Maurice Ravel's La Valse, M.72, is a symphonic poem composed between 1919 and 1920, originally conceived as a ballet. The piece is a vivid and complex tribute to the Viennese waltz, though it evolves into a chaotic and almost nightmarish deconstruction of the dance form. Ravel described it as “a fantastic and fatal whirling,” reflecting both an admiration for the waltz and an unsettling sense of its collapse.

The music begins in a misty, ambiguous atmosphere, gradually revealing fragments of waltz rhythms that gain momentum. As the piece progresses, the waltz transforms from a graceful and elegant dance into an increasingly unstable and frenzied spectacle. The orchestration grows more intense, with sudden shifts in harmony and dynamics, driving the piece toward a dramatic, almost violent conclusion.

Though initially intended for ballet, La Valse is often performed as a concert work, showcasing Ravel’s mastery of orchestration and his ability to blend structure with expressive intensity. It is frequently interpreted as a reflection on the decline of European society after World War I, though Ravel himself resisted overt programmatic interpretations.