Waltz from “Chopiniana“

Alexander Glazunov was one of the most important representatives of the late Romantic Russian school tradition, which combined the orchestral legacy of Rimsky-Korsakov with Western European influences. His musical language is characterised by rich orchestral sound, melodic warmth, and consummate craftsmanship – qualities that established him as a valued bridge-builder between the national schools of his era.

Glazunov later added the melancholy waltz in D minor – one of the most celebrated of Chopin's piano works – to his Chopiniana suite, which he had written as ballet music for Les Sylphides. The orchestration is inspired: Glazunov preserves the elegiac, dreamy character of the original and clothes it in a transparent, flowing orchestral sound that convincingly translates Chopin's idiomatic piano writing into symphonic terms. The harp and strings contribute particularly to the hovering, light-footed atmosphere.

The piece quickly became the best-known of the suite's five movements and has maintained its place in the concert repertoire to this day – as an elegant conclusion to an evening or as a showpiece in lighter orchestral programmes. It stands as an exemplary demonstration of Glazunov's ability to translate foreign idioms into the orchestral language of his time with unerring stylistic instinct.