Maurice Ravel was 31 when he began writing a piece that he called simply, "La Valse," a light tribute to carefree Viennese waltzes. He set the piece aside, then saw the agony of World War I firsthand. When the 45-year-old Ravel came back to his waltz, the world was different place. He was a different man. And La Valse was no longer a light tribute. In 13 minutes, you can hear the waltz slowly go delirious, spin out of control, and finally, fly apart into chaos.
Episode Playlist
Hour 1
Sergei Prokofiev: First movement from Symphony No.1 in D, Op.25 (Classical)
The London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev, conductor
R.F.M. Mann: JEWETT C.M. (Amazing Grace)
Seraphic Fire
First United Methodist Church, Coral Gables, Florida
John Stevens: Benediction
The Sotto Voce Tuba Quartet
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
Johann Friedrich Fasch: Concerto in F, FWV L:F3
Tempesta di Mare
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia
Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev: Three movements from Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 12
The Mariinksy Theatre Orchestra, Valery Gergiev, conductor
Congress and Concert Centre de Doelen, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Hour 2
Erik Satie: Gnossienne No. 1
Havard Gimse, piano
Concert Hall, Oslo, Norway
Bela Bartok: 15 Hungarian Peasant Songs, BB 79, Sz. 71
The Budapest Festival Orchestra, Ivan Fischer, conductor
Carnegie Hall, New York City
Olivier Messiaen: Les Offrandes Oubliees (Forgotten Offerings)
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Ludovic Morlot, conductor
The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Toru Takemitsu: The Night, from Toward the Sea II
Patrick Gallois, alto flute, Fabrice Pierre, harp, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Davis, conductor
Maurice Ravel: La Valse
The New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert, conductor
Avery Fisher Hall, New York City
Claude Debussy: Clair de Lune
The Aspen Chamber Symphony, Matthias Pintscher, conductor
Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, Colorado
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American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.
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