the incredible chords in ravel's valses nobles et sentimentales

today we'll be delving into one of my all-time favourite pieces by ravel: valses nobles et sentimentales. i still remember listening to it for the first time and being absolutely floored by the opening chords - fast forward to when i listened to the orchestral version and was floored yet another time. well, i decided to give a short analysis of some of the key moments in the first movement to share some insight into the craft of the piece. i hope you enjoy!
opening clip by volodos (my favourite version): • Maurice Ravel: Valses ...
schubert d969: • Franz Schubert - Valse...
ma mère l'oye: • Maurice Ravel - Ma mèr...