Invitation to the Dance

The informal title and programmatic content of Weber's Aufforderung zum Tanze, Op. 65 (1819) — the first programmatic concert waltz, in which a slow introduction depicts a scene of social invitation before the waltz proper unfolds in a large rondo form.

The Aufforderung is in three parts: slow introduction (the dialogue scene), rondo waltz (the dance itself), and slow coda (the departure and farewell). The waltz episodes must be played with genuine dance lilt — 'ONE-two-three' with a slight lean on the first beat and lightness on two and three. Berlioz famously orchestrated this piece; let that scale inform your dynamic range.