Twelve Waltzes (Valses nobles)

Franz Schubert composed hundreds of short dance pieces for solo piano – waltzes, ländlers, écossaises, minuets, polonaises, and more. In 1827, the penultimate year of his life, he published the 12 Valses nobles, D. 969. The ninth waltz in this collection became one of his most well-known melodies, appearing in several anthologies and serving especially as the basis for the first part of Liszt’s masterpiece Soirées de Vienne No. 6 (also known as Valse-Caprices d’après Schubert), a work famously performed around the world by Vladimir Horowitz.

Today marks the premiere of the chamber orchestra version by Joji Hattori, who has arranged many works for chamber orchestra in order to expand their repertoire. About this arrangement, Joji Hattori says:

“As a child, I once dreamed of becoming a composer, but I soon realized that I lacked the talent to create something modern and original without simply imitating the style of classical composers. However, when it comes to arranging, this very ability – the capacity to imitate other styles – becomes an advantage. In this case, I tried to orchestrate Schubert’s well-known piano piece as if Schubert himself had done it. I simply imitated the orchestral sound of his symphonies. If someone were to criticize me for this imitation, I would take it as a genuine compliment to my work as an arranger. Because I deliberately wanted the arrangement not to sound like me, but like a real Schubert.”