The impressive suite Valses noble et sentimentales was composed in 1911 – first in a piano version, and a year later in an orchestral version. The title refers to two collections by Franz Schubert, and the score is prefaced by a quote from the French Symbolist poet Henri de Régnier: “the delicious and ever-new pleasure of a useless occupation”. Ravel’s work consists of eight movements, and although the composer professed a commitment to the Romantic tradition while writing it, the orchestration, with prominence given to the percussion section, is completely different from Schubert’s style. The evening will conclude with Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2. The ballet was premiered by the Ballets Russes in 1912. The NFM Choir will join the performance forces. Maestro Dutoit previously conducted the choir in 2019 during a performance in Katowice. The excerpts from Ravel’s work we will hear come from the final scene of the ballet depicting an ancient love story. The rising dawn witnesses the reunion of Daphnis and Chloe, who had been kidnapped by pirates but rescued by the Greek god Pan. The lovers pledge their love, which the arriving bacchantes celebrate with a lively dance.