Chopin - Waltz Op. 64 No. 2 (Rubinstein)

Chopin’s  waltzes were written specifically for the salon recital rather than the ballroom and are frequently at rather faster tempos than their dance-floor equivalents.  Some of Chopin's well-known pieces have acquired descriptive titles, such as the Minute Waltz (Op. 64, No. 1). However, with the exception of his Funeral March, the composer never named an instrumental work beyond genre and number, leaving all potential extramusical associations to the listener; the names by which many of his pieces are known were invented by others.

Waltz in C-sharp minor is the second work of Chopin's opus 64 and the companion to the Minute Waltz (Op. 64, No. 1). It consists of three main themes. A tempo giusto chordal with a walking pace feel; running eighth notes, with all harmony in the left hand, and a sostenuto in the tonic major (D-flat major, enharmonic equivalent to C-sharp major). Besides the slower general pace, the melody is in quarter notes except for a few flourishes in eighth notes, giving this section the quality of an interlude before the dramatic restatement of Theme B.

Quoted from Hazel Kinscella's "Music and Romance"