https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_valse

An upcoming HSO concert includes this work: https://www.myhso.org/concerts/2025-spotlight-with-your-hso

As usual, I prepare myself for these concerts by listening to the programming on repeat the week prior to the concert and I've been thinking a lot about La Valse.

My interpretation of this work is Dancing Mania occurring at a Viennese ballroom. It starts out as a fade-in to the dance floor with couples dancing as normal. With the lack of a musical conclusion, we see the dancing never ends as we fade-out and transition back to the dance floor again but this time the dancers are now in a dilapidated state and perhaps some of them already collapsed. I love the instrumentation and tonal shift here! We then end with the last few couples madly dancing with what seems to be flames surrounding them until they too finally collapse with the final notes of the work.

I look forward to experiencing this work live!