About this edition
Composed in 1911 as a set of eight waltzes for piano and orchestrated by Ravel the following year for a ballet commissioned by Natalia Trouhanowa, Valses nobles et sentimentales stands as one of Ravel's most sophisticated essays in dance form. Taking its title and inspiration from Schubert's two collections of waltzes, the work pays homage to the Viennese tradition while filtering it through Ravel's unmistakable harmonic palette — biting ninth chords, parallel sevenths, and the famously cryptic dedication of "la jouissance délicieuse et toujours nouvelle d'une occupation inutile." The orchestral version culminates in the haunting Épilogue, in which fragments of the preceding waltzes drift past as if half-remembered, anticipating the dissolution Ravel would later perfect in La Valse.
This score reproduces the first orchestral edition, published in Paris by Durand & Cie. in 1912 (plate number D. & F. 8476). Durand was Ravel's primary publisher throughout his career, and their first editions remain the authoritative sources for his orchestral works, prepared under the composer's direct supervision. The Durand engravings of this period are renowned for their clarity, careful spacing, and meticulous attention to Ravel's exacting notational practices — qualities that continue to make these prints the reference point for conductors, scholars, and performers approaching this repertoire.
About this edition:
- Full orchestral score (study/conducting format)
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches
- Reproduced from the 1912 Durand & Cie. first edition, a public domain historical source
- Published by Purple 4R Publishing
This volume makes a landmark historical edition of Ravel's orchestral waltzes available in an affordable, study-friendly format. Because the original 1912 Durand engraving is in the public domain, we're delighted to bring this beautifully prepared score back into the hands of conductors, orchestral musicians, students, and anyone who loves Ravel's incomparable craft.
