Invitation to the Dance Op 65 D Flat

Alongside the opera “Der Freischütz”, Weber’s “Invitation to the Dance” in D flat major op. 65 is his most famous work. In the 19th century, Weber’s spirited piece was considered the virtual incarnation of the waltz. Weber here arranged the waltz frenzy of the dance-crazy Biedermeier era in a concertante form, letting one waltz follow the other, sometimes gently swaying, sometimes wildly stomping. The movements are framed by a poetic introduction and a finale. The work is presented here in an Urtext edition based on the autograph fair copy, but also takes into account the first edition and a copyist’s manuscript. Besides information concerning these sources, one can read in the editor’s detailed preface about the programmatic interpretation that Weber is supposed to have given to the introduction and finale at the first performance, allowing one to vividly imagine a danced execution of the work.