Sibelius - Valse Triste (piano transcription)

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This is one of the most popular of the Finnish master's lesser composition. It is one number from the incidental music to a drama written by the composer's gifted brother-in-law, Arvid Jarnefelt, entitled "Kuolema" ("Death"). The Valse Triste has a programme which accounts for the yearning and shuddering sadness of the music.

"It is night. The son who has been watching by the beside of his sick mother has fallen asleep from sheer weariness. Gradually a ruddy light is reflected through the room; there is a sound of distant music; the glow and the music steal nearer until the strains of a valse melody float distinctly to our ears. The sleeping mother awakens, rises from her bed, and in her long white garment, which takes the semblance of a ball-dress, begins to move slowly and silently to and fro. She waves her hands, and beckons in time to the music, as though she were summoning a crowd of invisible guests. And now they appear, these strange visionary couples, turning and gliding to an unearthly valse rhythm. The dying woman mingles with the dancers, she strives to make them look into her eyes, but the shadowy guests one and all seem to avoid her glance. Then she sinks exhausted on her couch, and the music breaks off. But presently she gathers all her strength, and invokes the dance once again with more energetic gestures than before. Back come the shadowy dancers, gyrating in a wild, mad rhythm. The weird gaiety reaches a climax, there is a knock at the door, which flies wide open, the mother utters a despairing cry; the spectral guests vanish, the music dies away, Death stands on the threshold."

Rosa Newmarch.

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[BrunoCt86]

I've tried to upload this video so many times.. but it's always out of synch... i have to record it again, meanwhile enjoy this one!

[markov68]

Sticky fingaz :)