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Frédéric François Chopin

(1810-1849)

Op.64, No.2 - Waltz No.7 in C# Minor

Emir Gamsız, piano

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This piece is in the album:

"A Piano in Manhattan"

Read about the album: Click here.

Read about the composer: Click here.

Read about the pianist: Click here.

ABOUT THE WORK:

The second of the waltzes published as opus 64 was dedicated to another queen of the Paris salons – Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild, wife of the famous banker and art patron Nathaniel. Four years earlier, she had received a truly regal gift: the dedication of the F minor Ballade. The C sharp minor Waltz is also a masterpiece in its category – a gem of poetry, expressed in a concise, essential way. This Waltz takes the form of a ternary dance miniature; it is a dance with trio. The unforgettable opening theme is imbued with harmoniousness, sweetness and melancholy. The C sharp minor Waltz brings music that is subtler and externalised: its lyrical tone is marked by a unique kind of intimacy.

The second of the waltzes published as opus 64 was dedicated to another queen of the Paris salons – Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild, wife of the famous banker and art patron Nathaniel. Four years earlier, she had received a truly regal gift: the dedication of the F minor Ballade. The C sharp minor Waltz is also a masterpiece in its category – a gem of poetry, expressed in a concise, essential way. This Waltz takes the form of a ternary dance miniature; it is a dance with trio. The unforgettable opening theme is imbued with harmoniousness, sweetness and melancholy. The C sharp minor Waltz brings music that is subtler and externalised: its lyrical tone is marked by a unique kind of intimacy.

Chopin's reaction to hearing the Viennese waltzes for the first time summarizes the new voice he brought to the waltz form. The composer wrote in a letter to his sister, "If my pieces are waltzes, the ones that I heard here are not, but waltz is what the Viennese are playing, mine are not." Schumann also says that Chopin told him "My waltzes are for listening with ears, not for dancing with the body." This waltz is a piece that Emir Gamsız, who grew up watching waltzes in a ballet school, played in his first concert six months after he started playing the piano at the age of 20 and throughout his career. What's more, it is the waltz that made her transition from sportsmanship to music at the age of 20.