Valse Mélancolique
General
Instrumentation
Piano
Commission
Written for Matthew Quayle
Listen to the Audio
About the Work
I have been trained as a pianist in college. This miniature is a little homage to Fryderyk Chopin, my beloved compatriot composer, whose music I consider a paragon of melodic voice leading and virtuosic yet idiomatic passages on the piano. Among nocturnes, ballades, and etudes, Chopin frequently utilized dance forms like mazurkas, polonaises, and waltzes, most of which (just like this one) felt more like musical diaries and explorations than mere salon music.
Performance History
Aug 7, 2026
Lixin Zhang (piano)
Palau March · Mallorca, Spain
Jul 22, 2026
Lixin Zhang (piano)
Casermetta Santa Croce · Luca, Tuscany, Italy
Jul 7, 2026
Lixin Zhang (piano)
Russley Show Room · Christchurch, New Zealand
Jul 5, 2026
Lixin Zhang (piano)
Holly Lea Show Room · Christchurch, New Zealand
Jun 22, 2026
Lixin Zhang (piano)
The Great Hall · Christchurch, New Zealand
Jun 14, 2020
Thomas Dobney (piano)
Aiglon College · Ollon, Switzerland
Dec 12, 2019
Premiere
Matthew Quayle (piano)
The Blue Hall, NYUAD · Abu Dhabi, UAE