurice Ravel ever lived, and the above a matchless rendition. Thank you.

[@warrenwilson4818]

I think people at the premiere would not have known quite what to think. This was a pretty exciting performance

[@dangerlimite6748]

4:32 I think thats how love sounds

[@gracewang413]

Such a warm sound... really touched me

No, its something more like 6:20

No no no... It's just a viola... :D

@ •-•?

@ Viola player alert!! Viola player alert!! :))

[@信楽だぐり]

オーボエのソロあたりからワルツ！！！って感じに変わる瞬間すごく好き！ それから打楽器のダンッってところで色んな楽器が入ってきてまたオーボエに戻ってっていうギャップがすごくかっこよかった！途中のフルートとかピッコロがヒラヒラしてるところ可愛くて好き！

[@Cobalt565]

"we are dancing on the edge of a volcano" - Ravel

[@markherron1407]

Happy Birthday to the Late Maurice Ravel Blessings and Hugs 💖💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕!

[@BrennFilm]

Already at 2:00 you understand, this is no ordinary piece of music... it is alive and kicking!

[@Rx-mn5fv]

Pacing, emotion, grasp of intent, phrasing, intelligence. All there creating an unrivaled experience in this splendid performance.

[@altoclef6688]

Where has this piece been in all my life? Found it today after a tip in a KZbin comment. I like Ravel, among his many good works he has one of the best string quartets ever written, but somehow I never knew about this gem. Fantastic music.

[@booboothefiend]

What string quartet are you referring to? I'd love to listen

[@altoclef6688]

@@booboothefiend The famous F major quartet, for example try kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5a1gqyvhdSqfpI

[@cflhighlights9370]

@@booboothefiend Ravel's String Quartet in F.

[@Sentom23]

1:57 I can hear waltz of the flowers, and even a bit before that, but the flute really gives it away

[@adriand6883]

Same

[@twentythreepointfive]

This performance brings me to tears.

[@tinselPixie]

I love this rendition. For me he is spot on. I was just listening to some of the Leonard Bernstein of this and it didn't have the punch, the slithering off kilter balance, the sparkle....this is superb. Thank you. I haven't heard it done this well in years. For me this one is excellent.

[@victordanielviolin]

Lejos la mejor versión de LA VALSE!!!

[@abhikarshasil5812]

How can one compose such complex but beautiful music🤩

[@Bowble]

Went to a live performance of it today and the loud and exciting parts just make you feel excited especially when you’re close to the stage

[@Dylonely_9274]

U r lucky

[@douxreveur131]

Interprétation d'une intériorité parfaite ! Sur un tempo plus lent que bien d'autres, mais plus convaincante à mon sens par cet équilibre subtil entre profondeur, élégance et violence dramatique venant comme des vagues déferlantes, briser la légèreté insouciante de la valse. Magnifique !

[@vperez4796]

Outstanding composition and superb interpretation. This piece arise feelings of any soul.

[@jachymsvoboda1971]

Perfektní prezentace tome

[@aprocesss]

I legit can´t stand still while listening to this. It´s as if I had to release all that energy through movement.

[@TetsuoTheProphecy]

Nine minutes in has one of the most amazing crescendos I have heard. And just look at the speed of the celloists. Incredible music, performance and conducting!

[@jancowell]

I had goosebumps the whole way through this was incredible!

[@KurosanLOVE]

Just discovered this song today at a concert. I love how it's so whimsical and the swings in loudness

[@rolfealivargasmartin1202]

Dieses Choreografische Gedicht für Orchester ist einfach Fantastisch, wirklich erhaben, ein wahres Meisterwerk, Wunderbar sehr gut Gerichtet. Maurice Ravel , "Außergewöhnlich".

[@지원-j3k]

들으면서 감정이 소용돌이치는 곡

[@1948BigCy]

I have no doubt that this is what Ravel intended. The 1920's brought a revolution in all kinds of art. The old world was destroyed by WWI; the new world was with us. One has to understand what he was doing in order to appreciate this, even though his re-working of Strauss' melodies and harmonies was incredible. Once, he changed keys four times in a page! I have the piano version. "La Valse" is one of a kind.

[@inorikwanon8629]

Résolument, la meilleure exécution de "La Valse" de toutes que j'en ai déjà écoutées. L'orchestre se présente avec une transparence et une sonorité époustouflantes. Tout l'esprit de Ravel y est, indéniablement. Un grand bravo à l'OPRF et à son chef !

[@jacquesbertrand3246]

The orchestra and its conductor are all perfect! They set fire to the interpretation of this amazing work that is one of the craziest I know, even if it seems classic!

[@Nagoragama]

A waltz lurching beautifully towards its death

[@quicksite]

5:51 - 8:03 - You can really get a feel for the different pacing transitions between different performances of La Valse by comparing this middle passage here ( 2 minutes, 12 sec ) to the same passage in Maestro Myung-Whun Chung's more recent performance of LaValse in 2013 ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHS4k3ucn9lsp7s ) - Same passage from 6:05 to 8:23 (2 minutes, 18 sec). That 6-seconds may seem insignificant, but consider the 2013 performance runs in total 37-seconds longer than this version, and I would suggest they create different moods. Maestro Chung chose to conduct certain passages in the more recent performance in a more languished tempo, perhaps to greater accentuate the frenetic ramp-ups that break the more lullful states. That's what I love about La Valse - It's like a Carousel that careens out of control like in Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWakdISsmqlsl8U ) - and controlling the pace of how that happens is how a conductor plays our strings!

[@19Edurne]

Eargasm... a word that could have been invented for Ravel's music. And for some reason, I keep imagining the Titanic's band playing that just before going down, even though I know it was composed 7 years after. It sounds so appropriate. Like someone commented below: begining like a fairytale and ending like a nightmare.

[@ericarmstrong6540]

To my ear it sounds like a requiem for the end of the old order in Europe following The Great War.

[@salvorizzo8671]

A beautiful valzer first interrupted and then distorced by the war.

[@김세진-f9s]

와.. 손에 땀나면서 봤네.... 저런 라벨다운 악보에서 명쾌하고 놀라운 정명훈 만의 해석으로 재탄생되다니...

[@saop77]

Gorgeous! Standing ovation ...

[@facekickr]

The world's most intense waltz!! I don't know anything about anything, but this was super cool! The orchestra and conductor totally destroyed the house with this one! Lastly I wanted to add that this song could be a song that gets you all kinds of pissed off for AAAALLLL the right reasons! This is the type of song that gets you and gets you moody in just the right way. Love it!

[@levanneb]

wonderful. and the orchestra is really brilliant.

[@pierrenhy3835]

Magnifique interprétation, quelle sensibilité et quel chef d’œuvre . La plus belle valse de tous les temps

[@charlespiecyk631]

Plus ''belle'' n'est peut être pas le terme que j'utiliserais personnellement...La plus dramatique peut-être? 🤔

[@pierrenhy3835]

Disons la plus belle du monde et de l’univers.Si vous en connaissez de plus belles, je suis prenneur

[@emitch9213]

The heart is full with listening to this orchestration...I am chilled :)

[@SeanPi314]

This valse was composed after World War I, therefore, this piece is considered as a "dance of death."

[@segmentsAndCurves]

Actually, Ravel has intended to write something like this before WW1, but God has perfect timing, right?

[@themobiusfunction]

@@segmentsAndCurves Yes

[@GSteel-rh9iu]

Bravo Bravo! By far the clearest most dramatic rendition. Most of the others have some murky passages; this was a piece of joy (and tragedy)! Congratulations to Maestro Chung Myung-Whun, Orchestre Phil. Radio France and the sound engineers!

[@andreachiquini8659]

Tenho a sensação de estar entrando numa floresta escura e silenciosa... Depois vem o encantamento. Sempre me emociono.

[@alessandrogw]

Wondwerful, maestoso, in the begininig seem to be a fairytale in the end a nightmare, splendorous!!!

[@tongpoo8985]

Very well said

[@solomonmakil2152]

Begininig

[@freddyfelipe5047]

This is more punk than I thought when I was a teenager. Stunning!

[@eddfdc]

The best rendition! each orchestra part takes its unique tone but they unite perfectly!

[@manuelnoya8257]

Magnífico. Hago míos los 628 comentarios anteriores.

[@didierboudet]

Philharmonique Radio France!!!! J'adore!!!!!😌

[@Nonpeon]

Perfectly done by the CONDUCTOR..... Wow!!

[@petercates6706]

And also a huge fan of Andre Cluytens versions and, for me, he and Chung are on the same page as far as superb, with wondrous differences in nuances/subtleties !

[@Nonpeon]

@@petercates6706 Just caught this comment 3 years too late. Thanks...

[@randeringer]

The ending is amazing!!!!!!!!!!! bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@margeferguson8145]

This piece always reminds me of how life can be both lovely and quite insane and all a-kilter as it progresses.

[@tadeodewiesent1482]

¡¡¡Bravísimo!!! ¡Magnífico! ¡Estupendo! ¡Maravilloso! 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@paolettomele]

Fantastico. Meraviglioso. 😍♥️

[@CHarveyFan1]

I love these intimate moments when watching an orchestra. Well spotted.

[@christopherstilley7756]

I've wondered how this delightfully surreal piece looks conducted live..now I know.Exquisite video...Love it when the strings come in at 2:05..its like Ravel as entered the building and ushered in the ballrooms and gardens of Paris.. :)

[@dougmiles1058]

A heartbeat begins this piece if my ears hear correctly, and recurr a few times throughout which could imply fear or passion.

[@gwsteph]

J'ai dû écouter plusieurs fois cette interprétation avant de l'apprécier... La part belle est faite aux instruments à vent et aux percussions. Et la fin est d'une puissance envoûtante !!!

[@theproplady]

This would have been a good song to have in Disney's Fantasia. The music tells a very tangible story that would be easy to animate... I also like how at 12:08, it almost sounds as if they're reversing the audio. (An effect solely created by the instruments.) The song almost seems to be peering into the future and into the way we digitally manipulate music to create certain effects.

I agree but, its a piece

[@TJ042]

@ dang right you are.

[@justthememelordsnextdoor9120]

Its a piece not a song, but otherwise great opinion

[@freddyfelipe5047]

I thought the same when i heard about 35 years ago being a teenager and there was no digital world like now

[@adriand6883]

I've noticed that odd reverse sounding effect too, one of the things I love about this piece 😁

[@lnfk]

Maurice Ravel never lets me down. Such godly music

[@louloucalil5412]

Magnifique orchestre et valse de Ravel que jadore ❤❤❤❤

[@maxsloan5828]

the beginning is so tense, my hearts racing

[@MichaelYoder1961]

This piece never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for posting!

[@MusicTheGreat]

Absolutely fantastic interpretation!!!

Que coisa mais linda! Bem tocada, bem regida, bem filmada e com muita inspiração. Parabéns!

[@person1113]

2016 studying my ass off in uni, I listened to this while studying, good times