Three Waltzes, Op.34

No.1 in A flat major

No.2 in A minor

No.3 in F major

By its nature, the waltz can achieve neither the grandeur associated with the polonaise nor the expressive intimacy associated with the nocturne. Two of the thee “Grandes Valses brillantes,” Op.34 - the A flat major written in 1835 and the A minor written perhaps three years later - come exceptionally close however. The first is a particularly remarkable creation, not least for its stature: it is the longest of all Chopin’s waltzes. The introduction, though not unlike that of the earlier “Valse brillante” in E flat major, Op.18, is four times as long and it is more closely integrated with the fabric of the piece. It reappears in a variant version at the beginning of the middle section, where it inspires an improvisatory enterprise which transcends the limitations of the four-by-four phrasing and the sixteen-bar paragraphs endemic to the waltz.

The Waltz in A minor, Op.34, No.2, though also headed “ Grande Valse brillante,” has a distinctly melancholy Slavonic temperament. In some ways, with its sombre first theme in the left hand and the abrupt changes from major to minor in the middle section, it has more in common with Chopin’s mazurkas than his waltzes. Certainly, the eloquent left hand on the last page would not be out of place in the most poetic of the mazurkas - or even in a nocturne. Paradoxically, it was the composer’s own favourite among the waltzes.

The Waltz in F major, Op.34, No.3, on the other hand, is so playful that it came to be known as the “Cat Waltz” - a description which applies particularly well to the kittenish figuration in the middle section and its witty return at the end.