At Waltz Pace

From Chopin to Fauré, salon dances inspired French Romantic composers far beyond their original purpose. Here, it's not a matter of writing pieces meant to be danced, but rather of evoking the atmosphere of social gatherings, sometimes with nostalgia, sometimes with irony. Female composers also followed this path: Cécile Chaminade was inspired by Carnival and its waltzes; Mel Bonis dreamed—from Paris—of a Venetian barcarolle or a Polish mazurka.

The elegant rhythms here conceal a longing for the atmosphere of a time believed lost and sought to retain.