The waltz first took root in Vienna and soon spread across Europe, becoming the dance craze of the 19th century. Waltzing was more energetic and intimate than other social dances and caused its fair share of consternation — even Lord Byron wrote a poem against the new fad. But the joy and motion of the waltz won the day, and it remains an infectiously happy corner of the classical repertoire.
On this week’s episode of Reflections from the Keyboard, this Thursday at 8 pm, David Dubal begins a four-part exploration of the waltz as it twirled across piano keys from country to country. You’ll hear Russian waltzes from Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky; French waltzes by Chabrier and Faure; and classic Viennese waltzes by Johann Strauss II.
Program Playlist:
Franz Liszt: Soirees de Vienne: Valse-Caprice No. 6
Vladimir Horowitz
Philips
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Valse-Scherzo in A, Op. 7
Mikhail Pletnev
Philips
Johann Strauss: Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes from Die Fledermaus (arr. Leopold Godowsky)
Nelson Freire
Philips
Emanuel Chabrier: Three Romantic Waltzes: No. 1
Robert & Gaby Casadesus
Masterworks Portrait
Gabriel Fauré: Dolly Suite, Op. 56: Kitty-Valse
Robert & Gaby Casadesus
Philips
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos: Valse
Lyubov Bruk & Mark Taimonov
Philips
Johann Strauss: Concert Arabesques on Themes of "By The Beautiful Danube" (arr. Adolf Schulz-Evler)
Stanley Waldoff
ArkivMusic
Claude Debussy: La Plus Que Lente
Claude Debussy
Pierian
Johannes Brahms: Waltzes, Op. 39: No. 1, 2 & 15
Dinu Lipatti and Nadia Boulanger
EMI