Waltzes Opp. 18, 34, 42, 64, 69 and 70

Frédéric Chopin's waltzes are pieces of moderate length for piano, all written between 1824 and 1849. The waltzes are among the best known and loved of Chopin’s works. They are all in waltz triple meter, specifically 3/4 (except Op. P1/13, which is in 3/8 time), but differ from earlier Viennese waltzes in not being intended for dancing. Nonetheless, several have been used in ballets, most notably Les Sylphides. Some are accessible by pianists of modest capability, others require advanced technique. Chopin treated some of his waltzes as compositional ‘presents’, writing them into albums as keepsakes. Such works belong to the ‘private’ strand in his oeuvre, not intended for publication. 
 
Chopin may have written as many as 37 piano waltzes, but only nineteen (along with one inauthentic waltz) are numbered and only eight were published (in Opp. 18, 34, 42 and 64) before he died. His desire was that any unpublished works should be burned, but his sister Ludwika and Julian Fontana proceeded anyway to publish Waltzes 9–13 (as Opp. 69 and 70). Six waltzes composed 1826–1831 and present in Frédéric’s Paris home were at first preserved but then lost in an unintended 1863 fire in Ludwika's house. Another six were eventually published as Waltzes 14–19. These Chopin had given to related people without guarding the manuscripts. Waltz 18 was untitled; it is in 3/4 time and bears some characteristics of a waltz but is marked Sostenuto. Waltz 17 is not accepted as authentic by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute; to the other five in this group it has assigned WN numbers (29, 18, 28, 53 and 63). Waltz 20 is likewise inauthentic. Another authentic waltz in A minor was rediscovered in 2024 and has not yet been published or numbered. Separately, the last variation of Chopin’s (authentic) Variations on a German National Air (Der Schweizerbub), WN 6, is in the form of a waltz. Besides, there remain: 

1. Extant waltzes in private hands, unavailable to researchers
2. Waltzes believed destroyed or lost
3. Waltzes of which documentary evidence exists but whose manuscripts are not known to exist

 
The composer had no intention of publishing a number of youthful waltzes from his Warsaw period, which include both subtle, lyrical miniatures (Waltz in B minor [WN 19]) and virtuosic waltzes (most notably the effective Waltz in E minor). Of a different character are the concert waltzes from the ‘official’ strand in the Chopin oeuvre. Their dimensions are larger, and the pianistic splendour incomparably greater. Here the degree of artistic refinement reaches its peak, particularly manifest in the rich melodies and subtle harmonies. Among these eight masterful waltzes, two fundamental types may be distinguished. The first, more numerous, type is the striking waltz of virtuosic panache-the valse brillante. This type of composition might begin with a distinctive introduction and end with a virtuosic coda, fulfilling the role of the climax of the work (Waltz in E flat major, Op. 18, Waltz in A flat major, Op. 34 No. 1). The second type is associated with a different sort of expression: it is the melancholic, almost sentimental, waltz in a much slower tempo. The most famous examples of this type are the Waltz in A minor, Op. 34 No. 2 and Waltz in C sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2, although it should be remembered that both these types are also present among the waltzes of the ‘private’ strand.
 
Here are four albums:
 
Chopin: The Complete Waltzes. Stephen Hough (piano). Release Date: 1 Aug 2011. Label: Hyperion. Catalogue No: CDA67849. FLAC (CD Quality, 44.1 kHz, 16 bit).
Awards:
BBC Music Magazine, September 2011, Instrumental Choice.
Gramophone Awards, 2012, Finalist – Instrumental.
 
Chopin: Late Works. Maurizio Pollini (piano). Release Date: 27 Jan 2017. Label: Deutsche Grammophon. Catalogue No: 94796127. Hi-Res FLAC (Lossless, 96 kHz, 24 bit).
Award:
ECHO Klassik Awards, 2017, Winner.
 
Chopin: Waltzes & Impromptus. Arthur Rubinstein (piano). Release Date: 10 May 2004. Label: RCA. Catalogue No: 82876594222. FLAC (CD Quality, 44.1 kHz, 16 bit).
Award:
Penguin Guide, Rosette.
 
Chopin: The Complete Chopin Edition. Krystian Zimerman (piano), Claudio Arrau (piano), Anatol Ugorski (piano), Maurizio Pollini (piano), Vladimir Ashkenazy (Waltzes, piano), Maria João Pires (piano), Martha Argerich (piano), Rafal Blechacz (piano), Yundi Li (piano), Lilya Zilberstein (piano), Mikhail Pletnev (piano), Kurt Bauer, Heidi Bung (pianos), Vovka Ashkenazy (pianos), Beaux Arts Trio, Mstislav Rostropovich (cello), Anner Bijlsma (cello), Lambert Orkis (piano), Elzbieta Szmytka (soprano), Martin Martineau (piano), and Polish Festival Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eliahu Inbal. Release Date: 11 Jan 2010. Label: Deutsche Grammophon. Catalogue No: 4778445. FLAC (CD Quality, 44.1 kHz, 16 bit). 
Awards:
Presto Recording of the Week, 26 April 2010.
Radio 3 Building a Library, November 2010, First Choice.

​Reference:
Bielecki, A. (2024). Waltzes. The Fryderyk Chopin Institute. 
 
Waltzes Chopin. (2024, December 14). In Wikipedia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltzes_(Chopin)