Tansman, Alexandre : Valse-Impromptu
Work Overview
Publication Year:1940
First Publisher:Max Eschig
Instrumentation:Piano Solo
Genre:inpromptu
Total Playing Time:2 min 00 sec
Copyright:Under Copyright Protection
Commentary (1)
Author : Nishihara, Masaki
Last Updated: November 15, 2022
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Author : Nishihara, Masaki
Composed in Paris on March 4, 1940. The war situation in Europe was already critical, and Tansman, branded by the Nazis as a composer of "degenerate music," was enduring difficult days, struggling with arrangements for his emigration to the United States with his pregnant wife and infant child. This short piece was written during that period. Its impetuous drive and the way it deconstructs tonality are truly captivating, characteristic of a master's hand.Ravel's La Valse or Valses nobles et sentimentales will almost certainly find it appealing. For Tansman, Ravel was his primary benefactor in his youth. Though a minor work, it possesses that same fervor characteristic of Ravel. Dedicated to Lise Darsonval, a prima ballerina at the Paris Opéra at the time, who was promoted to étoile that year. On the day of its composition, the composer premiered the work with Darsonval's dance at the Salle des Archives Internationales de la Danse in Paris.
- Introduction: Lento (ad libitum)
- Main Section: Tempo di Valse (Moderato)
- 3/4 time, F major (no key signature).