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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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."

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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).

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

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!!

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.

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

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

How can one compose such complex but beautiful music🤩

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

I had goosebumps the whole way through this was incredible!

This performance brings me to tears.

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！

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

7:06 is my favorite moment. Sounds like you are in a profound and bitter-sweet dream. The dream is so deep that you cannot wake up, but you relish in the pain and cry in joy.

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!

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

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 ( kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eKmFlauXz9qdoY0.html ) - 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" ( kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bZtxdrSnyqqdkZc.html ) - and controlling the pace of how that happens is how a conductor plays our strings!

4:32 I think thats how love sounds

A waltz lurching beautifully towards its death

Best performance of La Valse I know. Fantastic

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

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

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

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!

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

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.. :)

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 !

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

Where has this piece been in all my life? Found it today after a tip in a KZfaq 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.

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

Gorgeous! Standing ovation ...

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

wonderful. and the orchestra is really brilliant.

excellent chef, excellent orchestre, du très grand Ravel.

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.

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.

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

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 !!!

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

Beautiful, clever, accessble. In music, the melodie is what remains, this piece displays rich and successful melodies

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

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

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 !

This is the sound of Old Europe ending in the summer of 1914.

Lejos la mejor versión de LA VALSE!!!

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

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!

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

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

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.

the beginning is so tense, my hearts racing

LA VALSE DE RAVEL ou petite chronique d'un temps passé protecteur Vienne de Sissi et des valses , Paris , ville lumière , le tout revisité par un temps présent inquiet . °°°°°°°°°°°° Dans "La valse " de Maurice Ravel , nous avons comme un condensé des motivations , des souvenirs , des inquiétudes du compositeur . Cette valse est un souvenir à la fois de son passé d'avant 1900 et comme une volonté protectrice voir cathartique d'une musique à la fois refuge en même temps qu'interrogatrice d'un monde qui s'est annoncé terrible et sans pitié , vu que l'Europe est devenue soudain un charnier de plusieurs millions de morts ainsi qu'un champ de ruines sur de grandes étendues . Le deuxième motif de la valse cite avec quelques modifications , España de Chabrier , et ceci n'est pas anodin car Ravel doit son aspiration pour la composition grâce à ce maître du renouveau, Chabrier . Chabrier décontracte la musique , la déboutonne , et la libère des carcans selon Verlaine en Poésie, des torts de la rime . Le fond de rideau de " la valse ", c'est bien la valse viennoise ou l'ambiance de cet autre Paris autrichien , Vienne , qu' Offenbach et Waldteufel ont amené dans leurs bagages sur les rives de la Seine . Le finale semble amplifié , et même sur-dimensionné , cela a été annoncé par la scansion outrée du gros tambour à certains moments isolés , heureusement pas plus , au début de l'oeuvre . Il y a de l'humour vite étouffé, lorsque les violons semblent avoir perdu la mélodie, ce qui raisonne comme un appel pathétique à la rescousse qui arrive par le grondement des bassons , réponse inquiétante . Le tournoiement des instruments qui successivement entrent dans la danse dans une spirale sans trop de répit semble à peine étouffer une angoisse irrépressible en lien avec quelque chose d'inéluctable , la fin d'un monde . Par cette valse qui se termine en un pugilat terrestre délocalisé dans la poussière d'une terre mutilée ,la musique perd de son enchantement pour ne plus s'élever du sol qui semble se dérober sous un ciel terriblement obscurci . Une masse sonore magmatique , chaotique de fin de morceau frappe l'auditeur comme un monument incontournable par son gigantisme . Tout ceci nous pouvons le mettre en parallèle avec le terrible chaos de la "Grande guerre" de 1914-1918 , par laquelle l'Europe occidentale a basculé soudainement dans un cauchemar jamais vécu et envisageable à une telle intensité en des temps à peine plus anciens ..

How did I not know about this masterpiece?!

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

와 .. 이런연주를 집에서 들을수있는 시대에 감사합니다

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

Me gusto mucho .Me parece que la obra de Ravel es como un adelanto de todo lo que oiriamos a finales del siglo XX incluyendo los soundtrack de Holliwood....

Maurice Ravel never lets me down. Such godly music

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

Maestro Chung's interpretation for this piece is the beat among others. The piano version is also fantastic played by seong jin cho.

Absolutely fantastic interpretation!!!

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

It reminds me of a happy Austrian waltz played on the trenches of the war 1914-1918

I love this drunk waltz more and more everytime I hear it :D

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

들으면서 감정이 소용돌이치는 곡

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

After getting a sense of what Ravel is doing here, and letting that sink in for a while, I come away even more in awe of the precision and subtlety of this particular conductor and this orchestra. Wow!

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

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

10:40 - 11:14 has my heart

Maybe because of the influence of Fantasia, but listening to this piece I can imagine some sort of animated fantastic story...

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.

I envy the people who were lucky enough to participate in this marvellous concerto, viva la musica!!!

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