“Waltz” comes from the German verb “walzen” meaning to revolve, and by extension to dance in a circle. And a circle is de ned by three points, just as a waltz is de ned by its three beats. So is Chopin inviting us to a round dance? Yes, in some cases, like the Grande valse brillante (op. 18); but no, most of his waltzes, unlike those of the Strauss family, are not meant to be danced to; or rather yes, they are, but in the kind of romantic party we might conjure up in our imagination, like that curious night in Le Grand Meaulnes, perhaps.
It was that aura of mysterious contrast that persuaded me to carry out this project to record the complete waltzes, albeit at the risk of adding yet another to the countless versions of the most often-played works of the most famous composer for the piano. On the other hand, the fact that Chopin published only eight waltzes in his lifetime (out of 15 known in the 19th century and at least 20 today) continues to raise questions about his intentions. For example, is the A minor waltz on track 19 of this album really his last, composed around 1848 but not published until 1955? As poignant as a rainbow seen through tears... (Emmanuelle Swiercz-Lamoure)
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