La Valse was originally composed as a tribute to Johann Strauss Jr and in a style that is a parodic and apocalyptic view of wartime Vienna. Subtitled Poeme Choregraphique Pour Orchestre the piece employs the awesome forces of triple winds two harps and a host of percussion and was commissioned by Sergie Diaghilev in 1919 to be first performed in Paris in 1929. The full score is reproduced here in a convenient and attractively-priced miniature format.
