Best Waltz

La Valse is an orchestral work by Maurice Ravel, completed in 1920. Originally conceived as a ballet, the piece is subtitled a choreographic poem and evokes the culture of Vienna through the structure of a waltz that becomes increasingly dissonant and chaotic. Ravel described the work as a tribute t...

"Waltz of the Flowers" is an orchestral piece from the second act of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1892 ballet, The Nutcracker. Written in a standard triple meter, the composition serves as the grand finale to the ballet's land of sweets sequence. It features complex, sweeping melodies led by the strin...

"Moon River" is a popular song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, written specifically for the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's. The song is performed in the film by actress Audrey Hepburn, accompanying her character as she sings on a fire escape. It is written in a 3/4 waltz ti...

John Coltrane's 1961 arrangement of "My Favorite Things" is a landmark modal jazz reinterpretation of the original Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune. Performed on the soprano saxophone, Coltrane maintained the piece's 3/4 waltz time signature while drastically expanding its harmonic structure throug...

The Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2 is a solo piano composition by Frédéric Chopin, completed in 1847. The piece is characterized by its melancholic principal theme and a faster, rhythmic middle section. Dedicated to Baroness Nathaniel de Rothschild, it was published during the composer's lifet...

The "Waltz of the Flowers" is an orchestral piece by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky from the second act of the 1892 ballet The Nutcracker. It accompanies a choreographed dance performed by the Flowers in the Land of Sweets, a setting visited by Clara and the Prince after their journey through the snow. Th...

The Emperor Waltz, Op. 437, is an orchestral waltz composed by Johann Strauss II in 1889. The piece was written to symbolize the meeting of the Austrian and German emperors, Franz Joseph I and Wilhelm II, reflecting the political landscape of the era. It consists of a grand introduction, five distin...

The "Sleeping Beauty Waltz" is a famous orchestral piece from the 1890 ballet "The Sleeping Beauty," Op. 66, by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The piece serves as the grand finale of the ballet's first act, accompanying a royal court celebration. Characterized by its sweeping melodies an...

Der Rosenkavalier (The Knight of the Rose) is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss with a libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, premiered at the Dresden Hofoper on January 26, 1911. Set in Vienna during the reign of Maria Theresa in the 1740s, the opera centers on the Marschallin, her young l...

"Waltz for Debby" is a modern jazz standard written by American pianist Bill Evans in 1954 and first recorded in 1956. The composition is known for its lyrical melody and jazz waltz time signature. It gained significant prominence through its inclusion on the highly acclaimed 1961 live album of the...

Emperor Waltz, or Kaiser-Walzer, is an orchestral waltz by Johann Strauss II, published in 1889. It belongs to the late Viennese waltz tradition, using contrasting waltz sections framed by an introduction and conclusion for concert performance. Its imperial title and ceremonial character connect the...

"Mephisto Waltz No. 1" is a programmatic orchestral and solo piano work composed by the Hungarian virtuoso Franz Liszt between 1859 and 1862. The music is based on Nikolaus Lenau's depiction of the demon Mephistopheles playing a frantic fiddle tune at a village tavern. Widely recognized for its extr...

Maurice Ravel's La valse is an orchestral work completed in 1920 and described by the composer as a choreographic poem. Conceived around the Viennese waltz, it begins with fragments emerging from a dark orchestral texture before developing into increasingly dense and unstable dance music. The score...

The Der Rosenkavalier Suite is an orchestral compilation drawn from Richard Strauss's 1911 comic opera of the same name, assembled for concert performance without vocal parts. It incorporates the opera's principal waltz sequences and lyrical episodes, including music associated with the Marschallin...

Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1876 for the ballet Swan Lake, this orchestral waltz is prominently featured in the first act's ballroom scene. The piece is characterized by its distinct Romantic melodies and complex orchestration, typical of 19th-century Russian ballet music. It is frequent...

Composed by Franz Liszt in 1850, Liebestraum No. 3 in A-flat major is the final and most recognized of his three nocturnes. Originally written for solo piano, the piece is renowned for its expressive, lyrical melody and requires significant technical skill to perform. It is subtitled "O lieb, so lan...

The Sleeping Beauty Waltz is a major orchestral piece from the 1889 ballet The Sleeping Beauty, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Formally known as "The Garland Waltz," it opens the first act of the ballet, celebrating the christening of Princess Aurora with grand, sweeping Romantic melodies. Th...

"Music of the Spheres" (Sphärenklänge), Op. 235, is an orchestral waltz composed by the Austrian musician Josef Strauss in 1868. As a prominent work of the Viennese Romantic era, it is heavily noted for its innovative incorporation of ethereal harmonics and celestial themes. The composition uses a l...

"My Favorite Things" is a show tune originally composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II for the 1959 musical "The Sound of Music." In the production, the track is notable for its distinctive waltz tempo and serves to list items that bring joy during fearful moments. The compos...

"Valses nobles et sentimentales" is a suite of waltzes composed by the French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel. The work was first performed as a piano piece in 1911 and was subsequently orchestrated by Ravel in 1912 for a ballet titled "Adélaïde, ou Le langage des fleurs." The composition is hi...

Un bal is the second movement of Symphonie Fantastique, an 1830 programmatic symphony by French composer Hector Berlioz. Scored for a large Romantic orchestra, the movement is a triple-meter waltz that depicts the protagonist encountering his beloved at a formal ball. Berlioz utilizes sweeping strin...

Johann Strauss II’s Tales from the Vienna Woods, or Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald, is a concert waltz composed in 1868. The score combines the flowing triple-meter waltz with an extended introduction, contrasting sections, and a featured zither part that evokes the musical culture associated with t...

The Waltz is an orchestral piece from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's lyric opera Eugene Onegin, which premiered in 1879. It accompanies a ballroom scene set in the Larin estate, establishing the social atmosphere before the central conflict between Onegin and Lensky occurs. The composition stands as a p...

Rosen aus dem Süden (Roses from the South), Op. 388, is an orchestral waltz composed by Johann Strauss II in 1880. The piece adapts melodic themes from his successful operetta Das Spitzentuch der Königin. It was first performed in Vienna and quickly became one of the composer's most acclaimed concer...

Franz Liszt composed the Mephisto Waltz No. 1 (Der Tanz in der Dorfschenke) in 1861 as the second of two episodes from Lenau's Faust. Originally written for orchestra and later transcribed for solo piano, this programmatic work depicts a scene where Mephistopheles plays a violin at a village inn, lu...

Frédéric Chopin’s Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2 is a significant piece of Romantic era classical music. Composed around 1846-47, it showcases Chopin's masterful melodic writing and emotional depth. The waltz, part of his final published opus, remains notable for its lyrical quality and poigna...

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed the Waltz for his lyric opera "Eugene Onegin," Op. 24, which he completed in 1878. The piece serves as instrumental dance music during a lavish aristocratic ball scene at the Larin estate in Act II. In the context of the opera's narrative, this waltz underscores the...

Frédéric Chopin’s Minute Waltz, Op. 64 No. 1, is a beloved piano waltz composed around 1846–47. Its delicate and charming melody quickly gained popularity, becoming one of Chopin's most frequently performed works. The piece is notable for its concise form and expressive Romantic style. It’s particul...

'Valse triste, Op. 44 No. 1' is an orchestral work composed by Jean Sibelius in 1903 for his brother-in-law Arvid Järnefelt's play 'Kuolema' (Death). The piece depicts a dying woman who dreams of dancing with ghostly figures, characterized by its melancholic melody and shifting between major and min...