Early in 1903, Sibelius composed this valse which became immediately popular and through which he became known in America. The music was composed to accompany a scene in a play titled "Kuolema" (Death): the main character, Paavali, is at the bedside of his dying mother, when he falls asleep by tiredness and she dreams of attending a ball, listening to the sound of a distant music ("The Valse Triste"). She then begins to dance among strange imaginary couples, mistaking Death as her deceased husband as the person she is dancing with. The son awakens to find his mother dead.
As its title suggests and the play scene describes, "Valse Triste" combines melancholy, as Death comes to claim his victim, with joy as the woman reunites with her beloved husband. The bittersweet feeling of the music makes it one of the strangest and most fascinating music pieces as well as one of the most atmospheric dances.