At first sight an entire recital dedicated to Chopin’s 17 surviving Waltzes could appear to be a daunting prospect, but a redeeming feature of pianist Mark Coughlan’s choice of program is that the Waltzes, unlike the Nocturnes or Mazurkas, offer a variety and accessibility that make for an agreeably complete recital.

The Waltzes are seldom considered to be amongst Chopin’s greatest works, but the fascination of the composer’s ability to transform a waltz into something significantly more sophisticated than a basic folk dance proved irresistible to Parisian audiences of the nineteenth century. None of the waltzes could be described as suitable for dancing, with the constant rubato and fluctuating tempi confounding even the most debonair performers.

Pianist Mark Coughlan performed Chopin Waltzes by Candlelight, 12 May 2022 at St George's Cathedral, Perth.

Pianist Mark Coughlan performed Chopin Waltzes by Candlelight, 12 May 2022 at St George’s Cathedral, Perth.

The works selected by Coughlan for this recital were performed in non-chronological order, beginning with E flat major Op. 18 before moving to the Op. 34 set of three waltzes. Chopin had visited Vienna prior to writing his Op. 18 waltz, and commented on...