Noctave
The piece
The first waltz Chopin ever published, in 1834, this Grande Valse brillante is meant for the ballroom as much as the salon: a four-bar fanfare on a repeated B-flat opens the dance, followed by a chain of short waltzes, each with its own character, including an episode in D-flat major. The main theme returns before a coda that speeds up to the very end. This version, based on the first Leipzig edition, plays every repeat, 386 bars in all.
The tempo is lively (Vivo) and stamina matters: more than five minutes with no real rest. The 240 repeated notes are the first hurdle; change fingers on each repetition so they stay crisp and light. Next come the 147 grace notes, which should brush the main note without delaying it. The left hand makes the classic waltz gesture, bass then chord, with 247 leaps of an octave or more: look at the bass, let the chord follow on its own, and keep the downbeat firmly placed. A reduced tempo lets you settle this swing before taking it up to full speed.