F. Chopin Grande Valse Brillante Op.34 No.2 A-minor

The three Waltzes, Op. 34, were composed by Frédéric Chopin from 1834 until 1838 and published in 1838. The second waltz, op. 34 no. 2, is a sad, slow waltz in A minor. Although it was the first to be written out of the three, the waltz was the second to be published. The dance begins with a curiously timid melody, initially interrupted, then proceeding as if resignedly. At the centre of this work the melody of remarkable piano songfulness, played sostenuto in the cheery key of A major. Subsequently, however, the same melody changes mode, dynamics and timbre, falling into the dejected and darkened key of A minor.